Matt H. Ackermann

Matt, a 1997-2001 Self Fellow, completed his Ph.D. in biochemistry/molecular biology at the KU Medical Center, Kansas City, in October 2001. He received a B.A. (1995) with distinction in biochemistry from KU. His Ph.D. research centered on the Dengue virus, a hemorrhagic fever which infects over 100 million people per year. His research focused on the molecular mechanisms of viral replication, specifically RNA replication and capping mechanisms. Matt purified the largest of the viral proteins, called Ns5, and analyzed its physical and biochemical properties. These studies will help develop drugs against the Dengue virus. Matt is currently a medical science liaison II - immunology, for UCB Pharma, Inc., in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Mentor: Radha K. Padmanabhan, Professor, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, KUMC