NOBCChE Chemistry Seminar: Professor Renã Robinson, Vanderbilt University
About the Seminar
Pushing the Limits of Quantitative Proteomics to Advance Alzheimer’s Disease Research
Large-scale proteomics studies of clinical samples and animal models are readily increasing across disease applications, including in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). These studies require diversity in cohorts, accessible sample types, multiple disease timepoints, robust analytical workflows, and high-throughput capabilities in order to have the greatest impact towards disease understanding and discovery efforts. Our laboratory has been working in the last few years to address these requirements primarily to advance health disparities research in Alzheimer’s disease. Bottom-up proteomic workflows leveraging in-house and commercial isotopic and isobaric labeling strategies, sample preparation automation, and high-resolution mass spectrometry have been developed. Importantly, to handle sample sizes (>1000), standard operating procedures and quality control measures have been implemented in our proteomics workflows. This presentation will highlight our efforts in establishing quality control metrics and implementation of automation, provide an overview of major findings in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease and plasma protein biomarker candidates towards achieving equity in biomarker research efforts for Alzheimer’s disease.
About the Speaker
Dr. Renã A. S. Robinson, Professor of Chemistry at Vanderbilt University and inaugural Dorothy J. Wingfield Phillips Chair, received her B.S. in Chemistry with concentration in Business from the University of Louisville and Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from Indiana University under the mentorship of Professor David Clemmer. She developed proteomics methods to study aging in Drosophila (fruit flies) and continued working in aging as a Lyman T. Johnson Postdoctoral Fellow with Professor D. Allan Butterfield at the University of Kentucky. During this fellowship she began to focus on neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and received a UNCF/Merck Postdoctoral Fellowship. In 2009 she accepted a position as Assistant Professor of Chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh and in 2017 moved to Vanderbilt University as Associate Professor of Chemistry and the Dorothy J. Wingfield Phillips Chancellor’s Faculty Fellow. Renã is currently a Professor of Chemistry, Principal Investigator of RASR Laboratory, Faculty Head of House of Murray House, and actively supports the Vanderbilt Memory & Alzheimer’s Center, the Vanderbilt Institute for Chemical Biology and the Vanderbilt Brain Institute. She has a nationally and internationally recognized research program and is a leader in the field of proteomics for her work in aging, Alzheimer’s disease, and applications relevant to human health. Her laboratory is especially focused on advancing proteomics and lipidomics technologies to promote health equity in Alzheimer’s disease. Renã serves as the Immediate Past President of NOBCChE (National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers) where she was the 14th President from 2021- 2023 and led the organization through tremendous growth in membership, programming, funding, and overall outreach of URMs in STEM. She is the former faculty advisor for the Nashville Student and Professional Chapter of NOBCChE, current Co-Director for the Faculty ACCESS Program, and Board Member-at-Large for the US Human Proteome Organization.