Steve D. Knutson, Ph.D., NIH K99 Postdoctoral Fellow, Princeton University

Speaker:

Steve D. Knutson, Ph.D.

NIH K99 Postdoctoral Fellow

Princeton University

Faculty Host: Michelle O’Malley

Title: Chemical Tools for Biological Discovery: From Profiling RNA Modifications to Spatial Mapping of Cancer Interactomes

Abstract: 

Understanding how molecular interactions and biochemical modifications influence cellular behavior requires tools capable of resolving biology with high precision. In this seminar, I will describe chemical biology strategies I developed to profile these hidden regulatory layers. I will begin with my work on adenosine-to-inosine (A-to-I) RNA editing, where I engineered new chemical probes and enzyme-based sensors for selective recognition, labeling, and high-throughput quantification of edited RNAs. These technologies uncovered new roles for RNA editing in immune regulation and cancer, and provided rapid, scalable assays for functional studies. I will then introduce my work in developing and applying photocatalytic proximity labeling platforms for microenvironment mapping (μMap). These tools generate nanometer-range labeling species using visible light, allowing biomolecular interactions to be captured with high spatial precision. I will cover both their basic mechanisms and their application for tracking protein and RNA localization in living cells. Finally, I will highlight recent work using these tools to map the spatial HER2 interactome in breast cancer, revealing subcellular signaling modules and resistance-associated networks not observable with traditional proteomics. Together, these studies demonstrate how chemical tool development can uncover previously inaccessible biology and lay a foundation for discovering new therapeutic strategies.

Bio:

Steve Knutson is an NIH K99 Postdoctoral Fellow in the laboratory of Professor David W. C. MacMillan at Princeton

University. Steve is originally from the Chicago area of Illinois, where he received his undergraduate degree in molecular and cellular biology at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. He was a research scientist at Thermo Fisher for several years after graduation, and he then received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Emory University in Atlanta under the mentorship of Professor Jennifer Heemstra, where he developed technologies to study adenosine-to-inosine (A-to-I) RNA editing. As a postdoctoral fellow at Princeton, Steve has expanded his expertise into photocatalysis, where he has led the development of next-generation proximity labeling platforms.