Doctoral student Carter St. Clair is researching how the structural support for neurons in the brain can fail, which may lead to diseases, according to an April 24 announcement from the University of Cincinnati.
This research is important because understanding how these structures deteriorate could help scientists learn more about conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy, and cancer. St. Clair works in Professor Ruxandra Dima’s lab at UC, where he uses chemistry tools to study medical questions.
Dima said that her lab’s work focuses on “the degeneration of tiny, threadlike components of neurons called axons that transmit messages between cells.” She added that their research combines high-performance computing with artificial intelligence models and experimental characterization. “Our research…is focusing on an understudied family of proteins related to human pathology, thus holding the promise to shed new light on neuronal diseases,” Dima said.
St. Clair’s specific project looks at why certain proteins do not bind properly within cells—especially those called microtubules—which serve as a cell’s framework and nutrient transport system. When this process fails, proteins like tau (associated with dementia) can build up and cause microtubules to collapse, damaging synapses needed for brain activity. “Microtubules are the highways of your cells. They are dynamic. They need to reorganize and change,” St. Clair said.
Later this year, St. Clair will begin a fellowship at the Air Force Research Laboratory focused on using artificial intelligence in human health applications—a topic he says fits his interests closely: “That topic was right up my alley. It’s right in the realm of things I want to be doing in chemistry.” He expressed excitement about receiving news of his fellowship: “I audibly gasped…You apply but you don’t expect to get it,” he said.
St. Clair has also found a sense of community at UC both academically and personally—he takes voice lessons through UC’s College-Conservatory of Music and has family nearby working at UC Health.
He encourages others interested in science by saying: “You don’t have to be a super genius to go into a STEM field…through brute force and willingness to learn and eagerness to improve, they could be better at it than they think.”
