Colleen McGrath, Postdoctoral Student

colleen.mcgrath@vanderbilt.edu

I grew up in Bel Air, Maryland.  After high school I did my undergraduate work at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC).  I graduated in 2002 with a B.S. in Biological Sciences and a minor in Chemistry.  As an undergraduate, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to do research with Dr. Jim Fishbein in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology.  In his lab I studied the kinetics associated with the metabolism of cancer chemopreventative compounds.  In August of 2002 I entered graduate school at Cornell University and joined the lab of Dr. David B. Wilson.  My dissertation research focused on characterization of enzymes involved in the breakdown of plant biomass, with practical applications to the development of alternative fuel sources such as cellulosic ethanol.  I obtained my Ph.D. in Biochemistry with a minor in Chemistry in May of 2007 and promptly moved to Nashville to join the Marnett Lab.  In the Marnett Lab, my research is focused on identifying the targets of a derivative of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), sulindac.  The drug is also a known anti-cancer agent, and once I have identified its targets, I am hoping to determine how the compound mediates its apoptotic effects.  When I’m not in lab, I enjoy playing soccer, running, and cooking.