Rachel E. Klevit

Rachel E. Klevit is an American biochemist and professor at the University of Washington. She is known for her significant contributions to the field of protein structure and protein-protein interactions, particularly in the context of disease and drug discovery.

Early Life and Education

Rachel E. Klevit was born in the United States. She pursued her undergraduate studies in chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley, where she developed an interest in biochemistry. She then went on to earn her Ph.D. in biophysics from the Johns Hopkins University.

Career

Following her Ph.D., Klevit joined the University of Washington as a faculty member. Her research focuses on understanding the structure and function of proteins, particularly those involved in disease processes. She uses Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to study protein structure and dynamics, and has made significant contributions to the understanding of BRCA1, a protein involved in breast cancer and ovarian cancer.

Contributions to Biochemistry

Klevit's work on BRCA1 has been particularly impactful. She was the first to determine the structure of the RING domain of BRCA1, a critical region of the protein that is often mutated in cancer. This work has provided important insights into the function of BRCA1 and its role in tumor suppression.

In addition to her work on BRCA1, Klevit has also made significant contributions to the understanding of other proteins and their roles in disease. For example, she has studied the protein Parkin, which is involved in Parkinson's disease, and the protein Ubc13, which is involved in inflammation and immune response.

Honors and Awards

Klevit has received numerous awards for her contributions to biochemistry, including the American Chemical Society's Joel Henry Hildebrand Award in the Theoretical and Experimental Chemistry of Liquids.

See Also

• Biochemistry
• Protein structure
• BRCA1
• Parkin
• Ubc13