Trent Gutierrez

M.S. Student

M.S. Immunology & Infection Student

Research Topic

Trent's research focuses on investigating the hyper-expansion of T4 bacteriophage capsids after incubation with methylene blue dye, a dye found to have anti-Alzheimer’s disease properties. Dr. Serwer’s lab has preliminary evidence that suggest this hyper-expansion is associated with formation of α-sheet secondary structure by subunits of the capsid. Protein Amyloid-β (associated with Alzheimer’s disease) when it has the signature of α-sheet secondary structure, it has been found to be toxic to neuronal cells and is potentially the cause of Alzheimer’s disease. To facilitate generation of uniformly hyper-expanded T4 bacteriophage for analysis by cryo-electron microscopy, Trent is investigating the effects of changing pH on the formation and stability of hyper-expanded capsid. He is also investigating how the hyper-expanded capsid protein interacts with molecules associated with amyloid disease. A long-term goal of Trent's research is generation of the first >6 amino acid-long α-sheet structure in a natural protein so that the structure can be determined by cryo-EM. This work is expected to be a precursor to determination of variations on the theme of α-sheet structure in natural proteins. Knowledge of these variations would be the foundation for developing more effective therapeutics.

Education

B.S. in Bioinformatics - St. Mary's University, 2022