Grant Schauer

Contact Information:
2.26a Hillman Cancer Center
UPCI Research Pavilion
5117 Centre Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213 USA

Email: gds11@pitt.edu

Education:
B.A., Biochemistry, University of New Mexico, 2003
M.S., Biomedical Sciences, University of New Mexico, 2007
Ph.D. Candidate in Molecular Biophysics and Structural Biology

Research:
Current Research:
I employ single-molecule biophysics techniques to probe various molecular mechanisms, with a particular interest in DNA-protein interactions. We have at our disposal techniques like Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence Microscopy (TIRFM), Scanning Confocal Fluorescence Microscopy (SCFM), Magnetic Tweezers (MT), and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) to interrogate biological machinery one molecule at a time. These methods are quite robust in terms of information content, resulting in numerous collaborations with groups in Pittsburgh and elsewhere. I largely focus on single-molecule Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (smFRET) as a means to study the detailed kinetic mechanisms of many systems such as PcrA helicase and HIV-1 Reverse Transcriptase, to name just a few. I am also interested in combining these techniques with molecular modeling and simulation in order to gain better insight into structural mechanisms and to improve upon the measurements themselves.

Previous Research:
My master’s thesis focused on the development of the following three methods towards a framework for high-throughput analysis of molecular recognition in vitro and in silico: 1) Bead based polypeptide arrays involving on-bead transcription/translation and development of novel phenotype/genotype linkage strategies. 2) Non-equilibrium free energy difference calculations with Crook's fluctuation theorem using quasi-equilibrium steered molecular dynamics simulations. 3) Comparison of experimental kinetics data from enzymatic binding site mutants using small molecule docking and molecular dynamics simulations of multiple active site mutations. Advisor: Jeremy Edwards, Ph.D. (UNM School of Medicine, Dept. of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology and Dept. of Chemical Engineering). Coadvisor: L. Mario Amzel, Ph.D. (Johns Hopkins University, Dept. of Biophysics)



Past Graduate Rotations:

B.A. Biochemistry, University of New Mexico 2003,
M.S. Biomedical Sciences, University of New Mexico 2007

1) Quantitative 13C NMR detection of metabolites in human and rat prostate tumors for metabalomic characterization of prostatic adenocarcinoma. Advisor: Laurel Sillerud, Ph.D. (UNM School of Medicine, Dept. of Biochemistry)

2) Development of virus-like particle conjugates of coat proteins from HIV and HPV for cell surface antigen presentation and immune response in mice. Advisor: Bryce Chackerian, Ph.D. (UNM School of Medicine, Dept. of Pathology)

3) Structural characterization and comparison of receptophore models for all published estradiol or tamoxifen-binding macromolecules for drug development and design. Virtual chemical library screening against EGFR ligands for effective inhibitor development. Advisor: Tudor Oprea, M.D., Ph.D. (UNM School of Medicine, Dept. of Biocomputing)

PhD Advisor:
Dr. Sanford Leuba

Publications:
Poster Presentations:
Schauer, GD. and Leuba, SH. Modeling absolute distances from spFRET measurements of DNA-protein complexes. Spetses Summer School on Chromatin & Transcription, September 2008.