Fast, Walter L., Ph.D.
Associate Professor
BME 6.202D
512-232-4000
waltfast@mail.utexas.edu

We are interested in merging protein engineering technologies with more classical biochemical approaches in the investigation and manipulation of three enzyme systems:

1. Quorum sensing, a "language" that some bacteria use to communicate with each other. Disrupting this communication can prevent the harmful infections that form in biofilms.


2. 2. Arginine modification: Arginine methylation and methylarginine hydrolysis are emerging as important activities in signal transduction pathways. However, little is known about the mechanism or inhibition of these enzymes.


3. 3. Prodrug activating enzymes: The prodrug approach seeks to limit side-effects of anticancer compounds. Protein engineering of a human protein to activate a unique prodrug would allow for developing unique prodrug-enzyme pairs.

The Fast lab uses rational & combinatorial mutagenesis, library screening & selection, small molecule synthesis, steady-state & pre-steady state kinetics, and various biophysical techniques to understand the structure & reactivity of these enzymes. These studies are then related to the larger questions of enzyme evolution and therapeutic application.