Kathleen Collins (scientist)

Kathleen Collins is an American biophysicist and professor at the University of California, Berkeley. Her research considers telomerase RNA structure and telomere function. In 2020 she was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Kathleen Collins
Born
New Haven, CT
Alma materYale University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cold Spring Harbor Lab
Scientific career
InstitutionsUniversity of California, Berkeley
Thesis (1992)

Early life and education

Collins was a graduate student at the Whitehead Institute.[1]

Research and career

Collins joined the faculty at the University of California, Berkeley in 1995.[2] Her research has considered the structure and function of the enzyme telomerase.[3] Telomerase is a reverse transcriptase that protects chromosomes by replacing the telomere, a short section of DNA lost from the ends of chromosomes during DNA replication.[4] It was first detected in the late 1970s by Elizabeth Blackburn.[3] The telomere prevents the chromosomes from fusing.[4] Most cells turn off telomerase, restricting their proliferation, whilst cancer cells activate telomerase and encourage cell division.[4] In 2018 Collins reported the most detailed image of the three-dimensional molecular structure of telomerase, which offered hope for the design of drugs that can prevent cancer and ageing.[5][6][7]

Collins developed a scalpel-free approach to tumour biopsies. Cancer cells shed DNA into blood, DNA that can reveal mutations within the tumours that might make them resistant to treatment. The Collins approach samples small sections of DNA or RNA found in the blood, which can provide information about the presence of a tumour. This type of sampling can also tell whether or not a cancer has metastasised or whether it will respond to certain therapies.[4] In 2017 she decided to spin this technology out into a company; KarnaTeq.[4]

In 2020 Collins was elected into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.[8]

References
  1. "Whitehead Institute - News - 2004 - Developmental science". wi.mit.edu. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  2. "2016-2017 Fellows | Research UC Berkeley". vcresearch.berkeley.edu. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  3. "Long-sought structure of telomerase paves way for drugs for aging, cancer | Research UC Berkeley". vcresearch.berkeley.edu. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  4. "Trading in the Scalpel for a Sharper Blade | Research UC Berkeley". vcresearch.berkeley.edu. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  5. Sanders, Robert (April 25, 2018). "Long-sought structure of telomerase paves way for drugs for aging, cancer". Berkeley News. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  6. McMillan, Fiona. "Researchers Have Discovered What The 'Immortality' Enzyme Looks Like". Forbes. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  7. "The 3D Structure of Telomerase: Uncovering Its Role in Human Disease". Drug Discovery from Technology Networks. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  8. Sanders, Robert (April 23, 2020). "Nine faculty elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences". Berkeley News. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
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