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Dr. Jennifer BinningIn 2009, Jennifer joined the Iowa State University Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Molecular Biology graduate program where she worked with Dr. Gaya Amarasinghe to structurally and biochemically characterize Eloba virus proteins involved in immune evasion and nucleocapsid formation. Two years into her graduate studies, the Amarasinghe lab relocated to Washington University in St. Louis were Jennifer finished her graduate research. In January 2014, Jennifer moved to California to pursue her postdoctoral research at UCSF in the laboratory of Dr. John Gross. Here, she developed her interest in how viruses manipulate host ubiquitin complexes. As an assistant professor at Moffitt, Jennifer and her team aim to answer challenging questions regarding the role of ubiquitination in virus-driven cancers.
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Norma PaganGrants Administrator
Basic Science Division norma.pagan@moffitt.org I was born and raised in Bronx, New York (home of the Yankees!), but am loving life in Florida. I enjoy spending time outdoors with my family and friends, and enjoying taking in all the natural beauty this state has to offer. Norma assists the Binning lab with administrative duties as well as ensures each grant proposal has a successful submission.
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Jameela LokhandwalaJameela completed her PhD in structural biology and protein biochemistry at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX. During her graduate studies, she did research on the light-sensitive Light Oxygen Voltage domains of E3 ligases from plants to understand their signaling mechanisms to improvise crop and biofuel production. In the Binning lab, Jameela will study how the HPV E6 oncoprotein disrupts cellular E3 ligases to promote viral replication.
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Tracess SmalleyTracess joined the Binning lab after earning her PhD in Chemistry from the University of South Florida. Her graduate research was conducted in the laboratory of Mildred Acevedo-Duncan where she investigated the inhibition of the atypical protein kinase C in breast and ovarian cancers. Tracess' current research involves generating biological tools against HPV oncoproteins. In her free time, Tracess enjoys to reading graphic novels and taking long walks in nature.
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Angelo NicolaciGraduate Student
Department of Molecular Oncology nicolaciangelo@gmail.com Angelo recently graduated from The University of Tampa with a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry. During his undergraduate studies, he did research on the epigenetic regulation of the promoter region of the tumor suppressor protein p73 in prostate cancer cells. In the Binning lab, he will study how HPV hijacks host machinery via protein-protein interactions to predispose individuals to cancer.
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Jenet MatlackJenet graduated from the University of South Florida with a Bachelor of Science in Cell and Molecular Biology in 2018. In her undergraduate studies and as a research technician post-graduation, she studied the roles of different deubiquitinating enzymes and arrestin proteins in promoting neurodegenerative diseases. She joined the USF Morsani College of Medicine Medical Science PhD program in 2019.
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Robert MinerRob earned his bachelor’s degree in Biology from Carthage College in 2018. During his undergraduate studies, he worked on isolating and characterizing novel bacteriophages to understand the role of non-coding RNAs in the bacterial stress response. After graduating, Rob’s post-baccalaureate work began as a Research Associate with Dr. John Denu at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Rob's primary focus was developing a high-throughput screen to identify inhibitors against the epigenetic reader and oncogenic target UHRF1. In late 2020, Rob joined Moffitt as a Research Associate II position in Dr. Ernst Schonbrunn's group, where he served as a protein engineer for crystallography and drug discovery studies. In August of 2021, Rob joined the Cancer Biology Doctoral program. During his PhD studies, Rob aims to understand the role of different post-translational modifications and their ability to regulate cellular events related to cancer.
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Divya ShethUndergraduate Student
Department of Biomedical Engineering University of Southern Florida divyasheth@usf.edu Divya is currently an undergraduate student working on a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering with his graduation in May of 2023. He plans to continue his education by applying into M.D programs after his graduation. During his time at the Binning lab, Divya has written a book chapter on the challenges of delivery systems for gene therapy that is in submission and in the lab, he has been studying the interaction between HPV E1 and KEAP1 and whether the interaction is promoting the activation of NRF2.
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NanoExchange Student
Department of Molecular Oncology Nano is an exchange student from the Andes region of Peru. She is currently working on developing nanobodies that bind oncogenic targets. Nano enjoys long walks 20,000 feet above the sea level and exploring ancient ruins.
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Alumni
Alicia Bjornberg - Rotation Student (Spring 2022)
Sanja Todorovic - Research Volunteer (2019-2020)
Sanja Todorovic - Research Volunteer (2019-2020)
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The Binning lab is actively recruiting highly motivated graduate students and postdoctoral fellows interested in problems at the intersection of structural biology, biochemistry, virology, and human disease.
Please check out our Opportunity page for the details. |