Loyola University Chicago

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Manisha Ray

Manisha was born and raised in North Bengal (at the foothills of Himalayas), India. After completing her undergraduate and master’s degrees in Chemistry from University of North Bengal, she pursued 3-years of research training in Indian Institute of Science (IISc) at Bangalore, India. She then moved to the U.S. to obtain her PhD in Physical Chemistry from Indiana University Bloomington. Her PhD work at Prof. Caroline Jarrold’s group involved spectroscopic and computational studies on catalytic properties of transition/lanthanide metal oxide cluster anions and their reactivities with small molecules in relation to alternative energy resources. After an internship at Eli Lilly Biotechnology company, Dr. Ray continued her interest in probing biological phenomena at molecular level by pursuing her postdoctoral research in a neurobiology group led by Prof. Jerold Chun at Sanford Burnham Prebys Institute, San Diego, CA. She developed binding assays to quantitatively measure the real-time interactions between challenging bioactive lipids and conformationally dynamic G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) using a cutting-edge technology called, Back Scattering Interferometry (BSI).

In her independent research group, Dr. Ray will investigate the elusive roles of lipids (membrane, signaling lipids) that are predominantly present in human brain but are poorly understood towards their contribution in possible neurodegenerative diseases (like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, ALS, etc.). The research interests are highly interdisciplinary, integrating chemistry, optics, biophysics, chemical and structural biology. The group will heavily implement a range of different techniques from chemical synthesis (e.g., lipid nano discs) to instrumentation development, and molecular biology approaches based on specific requirement of the research. In collaboration with structural biology groups (X-Ray and computational biophysics), the research will cover a range of possibilities including identifying potential therapeutic agents. Additionally, through collaborative efforts the group is also interested to explore what this interferometry platform has to offer more in the world of biochemical interactions involving enzymes.