Nicole Barkley, Ph.D.

Biological Sciences 2013

Area of Doctoral Studies: Biology

Undergraduate Institute: University of Delaware

Research Advisor: Charles Bieberich, Ph.D.

Current Position: Scientist, Product Development, Personal Genome Diagnostics

Description of Research

Phosphorylation by protein kinases is the most well studied signaling mechanism in eukaryotic cells. Recent studies have demonstrated that Pim-1 is a protein kinase that is over-expressed in many cancers including hematopoietic and prostate cancers. To date there are a limited number of known Pim-1 substrates. The primary goal of this project is to profile and identify novel bona fide Pim-1 substrates. These studies will identify potential biomarkers as efficacy targets for drug therapy, and provide new insight into the molecular basis of Pim-1 function.