User:Joshua S. Waitzman

Contact Info



 * Joshua S. Waitzman
 * Ward 8-321
 * Department of Cell and Molecular Biology
 * Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University
 * Chicago, IL, USA 60611
 * Email me through OpenWetWare

I'm an MD/PhD student working in the Rice Lab at Northwestern

Education

 * 2007, Sc.B. with Honors in Biophysics, magna cum laude, Brown University

Research interests
In order to divide and proliferate, a single cell must distribute its chromsomes equally to daughter cells by establishing a microtubule-based spindle. Kinesin-5 is a microtubule motor protein that plays an essential role in aligning this spindle structure. As a hallmark of cancer cells is their increased ability to divide, kinesin-5 and other mitotic motor proteins are promising drug targets for cancer therapy, and ispinesib, a specific inhibitor of kinesin-5, is in Phase II FDA trials for non-small cell lung cancer and glioblastoma multiforme.

Kinesin-5 is believed to be regulated by phosphorylation by both M-Cdk and Wee1, kinases known to play roles in the cell cycle. However, the structural mechanisms of this phospho-regulation are unknown. My work uses structural biology and biochemistry approaches to determine the phosphorylation-dependent changes in kinesin-5. Our group uses Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) spectroscopy to monitor the freedom of movement of different parts of the kinesin-5 protein, as well as kinetic measurements of the protein's activity. By combining these approaches, we hope to clarify the relationships between structure and activity in kinesin-5 and may be able to guide future drug discovery efforts.

Publications
// This work's been picked up by the Science and Scientific American  podcasts!
 * 1) Paper1 pmid=20585387
 * 1) Paper2 pmid=17686972

Useful links

 * Northwestern Medical Scientist Training Program
 * Northwestern Cellular and Molecular Basis of Disease Training Grant
 * Hertz Foundation