Adaline Brekker

I graduated from the University of North Florida with a major in Biology and a minor in Chemistry. During my undergraduate studies, I worked in two research labs. First, in an Organic Chemistry laboratory, I synthesized modified amino acid residues. The following year, in a Biochemistry laboratory, I used these synthesized residues to create peptoids (peptide-mimicking molecules) designed as potential molecular inhibitors for cancer therapeutics. I then continued my research career as a Research Associate (Post-Baccalaureate) in a Molecular Biology and Physiology laboratory, where I assisted in managing the lab and training personnel while studying the effects of space exploration stressors on cardiovascular health. My undergraduate research helped me appreciate that research involves frequent setbacks, but that perseverance through them steadily refines our understanding of the human body and the broader world. These early experiences fostered my passion for science and matured into an ambition to become a scientific investigator.

I am now a PhD student in Shawn Lyons’ lab. In this lab, I have the privilege of working alongside brilliant colleagues whose mentorship has enriched both my scientific training and personal development, helping me adapt to the non-academic challenges of doctoral study. The Lyons Lab studies multiple aspects of protein synthesis, particularly translation initiation and elongation. The canonical method of translation initiation requires the eIF4F complex for mRNA activation, which is composed of three subunits: eIF4E1 (cap-binding protein), eIF4G1 (scaffolding protein), and eIF4A1 (RNA helicase). In this process, eIF4E1 binds the m7GTP mRNA cap to recruit eIF4G1 and the remaining initiation factors. However, it has been shown that in the absence of eIF4E1 or eIF4G1, a residual level of translation still occurs. My research focuses on non-canonical, eIF4E1- or eIF4G1-independent mechanisms of translation initiation. My objective is to advance our understanding of how these alternative pathways are employed in disease states such as cancer and viral infection