Welcome to the Laboratory of Dr. Eda Koculi in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at The University of Texas at El Paso. The goal of our research program is to decipher the molecular details of RNA-protein interactions implicated in human disease. Our research integrates kinetic and thermodynamic analyses of enzymatic reactions and in cell macromolecular assemblies with computational approaches. The questions we try to answer are fundamental to cell metabolism and crucial for human health. To answer those questions an interdisciplinary approach is required. Our team consists of members with backgrounds in bioinformatics, organic chemistry, biochemistry, structure biology, and biophysics. Most importantly, we all have great fun doing science.

Our lab’s current and future projects are:

Determining how ATP hydrolysis by DEAD-box RNA helicases facilitate ribosome assembly.

Identifying novel ribosome assembly maturation factors.

Defining the role of post-transcriptional modifications and the enzymes that incorporate those modifications in ribosome assembly and cell metabolism.