Mehmet 艦en鈥檚 Research Takes a Closer Look at Immune Cell Receptor Structures
Mehmet 艦en, assistant professor of biochemistry, is embarking on several projects at the 葫芦影业 made possible through his newly funded five-year CAREER award from the National Science Foundation.
The award recognizes early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and who can advance the mission of their department or university.
With the NSF funding, 艦en鈥檚 research is focused on understanding how immune receptors change their adhesiveness and shape simultaneously, while also modifying functions of immune cells. This is a phenomenon known as allostery in biochemistry.
艦en鈥檚 laboratory will use biophysical and biochemical approaches to map the biological 鈥渨iring network鈥� that creates the highly complicated immune system鈥檚 response against infection and cancer.
鈥淚鈥檓 interested in not only furthering my research in structural immunology, but also in preparing future scientists who will be able to look at human immunity through the lens of someone trained in chemistry and physics,鈥� said 艦en.
Studying and Tuning the Immune System
鈥淚mmune surveillance is perhaps the most complicated and diverged system, and you cannot easily relate events of immunity happening in mice and humans,鈥� said 艦en. 鈥淭herefore, we are challenged to study these events using unconventional techniques beyond classical biology.鈥�
The keys to understanding immunology lie in innate and adaptive immunity and how they work coherently. Innate immunity is the human body鈥檚 first line of defense; it is non-specific and provides a robust response. Adaptive immunity, unlike innate immunity, is temporally developed, and thus highly specific.
鈥淚n our laboratory, we investigate what takes place at cross-talk events between adaptive and innate responses and then design unique drugs to fine-tune both of the immune branches,鈥� said 艦en.
艦en鈥檚 laboratory, which includes graduate and undergraduate students, uses biophysics, biochemistry, structural biology and protein chemistry techniques to investigate shape shifting of immune receptors at the molecular level, which, in turn, inform how white blood cells function in health and diseases.
Promoting STEM for Students and Future Educators
艦en鈥檚 work is also benefitting STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) students from pre-high school through graduate school, including those who are planning future careers as STEM educators.
Funding from 艦en鈥檚 CAREER award will also support a biotechnology summer workshop that was launched in 2021. His goal for students participating in the workshop is to instill a better understanding of protein structure and function and to provide hands-on training in computer-aided drug discovery.
鈥淒uring previous workshops, it was highly informative, as well as stunning, for students to observe that the current COVID-19 antiviral drugs, Remdesivir or Favipiravir, bind to one of the COVID-19 proteins, yet hydroxychloroquine does not,鈥� said 艦en.
The workshop also creates a collaborative environment between UH students and biochemistry professors. Faculty who participate in the workshop partner with graduate and undergraduate students from many majors, including students from NSM and the College of Education. Undergraduate students serve as mentors for younger students when working on projects.
Currently, the workshop is open to all students regardless of their grades or academic status and is free of charge. 鈥淪tudents just need to bring their curiosity,鈥� 艦en added.
Students interested in the biotechnology summer workshop should email 艦en (msen2@central.uh.edu) or Bulent Dogan (bdogan@central.uh.edu).
鈥淭hrough my years of training, I have garnered a passion for the mechanics of immunobiology which has driven my desire to fill in the gaps in our knowledge of how our immune cells execute and function in health and disease,鈥� said 艦en.
He hopes that his award will create more scientific discoveries and scientific training opportunities for students who are attracted to a career in biophysical and biochemical sciences.
- Chris Guillory, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics