Students’ Research Published in Global Protein Data Bank

Three years of research, collaboration and perseverance have led to an exciting achievement for a group of Eastport-South Manor students. Their work has been published in the global Protein Data Bank, a leading resource used by scientists and educators around the world.

The PDB is an archive of 3D structure data for large biological molecules essential for research and education in fundamental biology, health, energy and biotechnology. The Data Bank provides access to 3D structure data for the molecules of life, found in all organisms on the planet. Knowing the 3D structure of a biological macromolecule is essential for understanding its role in human and animal health and disease, its function in plants and food and energy production, and its importance to other topics related to global prosperity and sustainability.

The research, “Crystal Structure of a Beta-lactamase from Burkholderia ambifaria,” was a collaborative effort involving several researchers, including seven ESM students – Logan Silbert, Alex Silbert, William Steinacher, Jameson Ackley, Michell Zheng, Ava Didonna and Sean Doherty, who worked alongside ESM teacher Robert Bolen. The group represents both current ESM students and recent graduates, all of whom contributed to a project that spanned three years of dedicated work. Their research included collecting data at the Brookhaven National Laboratory NYX beamline and spending countless hours carefully analyzing and manually refining the protein structure, ultimately helping bring the team’s findings to publication in the Protein Data Bank.

Congratulations to these students and Mr. Bolen on this outstanding accomplishment and on contributing their work to the broader scientific community!