Alfred Chin, fifth year student in the Tri-Institutional MD-PhD Program, has received an F30 Award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Mr. Chin is currently working in the Alushin Lab at The Rockefeller University toward his PhD. This award will support his research, in particular his project "Structural basis for deficient actin mechanosensing in ACTN4-driven podocytopathy."
Providing more context and greatere detail about his work, Alfred said "Almost half of the identified genes underlying hereditary podocytopathies, which are clinically characterized by steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome, encode for proteins involved in actin cytoskeletal functions. Mutations in α-actinin-4, a mechanically regulated actin crosslinker expressed in podocytes, cause focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). This project aims to elucidate structural mechanisms of deficient actin mechanosensing by FSGS-causing α-actinin-4 variants via cryo-EM, thereby advancing mechanistic insights into how impairments in actin cytoskeletal functions drive podocytopathies."
The MD-PhD program extends its congratulations to Alfred!
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- Awards