Elizabeth O’Day ’06 (right) majored in biochemistry and turned down a Fulbright fellowship in order to pursue a master’s in chemistry at Cambridge University, England, on a Churchill Scholarship; she then plans to pursue a Ph.D. in chemical biology at Harvard University on a National Science Foundation fellowship.
“The Design and Synthesis of Aspartate Transcarbamoylase Inhibitor Compounds”
Evan Kantrowitz, professor, chemistry department
“Liz’s thesis concerned the design and synthesis of aspartate transcarbamoylase inhibitor compounds. Aspartate transcarbamoylase is an enzyme involved in the biosynthesis of the pyrimidine nucleotides, which are used in the synthesis of the nucleic acids. Inhibitors of this enzyme have the potential to be anti-proliferation drugs, and also may be used as anti-malarial agents. Using a combination of computer methods and synthetic organic chemistry, Liz worked on some simple inhibitors that may be elaborated in the future to provide novel medicinal compounds.”