Lorena S. Beese
Duke University
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Primary Section: 21, Biochemistry Secondary Section: 29, Biophysics and Computational Biology Membership Type:
Member
(elected 2009)
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Research Interests
My research focuses on the structure and mechanism of proteins. I have worked on the molecular mechanisms of DNA polymerases and have been able to obtain a series of molecular snapshots that delineate accurate DNA replication as well as that of mismatched and damaged bases. One of my current research directions focuses on the mechanism of detection and excision of DNA lesions in the context of human DNA mismatch repair. I am also interested in enzymes that modify proteins in essential signal transduction pathways. I have determined the structures and mechanism of protein prenyltransferases that play an important role in human disease and present targets for development of new generation of drugs for treatment of cancer, malaria, and pathogenic fungi.
