Huayi (Jack) Jiang
Institution: University of Washington, Seattle
Faculty Mentor: Liangcai Gu, Biochemistry
Huayi has always had a huge interest in organic chemistry and biochemistry. This summer, he is part of the biochemistry lab with Dr. Gu, where he works on validating the de novo designed heterodimers’ interaction using Single Molecular Sequencing (SMI-Seq) technology. Continuing his work from previous months, this summer he will also find a Chemically Induced Dimerization system using NAD+ as a target. Outside of the lab, Huayi can be found playing tennis with his friends every weekend before the rainy season comes. He is also a fervent football fan of the England National team for this summer’s World Cup. In his spare time, Huayi likes to attend classical concerts with the Seattle Symphony and has been playing violin since last year.
Sharon Ke
Institution: University of Washington, Seattle
Faculty Mentor: David Baker, Biochemistry
Sharon is a rising senior at the University of Washington majoring in bioengineering. During the academic year, she is a research assistant in the Baker lab working on modifying synthetic nucleocapsids (icosahedral protein assemblies) for targeted drug delivery. This summer she is working at the Institute for Protein Design with graduate student Gabriel Butterfield on a project focusing on attaching target-specific affinity binders to the surface of synthetic nucleocapsids for targeted nucleic acid delivery in vivo. Sharon is a member of the College of Engineering Student Advisory Council working to improve academic resources to help current and future engineering students excel in their courses. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, reading, and hiking with friends and family. In the future, Sharon hopes to earn an MD in Anesthesiology.
Lauren Miller
Institution: University of Washington, Seattle
Faculty Mentor: Franziska Seeger, Biochemistry
Lauren is a rising senior at the University of Washington majoring in Neurobiology and minoring in Nutritional Sciences. For the past year, Lauren has worked in the Baker Lab under the direction of Dr. Franziska Seeger designing protein inhibitors of the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-17 for the treatment of autoimmune conditions. These IL-17 binders were designed to selectively occlude the interaction between IL-17 with its cognate receptors in order to prevent downstream signaling that leads to autoimmune diseases. This summer she will continue working on this project, specifically analyzing a new set of protein designs for biophysical and functional characterization. In her free time, she enjoys volunteering at the Swedish Hospital, playing soccer, and hiking with friends. In the future, she hopes to attend medical school and specialize in critical care medicine.