Rick Russell
- Professor
- Associate Chair for Graduate Education
- Lorene Morrow Kelley Endowed Faculty Fellowship Fund
- Molecular Biosciences
Contact Information
MBB
Room Number:2.212
Research
The Russell lab studies structured nucleic acids (RNAs and DNAs) and enzymes that interact with and manipulate these structures. Current research topics are:
RNA folding: How do structural elements interact to form complex, higher-order RNA structures?
RNA helicases: How do helicase proteins function to chaperone folding of RNAs?
CRISPR-Cas enzymes: How do CRISPR-Cas endonucleases target a specific DNA sequence by unwinding DNA to allow base pairing with a guide RNA?
RNA and DNA G-quadruplexes: How stable are these structures and how are they disrupted by specialized helicase proteins?
Research Areas
- Biochemistry
- Molecular Biology or Genetics
Fields of Interest
- Biochemistry
Centers and Institutes
- Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Graduate Programs
Education
- Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University (1997)
- B.A., Earlham College (1991)