Benjamin Van Arnam '09 (Waterford, CT) is spending his summer investigating the ligand binding interactions of galectin-1, a protein involved in tumor progression. (A ligand is a substance that is able to bind to and form a complex with a biomolecule, like a protein.) Arnam hopes that his research may assist in the future development of better tumor growth inhibitors. Building upon the research done by Jodi Raymond '08 for her senior thesis, Van Arnam is synthesizing several different carbohydrate molecules and testing to see how well they bind to and inhibit galectin-1. His project is being conducted under the supervision of Assistant Professor of Chemistry Nicole Snyder.
Van Arnam is using galectin-1's natural binding ligand as a model for the carbohydrates he will be synthesizing. By adding different chemical groups to this model ligand, he will determine how their steric bulk (size), polarity (how well they pull electrons toward themselves in a bond), aromaticity (the presence of special kinds of carbon rings), and other properties affect the ligand's ability to bind to galectin-1. To do this, Van Arnam will use a device called a microcalorimeter, which measures the heat released when galetcin-1 and a ligand bind together. Because the amount of heat released is directly proportional to the strength of the binding, the microcalorimeter measurements will give Van Arnam a better idea of how his modifications to the ligand impact binding and what types of modifications he should pursue further. By the end of the summer, he hopes to have a good sense of what chemical properties are favored in the binding process; process, a critical piece of information in developing better tumor growth inhibitors.
A chemistry major, Van Arnam plans on continuing his summer project for his senior thesis. He found Synder's research appealing because it was an organic chemistry synthesis project with medical applications. This latter aspect of the project was particularly fascinating to him because Van Arnam is also a pre-med student. After graduation, Van Arnam wants to join the Peace Corps where he hopes to work on a public health related project (such as HIV/AIDS education) in Africa. When he returns to the U.S., he plans on applying to medical school where he will focus on global health issues. Van Arnam is an active member of Habitat for Humanity and the Christian Fellowship.
-- by Nick Berry '09
Van Arnam is using galectin-1's natural binding ligand as a model for the carbohydrates he will be synthesizing. By adding different chemical groups to this model ligand, he will determine how their steric bulk (size), polarity (how well they pull electrons toward themselves in a bond), aromaticity (the presence of special kinds of carbon rings), and other properties affect the ligand's ability to bind to galectin-1. To do this, Van Arnam will use a device called a microcalorimeter, which measures the heat released when galetcin-1 and a ligand bind together. Because the amount of heat released is directly proportional to the strength of the binding, the microcalorimeter measurements will give Van Arnam a better idea of how his modifications to the ligand impact binding and what types of modifications he should pursue further. By the end of the summer, he hopes to have a good sense of what chemical properties are favored in the binding process; process, a critical piece of information in developing better tumor growth inhibitors.
A chemistry major, Van Arnam plans on continuing his summer project for his senior thesis. He found Synder's research appealing because it was an organic chemistry synthesis project with medical applications. This latter aspect of the project was particularly fascinating to him because Van Arnam is also a pre-med student. After graduation, Van Arnam wants to join the Peace Corps where he hopes to work on a public health related project (such as HIV/AIDS education) in Africa. When he returns to the U.S., he plans on applying to medical school where he will focus on global health issues. Van Arnam is an active member of Habitat for Humanity and the Christian Fellowship.
-- by Nick Berry '09
