MS in Applied Molecular Biology

May 1997

GPA: 4.0

Department of Biological Sciences
University of Maryland Graduate School, Baltimore
1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, Maryland 21250

BSc (with Honors) in Biochemistry with minors in Physics and Mathematics

Feb. 1995

GPA: 3.92

University of Dhaka
Dhaka-1000, Bangladesh

(January 2001 to date) General lab maintenance. Responsibilities include accurate record keeping, operation of all lab equipment, preparation of stock solutions, tissue culture, including maintenance of animal and human cell lines, quality control and testing of media, sera, and other growth factors, studies of tumor growth, production of adenoviral vectors for gene therapy of prostate cancer, animal studies including minor surgical procedures, tumor studies involving response to gene therapy, molecular biology techniques including DNA, RNA isolation, enzyme analysis, luciferase assays, gel electrophoresis, DNA cloning, PCR, immunohistochemical analysis, use of monoclonal antibodies, autoradiography, western blotting, protein purification, clinical specimen handling and disposal. Data analysis, preparing presentation, and writing manuscripts are also part of my responsibilities.

(January 2001 to Date) (1) Designing and generating helper cells for packaging diphtheria toxin-generating adenovirus for gene therapy.
(2) Promoter analysis for designing a prostate specific core promoter.
(3) Prostate cancer cryo-immunotherapy: Studying the combination of cryoablation (Cryo.) with granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GMCSF) introduced via adenoviral vector and cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 blockade.

(June 1997 to December 2000 - Masters Thesis) Analyzing the role of the 5'NTL in ribosomal protein biogenesis. My research has focused on the regulation of the ribosomal protein synthesis during the developmental life cycle in the Cellular Slime Mold, Dictyostelium discoideum. Starvation for amino acids initiates the developmental cycle in D. discoideum. Upon starvation, one of the earliest developmental events is the selective loss of the ribosomal protein (rp) mRNAs from polysomes in the prespore cells within 20 minutes of encountering starvation. Their translation continues in the prestalk cells throughout development. This loss depends upon sequences in the 5' non-translated leader (NTL) of the rp mRNAs. The perstalk cells are ultimately fated to undergo programmed cell death, in the process of forming the stalk tube. By analyzing the available 5'NTL sequences of D. discoideum rp mRNAs, I have shown that they have a limited consensus, which has a pyrimidine rich stretch. Mutations in this 5'NTL region of the rp mRNA results in the loss of prestalk specific developmental expression and decreases the efficiency of expression. I have also shown that the cell type specific shut off of translation of messages carrying the rpL11 5'NTL is restricted to the early stages of development. I have shown preliminary evidence that suggests that ribosomal protein gene expression may be coupled with the cell cycle regulation. I have also shown preliminary results, which raise the question of ribosomal protein synthesis under starvation conditions playing a role in cell fate determination.

(February 1997 to May 1997 - Research rotation) Yeast genetics. My project was to design and create mutations in the ITR1 and the ITR2 genes. The mutations were created to study the role of these genes in the IP3 pathway in inositol uptake.

(September 1996 to December 1996 - Research rotation) The purpose of my project was to design and make probes against the AmpA (Adhesion Modulation Protein A) mRNA, to be used for in situ hybridization. Using reporter constructs it is known that only a subset of the total cell population make the AmpA protein during the developmental life cycle of D. discoideum. Using the probes I designed we wanted to see if the message was present in all cells during this process, i.e. address if the control of AmpA synthesis is at the level of translation or transcription.

(September 1995 to August 1996 - Research internship at Athena Environmental Sciences/ MS in Applied Molecular Biology) Worked on two different projects both in collaboration with Athena Environmental Sciences, Inc. The first of the two projects was to design & develop a phase display system to express a library of Fc Ab. Expression of the human brain lead binding protein in E. coli was my second project. The project entailed designing codon changes in the gene for expression in the bacterial system and synthesizing the gene using the PCR-SOE technique.

BIOL-636L (Advanced Molecular Biology Lab II) (Spring 2000, 1998)
This course focuses on protein expression. At the end of the course the students are expected to know how to clone / sub-clone into an expression vector, induce expression of the desired protein, run SDS-PAGE and Westerns to monitor expression. The course also covers the basic techniques of protein purification. The students are also taught tissue culture cell maintenance.

BIOL-100L (Concepts of Biology) (Fall 1996):
The course is designed to introduce students to the world of biology and scientific thinking.

Instructor:

Paper Chase High School, Dhaka Uttara, Dhaka-1230, Bangladesh January 1992 to August 1995

Taught advanced (grade 11 & 12) and ordinary level (grade 9 & 10) chemistry, ordinary level physics and biology, as per the London University curriculum. Substituted for advanced level physics, advanced and ordinary level mathematics. Conducted Advanced level Chemistry labs as well as Ordinary level Physics and Biology laboratory classes. Also taught a course on introductory computers at the junior school level.

Sequence analysis of ribosomal protein mRNA 5'NTL: Possible role in cell type specific translational shut off during development in D. discoideum.
Dictyostelium 1998 International Meeting.
August 1998. Kloster Irsee, Germany.

Cell type specific control of ribosomal protein mRNA translation during development in Dictyostelium discoideum.
Mid-Atlantic Regional Meeting of Society for Developmental Biology.
October, 1997. New Jersey, USA.