Camille Z. McAvoy

Understanding and Engineering a Novel Chaperone for Membrane Proteins

Graduate Research performed in the Shan Lab at the California Institute of Technology

• Characterized structure-function relationship of plant-derived membrane protein chaperone cpSRP43 capable of preventing aggregation of amyloid-beta (Aβ40) peptides found in Alzheimer’s.
• Used cpSRP43 as a co-expression chaperone in E. coli to increase expression of membrane proteins, which are often very challenging to study because of their low expression.
• Trained two undergraduate researchers and two high school researchers to clone, express, purify, and characterize cpSRP43 mutants, resulting in co-authorship of these researchers on multiple publications.
• Published work in PNAS and JBC.

Shan Lab Website

Biophysical Society Abstract

PNAS Publication

Characterizing Biocatalyzed Carbon-Carbon Bond-Formation Mechanisms

Graduate Research performed in the Rees Lab at the California Institute of Technology

• Characterizing biocatalyzed carbon-carbon bond formation mechanisms for industrial synthesis applications using metalloenzyme nitrogenase with representative substrate methyl isonitrile.
• Developed understanding of structural biology strategies at the West Coast Protein Crystallography Workshop.

Rees Lab Website

Carbon-Nitrogen Bond Formation Reactions Toward the Synthesis of Drug-Like Molecules

Undergraduate Research performed in the Buchwald Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

• Developed palladium-catalyzed carbon-nitrogen cross-coupling methodologies for the synthesis of drug-like molecules using amidine salts with aryl halides as well as amides with ortho-substituted aryl iodides.
• Applied these methodologies to perform one-pot synthesis of pharmaceutically useful quinazoline derivatives.
• Published work in Organic Letters and presented a poster at the MIT Chemistry Research Symposium.

Buchwald Lab Website

Optimization of Biofuel Production from Sorghum Feedstock

Undergraduate Research performed in the Hamel Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

• Increased biofuel yield from sorghum flour hydrolysis by 300% through optimization of heating apparatus, mixing impeller type, temperature, and reaction time.
• Presented poster at the Society for Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology Conference in Washington DC.

Society for Industrial Microbiology Abstract

Monitoring Protein Drug Secondary Structure via FTIR

Internship Research Performed at Biogen Idec

• Studied whether secondary structure analysis via FTIR could be utilized for monitoring Factor IX Fc (hemophilia drug candidate) protein damage under various stress conditions to ensure drug stability during shipping.
• Presented research poster at Biogen Idec Intern Poster Session and via PowerPoint presentation to lab group.

Cross-Coulping Methodoligies for C-C Bond Formation

Internship Research Performed at Merck

• Developed one-pot Negishi cross-coupling methodology for C-C bond formation between crude thiazole zinc chloride mixture and various aryl bromides using RuPhos precatalyst with yield of 55-99%.
• Synthesized trisubstituted olefins via cross-coupling with yields of 55-74%.
• Presented research poster at Merck Intern Symposium.

Online Reaction Monitoring Kinetics

Internship Research Performed at Pfizer

• Performed two-step reductive amination reactions toward the synthesis of an ophthalmology target in order to study the effect of substrate electron density on reaction time using online FTIR and Raman spectroscopy to monitor reaction kinetics.
• Confirmed product formation via UPLC-MS and NMR and established standard operating procedures for using online spectroscopy tools for real time reaction monitoring.
• Presented research poster at Pfizer Intern Symposium; poster was also presented at Pfizer Global RA Symposium and GPC Forum; presented PowerPoint presentation to lab group.

Calibrating an Age Suit for Empathy Training in Young Subjects

Undergraduate Research performed in the AgeLab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

• Developed a protocol of biometric tests for assaying the efficacy of the Age Gain Now Empathy System (AGNES), a full body suit that simulates the physical restrictions of age on young subjects (ages 20-30).
• AGNES has appeared in the New York Times (Natasha Singer, "In a Graying Population, Business Opportunity," 2011)
• AGNES has also appeared in US News & World Report (Dennis Thompson, "High-Tech Suit Lets You Know What It's Like to Be Old," 2011).

MIT AgeLab Website

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