Kathleen L. Collins

Kathleen L. Collins (born May 10, 1963) is an American biophysicist and Professor at the University of California, Berkeley. Her research considers telomerase RNA structure and telomere function. In 2020 she was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Kathleen L. Collins
Born (1963-05-10) May 10, 1963
Norwell, Massachusetts
Alma materWellesley College
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Johns Hopkins University
Scientific career
InstitutionsUniversity of California, Berkeley
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
ThesisThe role of DNA polymerase alpha B subunit in SV40 DNA replication (1993)
Doctoral advisorThomas J. Kelly
For other people named Kathleen Collins, see Kathleen Collins (disambiguation).

Early life and education

Collins grew up in Norwell, Massachusetts.[1] She became interested in chemistry as a young child, and eventually studied chemistry at Wellesley College. Here she worked in the laboratory of Andrew C. Webb'. Collins completed an undergraduate research placement at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where she worked on cloning interleukin-1. For her graduate studies Collins joined Johns Hopkins University, and worked at the Whitehead Institute.[2] Here she earned an MD–PhD in DNA synthesis with Thomas J. Kelly. For her postdoctoral studies Collins returned to Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she joined the laboratory of David Baltimore.

Research and career

Collins was appointed to the faculty at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She joined the faculty at the University of California, Berkeley in 1992.[3] Her research has considered the structure and function of the enzyme telomerase.[3] Telomerase is a reverse transcriptase that protects chromosomes by replacing the telomere, a short section of DNA lost from the ends of chromosomes during DNA replication.[4] It was first detected in the late 1970s by Elizabeth Blackburn.[3]The telomere prevents the chromosomes from fusing.[4] Most cells turn off telomerase, restricting their proliferation, whilst cancer cells activate telomerase and encourage cell division.[4] In 2018 Collins reported the most detailed image of the three-dimensional molecular structure of telemorase, which offered hope for the design of drugs that can prevent cancer and ageing.[5][6][7]

Collins developed a scalpel-free approach to tumour biopsies. Cancer cells shed DNA into blood, DNA that can reveal mutations within the tumours that might make them resistant to treatment. The Collins approach samples small sections of DNA or RNA found in the blood, which can provide information about the presence of a tumour. This type of sampling can also tell whether or not a cancer has metastasised or whether it will respond to certain therapies.[4] In 2017 she decided to spin this technology out into a company; KarnaTeq.[4]

Awards and honours

Select publications
  • Collins, Kathleen L.; Chen, Benjamin K.; Kalams, Spyros A.; Walker, Bruce D.; Baltimore, David (1998). "HIV-1 Nef protein protects infected primary cells against killing by cytotoxic T lymphocytes". Nature. 391 (6665): 397–401. doi:10.1038/34929. ISSN 1476-4687.
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References
  1. "Kathleen L. Collins | Science History Institute | Center for Oral History". oh.sciencehistory.org. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  2. "Whitehead Institute - News - 2004 - Developmental science". wi.mit.edu. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  3. "Long-sought structure of telomerase paves way for drugs for aging, cancer | Research UC Berkeley". vcresearch.berkeley.edu. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  4. "Trading in the Scalpel for a Sharper Blade | Research UC Berkeley". vcresearch.berkeley.edu. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  5. S, Robert; ers; April 25, Media relations|; 2018April 26; 2018 (April 25, 2018). "Long-sought structure of telomerase paves way for drugs for aging, cancer". Berkeley News. Retrieved August 15, 2020.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. McMillan, Fiona. "Researchers Have Discovered What The 'Immortality' Enzyme Looks Like". Forbes. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  7. "The 3D Structure of Telomerase: Uncovering Its Role in Human Disease". Drug Discovery from Technology Networks. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  8. S, Robert; ers; April 23, Media relations|; 2020April 23; 2020 (April 23, 2020). "Nine faculty elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences". Berkeley News. Retrieved August 15, 2020.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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