CURRICULUM VITAE

 

Sonia D. Larsen

 

The University of Illinois at Chicago

The Center for Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and

The Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy

900 South Ashland Avenue (M/C 870)

Chicago IL 60607

Work Phone:  (312) 996-1687

Fax:  (312) 413-9303

E-mail slotti1@uic.edu

 

EDUCATION

 

Ph.D. Candidate           Current      University of Illinois, Chicago

B.S.   Biology               May, 1998 University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago

A.S.   LAS                    May, 1995  Kankakee Community College,  Kankakee, IL

 

HOMETOWN

Kankakee, IL

 

GRADUATE RESEARCH PROJECT

Structure, Mechanism and Evolution of Organophosphorus Hydrolase

 

 

EXPERIENCE

 

2001-2004          University of Illinois at Chicago, Center for Pharmaceutical Biotechnology.

Graduate Research Assistant under Dr. Andrew Mesecar. Research focuses on the Application of X-ray Crystallography to Aid in Site-Directed Mutagenesis of a Novel Organophosphorus Hydrolase in order to Increase the Catalysis of a Multitude of Chemical Warfare Agents and Pesticides.   

 

Spring 2001        University of Illinois at Chicago, Department of Medicinal Chemistry.  Teaching Assistant for Pharmacy courses.

 

2000-2001          University of Illinois at Chicago, Department of Obstetric and Gynecology

Research Specialist supervised by Dr. Sherman Elias. Research focused on the Culturing and Identification Fetal Endothelial Cell from Maternal Peripheral Blood for a Less Invasive Method of Genetic Testing.

 

1997-2001          University of Illinois at Chicago, Research and Resources Center

Research Specialist supervised under Dr. Amittha Wickrema. Managed a successful DNA Sequencing facility and supervised two other employees    

 

Summer 1997     University of Illinois at Chicago, Department of Hematology/Oncology Federal Work Study supervised under Dr. David VanDenBerg. Research focused on the Evaluation of Serial Analysis of gene expression (SAGE) Methodology for Determining the Expression Profile of Purified Stromal Progenitor Cells.

 

1996-1998          University of Illinois at Chicago, Department of Molecular Genetics

Student Research Assistant supervised under Bernadette Greski. Responsible for maintaining Deionized water system in building and administrative duties

                

 

AWARDS AND SCHOLORSHIPS

 

2003                  Charles P. Bondy Award (UIC College of Pharmacy)

2003                  ACA Student Travel Award

2003                  UIC Graduate Student Travel Award

2003                  Cold Spring Harbor Scholarship

2004                   Provost Award

 

MEMBERSHIPS AND PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

 

2002-                 Member, UIC-American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS)

2002-                 Member, American Crystallographic Association (ACA)

2002-2004          Treasurer, UIC-American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS)

 

PROFESSIONAL COURSES ATTENDED

 

2002                   APS Laue Data Processing Workshop

2003                  Cold Spring Harbor Course:  Advanced Methods in X-ray Crystallography

 

PUBLICATIONS

 

"The Crystal Structure of a Novel Hydrolase with a Binuclear Zinc Active Site," Biochemistry, in preparation.

 

INVITED SEMINARS AND SYMPOSIUMS

 

2003          ACA 41st Annual Meeting (Oral Presentation) “Monochromatic and Polychromatic Laue Studies of a Novel Phosphotriesterase that Degrades Soman Gas” Sonia Larsen, Kiira Ratia, Bernard D. Santarsiero and Andrew D. Mesecar.

 

CONFERENCES AND SYMPOSIUMS    

 

2002          Midwest Enzyme Chemistry Conference XXII

2003          MIKI Medicinal Chemistry Student Meeting (Kansas City, KS)

2003          Midwest Enzyme Chemistry Conference XXIII (Poster Presentation) “Monochromatic and Polychromatic Laue Studies of a Novel Phosphotriesterase that Degrades Soman Gas” Sonia Larsen, Kiira Ratia, Bernard D. Santarsiero and Andrew D. Mesecar.

2004          MIKI Medicinal Chemistry Student Meeting (Iowa City, IA) (Poster Presentation) “Monochromatic and Polychromatic Laue X-ray Crystallographic Studies of a Novel Phosphotriesterase Capable of Hydrolyzing Soman Gas” Sonia Larsen, Kiira Ratia, Bernard D. Santarsiero and Andrew D. Mesecar.

2004          ACA 42nd Annual Meeting (Local Committee)

2004          Midwest Enzyme Chemistry Conference XXIIII (Poster Presentation) “Structural Studies of a Novel Phosphotriesterase capable of degrading soman using Monochromatic and Polychromatic Laue X-ray Techniques” Sonia Larsen, Kiira Ratia, Bernard D. Santarsiero and Andrew D. Mesecar.

 

 

X-RAY INSTRUMENTATION EXPERIENCE

 

APS Synchrotron:        Argonne National Labs

                                           Beamlines:          SER-CAT  monochromatic

                                                                    BIO-CARS  monochromatic and Laue data collectio   

                

X-ray Equipment:         In house system:         Raxis IIc detector (Rigaku) on RU-200 rotating anode.

                                                                     Raxis IV++ detector (Rigaku) with inverted phi

        

LABORATORY SKILLS AND TECHNIQUES

*     Cloning and construction of expression vectors

*     DNA sequencing

*     Perkin Elmer ABI 377

*     Mutagenesis

*     Random

*     Site-Directed

*     Saturation

*     Tissue Culture/ Cell Line Maintenence

*     Optimizing of protein expression conditions

*     Protein Purification- column chromatography

*     Gel chromatography

*     SDS PAGE protein gels:  silver and coomassie blue staining

*     Agarose DNA gels

*     Crystallization

*     Random Factorial and Optimization of growth conditions

*     Cryo conditions & Screening

*     Capillary mounting/ Flow Cell

*     Structure Determination techniques via X-ray Crystallography

*     Molecular Replacement

*     Polychromatic Laue

 

COMPUTER KNOWLEDGE

      Familiar with:

*     Red Hat Linux/SGI Irix

*     Denzo/Scalepack (x-ray crystallography processing)

*     CNS (x-ray crystallography)

·       (x-ray crystallography)

*     HKL2000, Crystal Clear (x-ray crystallography)

*     Insight II (structure visualization)

*     Laueview 2.6b/ Precognition