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Christine S. Chow

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Christy Chow
Born
Christine S. Chow

Alma materBowdoin College (BS)
Columbia University (MS)
Caltech (PhD)
Known forRNA-ligand interactions
AwardsFellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
Scientific career
InstitutionsMassachusetts Institute of Technology
Wayne State University
ThesisTransition metal complexes as probes for higher-order structure in RNA (1992)
Doctoral advisorJacqueline Barton[1]
Websitechem.wayne.edu/faculty/chow

Christine "Christy" Chow is a professor of chemistry (biochemistry division) and former associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Wayne State University. She works on modified RNAs, RNA-ligand interactions and RNA therapeutics. She is a Fellow of the American Chemical Society (ACS).

Early life and education

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Chow was born New Jersey.[2] She studied environmental science at Bowdoin College and graduated in 1987.[3] She was a graduate student at Columbia University, earning a master's degree in 1988.[3] Chow earned her doctorate in inorganic chemistry with Jacqueline Barton at the California Institute of Technology in 1992.[1][3]

Research and career

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Chow was a postdoctoral research fellow at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she worked with Stephen J. Lippard.[3] In 1994 Chow joined Wayne State University.[4][5] Her research has been supported by the National Institutes of Health since she joined Wayne State University. Chow studies the structural and functional roles of modified nucleosides in RNA.[3] So far, several hundred modifications have been found in RNA and Transfer RNA, but their contributions to structure and function have yet to be fully established.[3] Chow develops the methodologies to incorporate modified nucleosides at specific points in RNA; in particular helix 69 of 23S ribosomal RNA.[3] The pseudouridine modification helps to maintain fidelity during protein synthesis, but its exact role in regulating the function of a ribosome is unknown.[6] They use inorganic complexes (such as platinum(II)) to examine the structure of nucleic acid.[3]

Chow has used fluorescence spectroscopy and mass spectrometry to study drug-RNA interactions in an effort to inform the design of new antibiotics.[3][7] Improved RNA binding ligands indicate that drugs have potential, and should be developed further.[3] She developed assays to investigate aminoglycoside analogues.[8] She is working on new anti-infectives that combat antimicrobial resistance.[3]

Academic service and advocacy

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Chow is an advocate for undergraduate research opportunities and diversity in the scientific community. In 2006 one of Chow's students, Uzoma Azuh, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia.[9] When he died in 2007, Chow created the Uzoma Azuh Endowed Memorial Research Scholarship, a fellowship for undergraduate students in chemistry and biochemistry, in his honour.[9] She is a faculty mentor for an National Institutes of Health grant, the Wayne State University "Initiative for Maximizing Student Development", which supports students from underrepresented minorities in their scientific careers.[10][11] In 2016, Wayne State University and Chow were awarded a multi-million dollar BEST (Broadening Experiences in Scientific Training) grant from National Institutes of Health to develop a doctoral training program for graduate students.[12] She is a member of the leadership team of the American Chemical Society Women's Chemistry Committee and the Division of Biological Chemistry.[13][14]

Awards and honours

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References

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  1. ^ a b Chow, Christine S. (1992). Transition metal complexes as probes for higher-order structure in RNA. caltech.edu (PhD thesis). California Institute of Technology. OCLC 437064763.
  2. ^ "Christine Chow". Michigan Science Center. Retrieved 2019-03-17.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Christine S. Chow". chem.wayne.edu. Retrieved 2019-03-17.
  4. ^ "FORWARD to Professorship Speakers". utoledo.edu. Retrieved 2019-03-17.
  5. ^ "Current Members - Chow group, Chemistry - College of Liberal Arts and Sciences". clas.wayne.edu. Retrieved 2019-03-17.
  6. ^ Chow, Christine. "The Role of Ribosomal RNA Modifications". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  7. ^ a b "Wayne State University scientist named AAAS fellow". Today@Wayne. 2018-05-15. Retrieved 2019-03-17.
  8. ^ "Professor Christine S. Chow | RNA Society". Retrieved 2019-03-17.
  9. ^ a b "Chow establishes scholarship in memory of former student" (PDF). Wayne State. Retrieved 2019-03-17.
  10. ^ "Wayne State University awarded $3 million from NIH to foster science and research careers". EurekAlert!. Retrieved 2019-03-17.
  11. ^ Hitchcock, Peter; Mathur, Ambika; Bennett, Jabbar; Cameron, Patricia; Chow, Christine; Clifford, Philip; Duvoisin, Robert; Feig, Andrew; Finneran, Kevin (2017). "The future of graduate and postdoctoral training in the biosciences". eLife. 6: e32715. doi:10.7554/eLife.32715. ISSN 2050-084X. PMC 5648525. PMID 29049023.
  12. ^ "Wayne State's NIH-funded BEST Program Achieving Successful Outcomes - MichBio". michbio.org. Retrieved 2019-03-17.
  13. ^ "Officers & Committees | ACS Division of Biological Chemistry Website". divbiolchem.org. Retrieved 2019-03-17.
  14. ^ "WCC Leadership | ACS Network". communities.acs.org. Retrieved 2019-03-17.
  15. ^ "2010 Bioorganic Chemistry Conference GRC". grc.org. Retrieved 2019-03-17.
  16. ^ "Dept of Chemistry at Wayne State University Mainpage | Immortality Medicine". Retrieved 2019-03-17.
  17. ^ "ACS Awards and ACS Fellows – PMSE". Retrieved 2019-03-17.