Postdoc Fellow/Post-Bac Associate Award 2022: Michael Guy

Institution: Northern Kentucky University

Department: Chemistry and Biochemistry

Rank: Associate Professor

Project Title: Determining how 2'-O-methylations in the eukaryotic anticodon loop region of tRNA are formed and how they affect translation 

About the project: Our lab studies transfer RNA (tRNA), which is a molecule required to read the information in your genes and convert it into the proteins that give cells their shape and perform chemical reactions.  To function properly tRNAs must be modified by the cell, and we study the proteins that form these modifications.  People with defects in these modifications often suffer from intellectual disability or other diseases. 

Intended outcomes: It is our goal to understand how the modifications are formed, why they are important, and to identify new ways that the modifications can be formed. Students who did research in our lab have gone on to medical school, pharmacy school, and to graduate school to earn PhDs.  Others have gone on to work in the biomedical industry, helping to develop diagnostic tools and analyze medical samples.

How KY INBRE will help accomplish these goals: KY INBRE funding has allowed us to hire a fantastic lab technician who keeps the lab running smoothly and helps me train students and direct their research.

Outside of the classroom/lab: When I am not in the lab, teaching, or directing the premedical program at NKU, I love to spend time with my family in the outdoors or doing physical activities.