Directory - Jane Coffin Childs Memorial Fund

Status

Year Appointed

Institution

Name

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Gary E. Ward Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

University of California, San Francisco

Appointed in 1985

Richard A.J. Warren Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Appointed in 1964

Joshua J. Warren Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Duke University

Appointed in 2002

Clare M. Waterman-Storer Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Appointed in 1997

Hannah Wayment-Steele, Ph.D. Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Brandeis University

Appointed in 2022

Deep learning methods have revolutionized structural biology by accurately predicting single structures of proteins and protein-protein complexes. However, biological function is rooted in a protein’s ability to sample different conformational substates, and disease-causing point mutations are often due to population changes of these substates. This has sparked immense interest in expanding the capability of algorithms such as AlphaFold2 (AF2) to predict conformational substates. We demonstrate that clustering an input multiple sequence alignment (MSA) by sequence similarity enables AF2 to sample alternate states of known metamorphic proteins, including the circadian rhythm protein KaiB, the transcription factor RfaH, and the spindle checkpoint protein Mad2, and score these states with high confidence. Moreover, we use AF2 to identify a minimal set of two point mutations predicted to switch KaiB between its two states. Finally, we used our clustering method, AF-cluster, to screen for alternate states in protein families without known fold-switching, and identified a putative alternate state for the oxidoreductase DsbE. Similarly to KaiB, DsbE is predicted to switch between a thioredoxin-like fold and a novel fold. This prediction is the subject of ongoing experimental testing. Further development of such bioinformatic methods in tandem with experiments will likely have profound impact on predicting protein energy landscapes, essential for shedding light into biological function.

Stephanie J. Webb Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

University of Edinburgh, Scotland

Appointed in 1994

Michel J. Weber Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Harvard University Medical School

Appointed in 1976

Lawrence D. Weber Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Appointed in 1978

Liang Meng Wee Jane Coffin Childs - Frederic M. Richards Fellow

University of California, Berkeley

Appointed in 2014

Transcription by RNA Polymerase and translation by the Ribosome are two fundamental and important processes that shape cellular identity. Mutations that disrupt these processes can result in disease such as cancer. We strive to understand the underlying mechanisms of transcription and translation using optical tweezer. This single molecule technique allows us to monitor the actions of individual RNA Polymerase and the ribosome in real time that are often scored as averages in bulk measurements. We currently aim to scrutinize the activities of these molecular motors when coupled in the same reaction. The coupling between RNAP polymerase and the ribosome, which occurs in vivo in E. coli., constitutes an additional layer to control gene expression. A deeper understanding of both transcription and translation either alone or coupled will open up new ideas to curb or to cure diseases that stem from a malfunction in these process.

Kevin M. Weeks Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

University of Colorado, Boulder

Appointed in 1992

Andrew Weems Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

Appointed in 2018

C. Timothy Wehr Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

University of California, Davis

Appointed in 1969

Hilla Weidberg Jane Coffin Childs - HHMI Fellow

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Appointed in 2012

Martin Weigert Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Salk Institute for Biological Studies

Appointed in 1966

Ted A. Weinert Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

University of Washington, Seattle

Appointed in 1985

Caleb Weinreb Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Harvard University Medical School

Appointed in 2020

I study the deep statistical structure of behavior to learn how it is shaped by ongoing brain activity. The purpose of the central nervous system is to coordinate an animal’s actions in space and time. The power of mammalian brains is evident in the variety and expressiveness of their behavior, yet it is precisely these qualities that make the behavior difficult to annotate and record – steps that are prerequisite for modern data analysis. As a consequence, neuroscience has mostly been limited to a narrow set of behaviors and well-defined tasks. This limitation is especially severe for the study of social behavior, in which the spontaneous actions and reactions of two interacting animals created an added level of complexity.

Recently, the advent of new tools in machine learning have made it possible to quantify behavior with much greater precision and richness. My research focuses on creating new tools for behavior measurement and applying them to rodent social behavior, with the specific goal of understanding how social interaction is shaped by the prefrontal cortex.

George M. Weinstock Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Stanford University

Appointed in 1977

Michael P. Weir Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

University of California, San Francisco

Appointed in 1984

Robert M. Weis Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

University of California, Berkeley

Appointed in 1984

John W. Weisel Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Brandeis University

Appointed in 1974

Herbert L. Weith Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

MRC Center, University Medical School, England

Appointed in 1972

Sandra E. Wells Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

University of California, Berkeley

Appointed in 1996

Janet M. Wenzlau Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

Appointed in 1990

Paul D. Wes Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

University of California, San Francisco

Appointed in 1999

Ann H West Jane Coffin Childs Fund

University of Medicine and Dentristry New Jersey

Appointed in 1992

Barbara C. Westmoreland Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Harvard University Medical School /
Colorado State University

Appointed in 1976

Kenneth P. Wheeler Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

University of Michigan

Appointed in 1964

Kalpana P. White Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Yale University

Appointed in 1972

Raymond L. White Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Stanford University

Appointed in 1973

Sidney W. Whiteheart Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Princeton University

Appointed in 1990

Aaron Whiteley Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Harvard University Medical School

Appointed in 2017

Nucleotide second messengers are crucial for development and signaling in both humans and bacteria. Nucleotide-centric pathways in human cells are targets of therapeutic interventions for cancer and diabetes, but signal regulation is complex and remains poorly understood. My work reconstructs mammalian nucleotide signaling in bacterial systems, creating the transformative opportunity to leverage bacterial genetics to uncover how these pathways are mechanistically regulated. Future findings from this work will enhance our understanding of known and previously uncharacterized cell signals in eukaryotes and prokaryotes._x000D_
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Prior to my postdoctoral work, I earned my Ph.D. in Daniel A. Portnoy’s Lab, at the University of California, Berkeley. There, I worked on essential genes and virulence regulation in the bacterial pathogen Listeria monocytogenes.