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The Department of Medicinal Chemistry welcomes Abhinav \u201cAbhi\u201d Nath, PhD, as its newest faculty member. Dr. Nath joins the department as an Assistant Professor, coming from Yale University where he did postdoctoral work in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are very pleased to welcome Dr. Nath to Med Chem,\u201d said Allan Rettie, PhD, professor and Chair of the department. \u201cWith a research career that spans biology, chemistry, and physics, Dr. Nath brings a diverse skillset to our department that will benefit our faculty and students. We are confident that Dr. Nath possesses the knowledge and skills necessary to further advance the work of Medicinal Chemistry at the School of Pharmacy. We are fortunate to have him as a member of our faculty.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Nath received his Bachelor of Arts in Biology and Chemistry from the University of Virginia. He completed his doctorate in Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Washington, where his research focused on the mechanisms of substrate binding by Cytochrome P450s and other drug-metabolizing enzymes. He went on to Yale University, where he was an American Heart Association Postdoctoral Fellow studying intrinsically disordered and amyloid-forming proteins using single-molecule fluorescence and computational methods.<\/p>\n
Abhi Nath\u2019s lab in the department of Medicinal Chemistry will focus on understanding the roles of protein dynamics in neurodegenerative disease, drug metabolism, and the body\u2019s response to oxidative stress. \u201cWe are interested in developing new ways to study highly dynamic proteins, and to control their behavior in therapeutically useful ways,\u201d said Dr. Nath. \u201cTo this end, we will use a broad range of experimental and theoretical approaches from biochemistry, biophysics, and pharmacology.\u201d Systems of interest will include the Glutathione-S-Transferase enzyme superfamily (involved in drug metabolism and the oxidative stress response) and the intrinsically disordered protein Tau (implicated in Alzheimer\u2019s disease and pathology resulting from traumatic brain injury).<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m thrilled to be back in Seattle and at the UW,\u201d said Dr. Nath. \u201cMedicinal Chemistry\u2019s tight-knit and welcoming community and its tradition of excellence in research make it an outstanding environment for me to establish my lab and independent scientific program. I am eager to contribute to the department\u2019s research and training missions, and to work closely with the exceptional staff, students, and faculty of the School of Pharmacy and the broader UW community, as I do so.\u201d<\/p>\n
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