Vidhyadhar Nandana is a postdoctoral researcher at Fox Chase Cancer Center. He conducts biochemical and biophysical characterizations of biomolecular condensates to pioneer novel therapeutic strategies for cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. In this Postdoc Portrait interview, he shares the importance of his work and what he hopes his research will accomplish.
Uncovering Biomolecular Condensates and Proteome Dynamics
Q | What scientific problem are you trying to solve?
Proteins and RNAs form dynamic membrane-less compartments in cells called biomolecular condensates. These condensates organize key biochemical processes inside the cell, and their aberration is increasingly linked to cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. My work involved biochemical and biophysical characterization of condensates and how we can use this knowledge to target condensates in diseased conditions.
Q | What drew you to biochemistry?
I was trying to crystallize protein complexes in my PhD, and they never got crystallized due to their long intrinsically disordered regions. Instead, they form droplets similar to condensates in the cell. I was fascinated by this observation.
Q | What’s one thing you learned from your research that you didn’t expect?
Initially, I thought there were handful of condensates in a cell but at least 40 percent of the human proteome has the propensity to form condensates.
Q | If your research succeeds, what could it change for science or society?
My research will bring novel strategies for targeting condensates in diseased conditions.
Q | What question are you most excited to answer next?
I am excited about applying sonogenetics to modulate condensates in neurodegenerative diseases.
Responses have been edited for length and clarity.
Are you a researcher who would like to be featured in the “Postdoc Portraits” series? Send in your application here.
