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Previous degree(s)
BS, Chemistry (Biochemistry), University of Alabama
PhD start year
2015
Award Year
2015
Degree Completion
PhD, 2020
Department/Unit
Chemistry
Research Advisor(s)
Steven C. Zimmerman
Description of Research
Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1 (DM1) is the most common form of adult onset muscular dystrophy, affect 1 in 8000 worldwide. To date no therapeutic agent has been discovered to directly treat the underlying cause of DM1, trinucleotide repeat expansions in the genome. My research focuses on developing small molecule therapeutics to selectively target expanded regions of the genome in DNA and RNA for the treatment of DM1. Combiningcomputational chemistry, organic synthesis, and chemical biology, I design and synthesize new ligands for RNA- and DNA-binding and test compounds in in vitro and cellular disease models.
Email
lhagler2@illinois.edu
Research Area
Organic Chemistry