Hosted by the Biochemistry and Nutrition department. 

Target Audience

Des Moines University faculty, staff, and students.

Purpose

Disruption in motor protein functioning can lead to debilitating diseases such as Alzheimer’s and motor neuron associated diseases. Dr. Subramanian's research interest lies in understanding the cellular and molecular basis of motor proteins function in cilia and flagella. She uses Tetrahymena thermophila as a model organism to create mutations in motor proteins encoding genes. The mutants created in the lab are analyzed for phenotypic and morphological changes. The results of Dr. Subramanian’s study will contribute to our understanding of ciliary behavior in human disease conditions where access to live cilia for research analysis is not always possible.

Speaker

Aswati Subramanian, PhD
Assistant Professor of Biology, Simpson College

Dr. Subramanian received her undergraduate degree in Life Sciences and a Master’s degree with a specialization in Neurobiology from Sophia College, Mumbai, India. She joined Miami University, Ohio for her PhD where she studied motor proteins and ciliary motility in Tetrahymena. She continued at Miami as a postdoctoral fellow studying peripheral nerve development in Drosophila. At Simpson, Dr. Subramanian is enthusiastic about conducting undergraduate research on the molecular basis of motility in Tetrahymena. She is also keenly interested in promoting S.T.E.A.M. education by studying areas in which science and art intersect. Outside the classroom she enjoys creating art, cooking, reading and hiking. Full biography.