好色先生TV

Whether she鈥檚 investigating potential treatments for Parkinson鈥檚 disease in the lab or helping other researchers bring new medical devices to market, Avleen Chawla is opening pathways toward potential therapies.

Chawla, a Ph.D. student in 好色先生TV鈥檚 Department of Chemistry, explores how circular RNA and G-quadraplexes may be applied to understanding and treating disease, 聽with a particular focus on Parkinson鈥檚 disease.

For years, scientists have been aware of linear RNA, which is read by cellular structures called ribosomes, that transcribe genetic information to create proteins. Circular RNA was discovered 20 years ago, and until recently, researchers were unsure of how they affected cells.

鈥淲e didn鈥檛 really understand why the cells are producing them and what functions they鈥檙e actually involved in,鈥� Chawla said. 鈥淚t opened up so many avenues that we had never looked into.鈥�

Working with Anna Kietrys, assistant professor of chemistry, Chawla found that besides existing in human cells, circular RNA is present in bacteria cells, challenging previously held beliefs that these structures had only recently evolved. Chawla and the other researchers also found that circular RNA can catalyze the process of RNA transcription, leading to the production of proteins necessary for cells to function.

鈥淭hat was pretty exciting because circular RNA has not been shown to act as catalysts before, so that was the first study of its kind,鈥� Chawla said.

With further testing, Chawla discovered that circular RNA structures were more stable than linear RNA under stress conditions. Typically under stress, linear RNA develops G-quadruplexes, which act like tangles in the RNA. These tangles lead to negative effects during transcription and translation like misfolded proteins. These proteins are implicated in cancer and neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson鈥檚 disease.

During Parkinson鈥檚 disease, RNA with G-quadruplexes gets misread and create a protein known as alpha-synuclein. This protein builds up in the brain, and researchers believe that this buildup leads to cell death and disease progression.

Previous research into circular RNA has found these structures are abundant in the brain during Parkinson鈥檚, and Chawla鈥檚 own research has found that G-quadruplexes are far less likely to develop on circular RNA found in bacteria.

鈥淐ircular RNA definitely has an implication in disease regulation,鈥� Chawla said. 鈥淲e want to see if we can use it as a diagnostic tool along with a therapeutic application, and we hope with these new insights, we can better identify potential treatments for Parkinson鈥檚 disease.鈥�

Outside the lab, Chawla helps with other scientists share and advance their work through her work with Fourth River Solutions, a nonprofit run by Pittsburgh area graduate students. Fourth River Solutions offers scientific consulting to local startups through the whole process of creating a medicine, biotech advancement or AI tool, from market analysis to regulatory guidance to marketing.

鈥淲e gather the information they need and use our scientific expertise to get their ideas off the ground,鈥� Chawla said.

Chawla joined Fourth River Solutions in 2023, wanting to see how advancements made in a lab could make an impact on wider society. She began working with a company that monitors blood oxygen levels to detect and reduce opioid overdoses. The device is currently in testing.

鈥淚t takes some time, but it鈥檚 really cool to see the product is going ahead,鈥� Chawla said.

In 2024, Chawla became the chief financial officer of Fourth River Solutions, wanting to strengthen the organization and reduce its budget deficit. Working with other members of the executive team, she created a long-term plan to keep the organization financially stable.

鈥淎vleen was chosen for the role because of her exceptional organizational abilities, attention to detail, and sound decision-making,鈥� said Alex Kunisky, a Ph.D. student at the University of Pittsburgh and CEO of Fourth River Solutions. 鈥淗er foresight and discipline have positioned us to remain sustainable through future headwinds.鈥�

For her efforts, Chawla earned the Kwolek Fellowship in Chemistry. The fellowship is awarded to women working toward their Ph.D. in chemistry who have demonstrated significant advances in their research.

鈥淎vleen鈥檚 research is pushing the boundaries of our understanding of RNA biology, and her discoveries surrounding circular RNA have important implications for understanding and treating neurodegenerative diseases,鈥� Kietrys said. 鈥淭his work advances our understanding of the fundamental mechanisms of transcription RNA maturation and highlights the potential role of circular RNAs in cellular stress adaptation. In our research, we report the first catalytically active circular RNA identified in humans that plays a crucial role in protein biosynthesis.鈥�

Chawla said she hopes her work at Carnegie Mellon and Fourth River Solutions will benefit Pittsburgh and the broader scientific community.

鈥淭he research we鈥檙e doing in the lab is so fundamental, and I want to make these ideas turn into technologies that make an impact,鈥� Chawla said.

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