Watanabe Research Group

Watanabe Group Members
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POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHERS
	Dinesh Simkhada received his Masters Degree in Botany from Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal in 2002. He completed his PhD in 2010 for his work on the production of glycosylated natural products by E. coli BL21 (DE3) under the mentorship of Prof. J. K. Sohng and Prof. H. C. Lee from the Institute of Biomolecule Reconstruction (iBR), SunMoon University. He joined the Watanabe group as a postdoctoral researcher in 2010 under the prudent guidance of Dr. Coran Watanabe. His research involves investigation of the biosynthesis of Azinomycin B produced by Streptomyces sahachiroi. In his leisure time, Dinesh enjoys sports, traveling, and enjoying time with family and friends.
GRADUATE STUDENTS
	Hillary Chidi Agbo received his B.Sc. in Industrial Chemistry from the University of Nigeria in 1999. After working in the industry for a couple of years, he enrolled in the Chemistry graduate program at Texas A&M and joined the Watanabe Research group in 2007. Hillary’s research focus involves studying the specific roles of genes involved in the azinomycin B biosynthetic pathway. Outside the lab he enjoys discussing business, politics, and playing soccer.
	Rachel Lee received a B.S. in Chemistry and Biology from the University of Houston, Texas in 2008. She spent almost two years in industry before joining the Watanabe group in Fall 2010. She is currently evaluating the mechanism of azinomycin biosynthesis through functional characterization of the pathway genes.
	Michelle Lebo grew up in York, Pennsylvania. She received her B. S. in Chemistry from York College of Pennsylvania in 2011 and she joined the Watanabe group in June 2011. Her research focuses mostly on the naphthoate moiety of azinomycin B and in situ biosynthesis for targeted cancer therapy.
	Vishruth Gowda is from Bangalore, India and obtained his B.Sc. in Microbiology, Chemistry, Zoology from Bangalore University in 2007. He then moved to VIT University, Vellore, India where he obtained a Masters in Chemistry in 2009 and subsequently spent 2009-2010 working with GlaxoSmithKline in Ireland as a student development chemist. Vishruth joined the Watanabe group in 2010 and is currently working on the Betalactoglobulin and cycloterpenals project.
	Shogo Mori was born and raised in Nagoya, Japan. He obtained a B.S. degree in Chemistry in 2008 from Jacksonville State University in Alabama. He then entered the graduate program in chemistry at Texas A&M University and began studying with Professor Coran Watanabe. His research interests reside in functional characterization of azinomycin biosynthetic genes and isolation of putative immunosuppressive and anti-metastatic agents from marine extracts.
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
	Megan Esteb grew up in Sugar Land, Texas and came to Texas A&M as a freshman in the fall of 2009. She is currently a junior majoring in Chemistry, and is planning to go to medical school after she graduates. With the Watanabe group, she has been working with potential inhibitors of b-lactoglobulin and synthesizing compounds to be used in a mechanistic study of blactoglobulin.
	Felix Yu was born in Hong Kong and has been working in the Watanabe lab as an undergraduate student. His project focuses on characterizing azinomycin resistance proteins. Aside from school, he enjoys playing competitive soccer and basketball during his leisure time. He intends to pursue graduate school at the chemical biology interface.
	Esneider Zamora grew up in Colombia, South America, and moved to the US 9 years ago. He is pursuing a BS in Chemistry with the ultimate goal to go to medical school in Texas. In the Watanabe group, he has learned that he has a great passion for research, and is currently evaluating the biosynthesis of azinomycin B, an anti-tumor agent isolated from the terrestrial microorganism Streptomyces sahachiroi.
REU STUDENTS
	Chardai Grays grew up in Houston, Texas and has been working in the Watanabe group as a NSF-REU participant. She is a graduating senior pursing a BS in Chemistry at Dillard University in New Orleans, Louisiana and is planning to go to graduate school. Her project focuses on evaluating resistance proteins from azinomycin B from Streptomyces sahachiroi.
	Kristen Biernat is from Nazareth, Pennsylvania and is majoring in chemistry at Ursinus College. She is currently a junior and plans to attend graduate school. During her summer at Texas A&M, she is studying the biosynthesis of azinomycin and evaluating thiaminase for therapeutic purposes.
Department of Chemistry Texas A&M University P.O. Box 30012, Mail Code: 3255 College Station, Texas 77842-3012 PHONE: 979-458-8094 \| FAX: 979-458-8095