Donella Beckwith, Ph.D.

Donella Beckwith, Ph.D.

Instructor

Charles E. Schmidt College of Science

Chemistry and Biochemistry

Boca Raton Campus | PS 216

Research Interests

  • Elucidating structure-activity relationships (SARs) and binding interactions of protein-ligand/small molecules harnessing evaluative methods like flow cytometry, fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACs), fluorescence polarization (FP), enzyme-linked immunoassays (ELISA), and fluorescence intensity (FLINT) binding assays
  • Uncovering thermodynamic and kinetic biophysical protein-ligand/small molecule interactions employing isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), KinITC, and surface plasmon resonance (SPR)
  • Gaining molecular level insight into the energy landscapes governing recognition of protein-ligand/small molecule complexes utilizing atomic force microscopy (AFM) based on dynamic single-molecule force spectroscopy (SMFS)

Selected Publications

  1. Caballero, G.; Manning, J.; Gabba, A.; Beckwith D.; FitzGerald, F.; Kutzner, T.; Ludwig, A.; Kaltner, H.; Murphy, P.; Cudic, M.; Gabius, HJ. Explore the Galectin Network by Light and Fluorescence Microscopy. In Mol. Biol., 2nd ed.; Stowell, S., Arthur, C., Cummings, R.; Springer US, 2022; Chapter 17.
  2. Ludwig, A.; Michalak, M.; Gabba, A.; Kutzner, T.; Beckwith, D.; FitzGerald, F.; Caballero, G.; Manning, J.; Kriegsmann, M.; Kaltner, H.; Murphy, P.; Cudic, M.; Kopitz, J.; Gabius, (2021) Imitating Evolution’s Tinkering by Protein Engineering Reveals Extension of Human Galectin-7 Activity. Histochem. Cell Biol. DOI: 10.1007/s00418-021-02004-w.
  3. Beckwith, D.; FitzGerald, F.; Rodriguez, M.; Ludwig, A.; Mercer, E.; Gabius, HJ.; Cudic, M. (2021) Calorimetric Analysis of the Interplay between Synthetic Tn Antigen-presenting MUC1 Glycopeptides and Human Macrophage Galactose-type Lectin. BioChem. DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.0c00942.
  4. Diercks, T.; Medrano, F.; FitzGerald, F.; Beckwith, D.; Pedersen, M.; Reihill, M.; Ludwid, A.; Romero, A.; Oscarson, S.; Cudic, M.; Gabius, HJ. (2020) Galectin-Glycan Interaction: Guideline for Monitoring by 77Se NMR Spectroscopy and Solvent (H2O/D2O) Impact on Binding. Eur. J. DOI: 10.1002/chem.202003143.
  5. Caballero, G.; Beckwith, D.; Shilova, N.; Gabba, A.; Kutzner, T.; Ludwig, AK.; Manning, J.; Kaltner, H.; Sinowatz, F.; Cudic, M.; Bovin, N.; Murphy, P.; Gabius, HJ. (2020) Influence of Protein (Human Galectin-3) Design on Aspects of Lectin Activity. Cell Biol. DOI: 10.1007/s00418-020-01859-9.
  6. Beckwith, D.; Cudic, M. (2020) Tumor-associated O-glycans of MUC1: Carriers of the Glyco-Code and Targets for Cancer Vaccine Design. Semin. Imunol. DOI: 1016/j.smim.2020.101389.
  7. Singh, ; Al-Huniti, M.; Beckwith, D.; Ayyalasomayajula, R.; Patino, E.; Miranda, W.; Wade, A.; Cudic, M. (2019) Positional Scanning MUC1 Glycopeptide Library Reveals the Importance of PDTR Epitope Glycosylation for Lectin Binding. J. Org. Chem. DOI: 10.1021/acs.joc.9b02396.

Other Information:

  • Professional Scientific Collaborator with Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps in Jupiter

Teaching Emphasis:

  • Biochemistry and biophysical methods

Charles E. Schmidt College of Science

The Charles E. Schmidt College of Science prepares students for careers in various fields, including biology, mathematics, physics and psychology.The Charles E. Schmidt College of Science offers unparalleled experiential learning opportunities to prepare the next generation of scientists and problem solvers.The College of Engineering and Computer Science offers majors in areas of national priority such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, transportation and supply chain management.

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Florida Atlantic University
777 Glades Rd, SE-43
Boca Raton, FL 33431