Project Info
Understanding the roles of polymer molecular weight and composition on the thermal stability of genome editing payloads
Ramya Kumar
ramyakumar@mines.edu
CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing constructs can be delivered in the form of ribonucleoproteins or as pDNA. While RNPs have several attractive therapeutic characteristics owing to their direct and transient mode of action, they are extremely fragile and vulnerable to thermal and mechanical insults. On the other hand, pDNA is more resilient to environmental stress but is more likely to cause off-target effects. In this project, students will prepare cationic polymers of diverse lengths, compositions, and monomer distribution and study how these design decisions affect the properties of polymer-pDNA and polymer-RNP properties. Students will also identify polymers that promote RNP thermal stability so that they can be deployed in resource-constrained settings.
Thee
More Information:
Grand Challenge: Engineer better medicines.
https://kumarbiomaterials.org/publications/
Primary Contacts:
- Ramya Kumar, ramyakumar@mines.edu
Student Preparation
Qualifications
Organic chemistry, genetics, molecular biology. Experience with chemical synthesis is a plus, but not a must.
TIME COMMITMENT (HRS/WK)
5-12, flexible
SKILLS/TECHNIQUES GAINED
Literature review, polymer synthesis and characterization, working with nucleic acids to understand polymer-nucleic acid interactions. NMR, GPC, RAFT synthesis. Running gels and DLS
MENTORING PLAN
Regular meetings (individual and group), reading assignments, the end product will be a paper written by the student.
PREFERRED STUDENT STATUS
Freshman
Sophomore