Haley Michel
- BcGSA President
- Research area(s): Computational Chemistry
Education
Ph.D., Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, 2025 Expected
B.S., Biochemistry, The University of Akron, 2020
Experience
August 2020-present, Graduate Research Assistant, Biochemistry, Virginia Tech
May 2019-January 2020, Toxicology Intern, Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office, Cleveland, OH
Graduate Teaching Assistant, Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech
Courses Taught
- Biochemical Techniques Lab (BCHM 2984) – Spring 2021
- Biochemical Communications (BCHM 4353) – Spring 2022
My research aims to better understand the dynamics of higher order nucleic acid structures known as G-Quadruplexes and their impact on biological processes and disease towards the development of novel therapeutics. I currently focus on two structures that form in the long terminal repeat of the HIV-1 genome and regulate viral gene expression. I use molecular dynamics simulations to analyze these structures at the atomistic level so we can target them with small molecules more specifically. Eventual research will include using my computational findings to explore drug-target interactions experimentally.
Reviewed Journals
A.M. Salsbury, H.M. Michel, and J.A. Lemkul. “Ion-Dependent Conformational Plasticity of Telomeric G-Hairpins and G-Quadruplexes.” ACS Omega. 2022.
Szabolcs Sofalvi, Eric S Lavins, Claire K Kaspar, Haley M Michel, Christie L Mitchell-Mata, Marilyn A Huestis, Luigino G Apollonio, Development and Validation of an LC–MS-MS Method for the Detection of 40 Benzodiazepines and Three Z-Drugs in Blood and Urine by Solid-Phase Extraction, Journal of Analytical Toxicology, Volume 44, Issue 7, September 2020, Pages 708–717.
Poster Presentations
(Presenters are underlined, *Undergraduate Student)
H. M. Michel and J. A. Lemkul. A Tale of Two Loops: Characterization of Two G-Quadruplexes in the HIV-1 Long Terminal Repeat Using Polarizable Molecular Dynamics Simulations. G4thering: 8th International Meeting on Quadruplex Nucleic Acids. Mariánské Lázně, Czech Republic. June 2022. (Poster)
H. M. Michel and J. A. Lemkul. A Tale of Two Loops: Characterization of Two G-Quadruplexes in the HIV-1 Long Terminal Repeat Using Polarizable Molecular Dynamics Simulations. 66th Biophysical Society Annual Meeting. San Francisco, CA. February 2022. (Poster)
R. J. Fogarty,* H. M. Michel, S. Farrokhpoor, and J. A. Lemkul. Molecular Dynamics Simulations of the G-Quadruplex Present in the human-VEGF Promoter Region. 66th Biophysical Society Annual Meeting. San Francisco, CA. February 2020. (Poster)