June 7, 2006
Daniel Cline, a postdoctoral research scientist in the Singleton Lab at the UNC School of Pharmacy, has received the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award from the National Institutes of Health.
The Kirschstein NRSAs are individual postdoctoral fellowships given to promising applicants with the potential to become productive, independent investigators in fields related to the mission of the NIH constituent institutes and centers.
“This post-doctoral appointment provides the opportunity to broaden my experience in molecular biology, with particular emphasis on drug design and delivery,” Cline says. “My overall goal is to become a well-rounded medicinal chemist and to develop useful therapies for treatment of infectious organisms, specifically the growing, and often overlooked, problem of drug-resistant bacteria.”
As part of his project, “RecA Protein as Therapeutic Target Using Peptides and PNAs,” Cline will use phage display to optimize peptide designs, in vitro protein assays to evaluate those designs, and microbiological assays to test the in vivo applicability.
“Learning these techniques—some standard, others cutting edge—will provide me with both a well-based understanding of microbiology and keep me current and marketable for my eventual transition to industry,” Cline says. “Our project using PNAs to inhibit protein translation will be especially applicable in this regard. The approach is relatively new, and PNAs are gaining accord as possible drugs.”