Nicole Snell, Ph.D.

Nicole Snell

Molecular Medicine

Area of Doctoral Study: Molecular Medicine

Undergraduate Institute: University of Maryland, College Park

Research Advisor: Mark Rizzo, Ph.D.

Description of Research

Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) is an important tool for studying biological systems at a cellular level. My research focus is studying cellular migration through the use of biosensors tailored to cellular motor proteins and small GTPases such as RhoA. The proteins activation levels are determined by FRET, with the use of fluorescence microscopy techniques. Cellular migration is involved in many different aspects of biology from diabetes to cancer, and understanding the levels of activation can allow further insight into these diseases.