Material Science Special Seminar Ⅱ

Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Ms. Ujuagu Akunna Francess

On November 15th, 2023, I arrived in Durham, North Carolina, to begin my joint research in Professor Amanda Hargrove's lab at Duke University. On November 17th, I was warmly received by Professor Amanda, who introduced me to the other lab members during the group meeting. I presented my current project and exchanged ideas on the way forward.

Unfortunately, my research did not begin until December 12th since I had been waiting for an essential reagent from Japan that was supposed to be transported via FedEx but could not be dispatched due to the reagent's sensitivity and the possibility of degradation if not stored at the right temperature. This prompted me to contact GPMS on December 5th, and again on January 12th, to request permission to acquire the reagent in the United States. The approval was granted, and the reagent was ordered and delivered on December 11, 2023.

Thankfully, my research progressed over time, and I successfully screened 120 molecules from the laboratory's in-house library of synthetic molecules, resulting in an average of 41 HITs (molecules with more than 20% displacement) over three independent experiments. This result indicates that 41 molecules displaced my peptide probe and bound to the target RNA. This is a novel finding because the target RNA has never been investigated in this way before. I am now investigating HIT compounds to see whether they have any possible therapeutic effects on the RNA-protein complex.

On January 30th, I completed the joint research and left for Japan on 31stJanuary 2024. I arrived in Japan on 2nd February 2024.

This joint research collaboration was an excellent scientific outing, as I acquired new skill sets and new scientific knowledge while learning from an expert in my field. My host professor was very kind and hospitable, which made my stay in her lab worthwhile. We both look forward to continuing our research collaboration in the future.

Finally, I am grateful to GPMS for giving me this wonderful opportunity to study abroad. This has been an eye-opening experience for me, and I am excited to continue my research and hopefully become a subject matter expert in my field in the near future.