Lara Mahal
Encyclopedia
Dr. Lara K. Mahal is currently an Associate Professor of Chemistry
and Biochemistry
at the New York University
. She is notable both for her pioneering work establishing lectin microarrays as a new technology for glycomics
and for her graduate work with Professor Carolyn R.Bertozzi on unnatural carbohydrate
incorporation. Work in her laboratory focuses on understanding the role of carbohydrates in signaling and on using systems-based approaches to decode the role of glycosylation
in cell differentiation and pathogenesis
.
Prof. Mahal received her B.A.
in Chemistry at the University of California, Santa Cruz
in 1995. As an undergraduate, she worked on organic free radical chemistry in the laboratory of Prof. Rebecca Braslau. In 1995, Prof. Mahal joined the newly formed laboratory of Prof.Carolyn R. Bertozzi
at the University of California, Berkeley
where she worked on the incorporation of unnatural functionalized sialic acid derivatives onto the surface of cells. For this landmark work, Prof. Mahal was awarded and American Chemical Society
Medicinal Chemistry Pre-doctoral Fellowship. After graduating in 2001, Prof. Mahal did postdoctoral research on neuronal exocytosis in the laboratory of Prof. Jim Rothman at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Research Center. During this time Prof. Mahal was a Jane Coffins Child Cancer Research Fellow. In 2003, Prof. Mahal joined the faculty of the University of Texas at Austin
as an Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry. As an Assistant Professor she has received several major awards including the Beckman Young Investigator Award (2004), an NSF Career Award (2007), the Sloan Foundation Fellowship (2008) and the 2008 NIH Director's New Innovator Award.
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
and Biochemistry
Biochemistry
Biochemistry, sometimes called biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes in living organisms, including, but not limited to, living matter. Biochemistry governs all living organisms and living processes...
at the New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
. She is notable both for her pioneering work establishing lectin microarrays as a new technology for glycomics
Glycomics
Glycomics is the comprehensive study of glycomes , including genetic, physiologic, pathologic, and other aspects. Glycomics "is the systematic study of all glycan structures of a given cell type or organism" and is a subset of glycobiology...
and for her graduate work with Professor Carolyn R.Bertozzi on unnatural carbohydrate
Carbohydrate
A carbohydrate is an organic compound with the empirical formula ; that is, consists only of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, with a hydrogen:oxygen atom ratio of 2:1 . However, there are exceptions to this. One common example would be deoxyribose, a component of DNA, which has the empirical...
incorporation. Work in her laboratory focuses on understanding the role of carbohydrates in signaling and on using systems-based approaches to decode the role of glycosylation
Glycosylation
Glycosylation is the reaction in which a carbohydrate, i.e. a glycosyl donor, is attached to a hydroxyl or other functional group of another molecule . In biology glycosylation refers to the enzymatic process that attaches glycans to proteins, lipids, or other organic molecules...
in cell differentiation and pathogenesis
Pathogenesis
The pathogenesis of a disease is the mechanism by which the disease is caused. The term can also be used to describe the origin and development of the disease and whether it is acute, chronic or recurrent...
.
Prof. Mahal received her B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in Chemistry at the University of California, Santa Cruz
University of California, Santa Cruz
The University of California, Santa Cruz, also known as UC Santa Cruz or UCSC, is a public, collegiate university; one of ten campuses in the University of California...
in 1995. As an undergraduate, she worked on organic free radical chemistry in the laboratory of Prof. Rebecca Braslau. In 1995, Prof. Mahal joined the newly formed laboratory of Prof.Carolyn R. Bertozzi
Carolyn R. Bertozzi
Carolyn Ruth Bertozzi is an American chemist. She is the T.Z. and Irmgard Chu Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Professor of Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of California, Berkeley; Professor of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology at the University of California, San...
at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
where she worked on the incorporation of unnatural functionalized sialic acid derivatives onto the surface of cells. For this landmark work, Prof. Mahal was awarded and American Chemical Society
American Chemical Society
The American Chemical Society is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 161,000 members at all degree-levels and in all fields of chemistry, chemical...
Medicinal Chemistry Pre-doctoral Fellowship. After graduating in 2001, Prof. Mahal did postdoctoral research on neuronal exocytosis in the laboratory of Prof. Jim Rothman at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Research Center. During this time Prof. Mahal was a Jane Coffins Child Cancer Research Fellow. In 2003, Prof. Mahal joined the faculty of the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
as an Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry. As an Assistant Professor she has received several major awards including the Beckman Young Investigator Award (2004), an NSF Career Award (2007), the Sloan Foundation Fellowship (2008) and the 2008 NIH Director's New Innovator Award.