Min Kyu Kim, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Structural Biology in the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (also called UT Health San Antonio), recently received a $100,000 Science and Technology Acquisition and Retention (STARs) award from The University of Texas Board of Regents.
Kim plans to utilize the STARs award funds to procure mass spectrometry instrumentation to perform advanced proteomics (the study of proteins) experimentation within his laboratory.
“This instrument will allow us to quantitatively monitor how proteins interact with other partner proteins in executing their biological functions and how these interactions within cells are regulated by various post-translational modifications, such as phosphorylation and ubiquitylation,” Kim said. “Collaborations with other experts in the field are essential. My laboratory is particularly interested in DNA repair mechanisms and how cellular responses to DNA damage orchestrate this genome maintenance process. UT Health San Antonio has world-leading expertise in this area, from biochemistry and structural biology to cell biology and genetics.”
“We would like to congratulate Dr. Kim on receiving this award and acknowledge The UT Board of Regents for their visionary support in having created its STARs program, which helps keep our institution at the forefront of biomedical research advancement,” said Reuben Harris, PhD, professor and chair in the Department of Biochemistry and Structural Biology and noted Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator.
The UT System Board of Regents launched the STARs program in 2004 to help attract and retain the best-qualified faculty. Multiple types of STARs awards continue to support the enhancement of UT institutions across Texas.