U.S.-Germany Program: Dissertation Research in Biochemistry using Pulse Radiolysis

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This award supports a research visit to Germany by Radoslov Goldman, a doctoral degree student of Professor Valerian Kagan at the University of Pittsburgh. Mr. Goldman's dissertation research in biochemistry will be enhanced by the opportunity to work for ten weeks in the laboratory of Professor Wolf Bors of the Institute for Radiation Biology at the Research Center for Environment and Health in Oberschleissheim, Germany. The general subject of his research is the mechanism of reactions of low energy radicals with proteins. In particular, he is interested in the catalytic reactions of phenoxyl radicals with low molecular weight and protein sulfhydryl groups, which include processes in RNA cleavage. Dr. Bors is an expert in pulse radiolytic studies of reaction rates and his recently developed technique for studying phenoxyl-radical reactions in aqueous solutions will be invaluable to Mr. Goldman's dissertation research. In return, Dr. Bors will benefit from the extension of his technique to proteins and peptides. The electronic structure of organic sulfur compounds determines their abilities as antioxidants and their roles in catalysis and enzymes. This research will add to the knowledge of the factors which actually control the rates of these processes, through experiments which link known structural characteristics to rates of oxidation.