Winslow Professor of Chemistry George Shields has received a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to support his research with Hamilton students. The proposal, titled "RUI: Calculating Acid Dissociation Constants in Aqueous Solution," brings $210,000 over the next three years to support research aimed at the accurate prediction of the protonation states of small peptides. Protonation refers to the addition or subtraction of a hydrogen ion to a molecule, and the extent of protonation determines the overall charge of a molecule. Small peptides are biological molecules that are an essential class of drugs that are being developed by pharmaceutical companies. Accurate calculation of protonation states of small peptides is essential for drug design, as the charge state of peptides affects their binding properties to protein targets.
This research builds on the previous work of Goldwater Scholars Ann Marie Toth '02, Lorena Hernandez '03, Matthew Liptak '03, Meghan Dunn '06, and Mary Beth Day '07, as well as other student researchers in the Shields lab. The grant will help support Visiting Assistant Professor of Chemistry Karl Kirschner during the 2005-06 academic year, as well as four undergraduates per summer for each of the next three years. The RUI program supports Research at Undergraduate Institutions and is highly competitive.
