KMF LAB – Musier-Forsyth Group

Dr. Karin Musier-Forsyth

Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Ohio Eminent Scholar

Principal Investigator, Musier-Forsyth Lab

Bio:

Karin Musier-Forsyth obtained a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Cornell University in 1989 under the direction of Dr. Gordon G. Hammes. She was an American Cancer Society Postdoctoral Fellow in the laboratory of Paul Schimmel at M.I.T. from 1989-92. She joined the faculty at the University of Minnesota as an Assistant Professor of Chemistry in 1992. She was named Merck Professor of Chemistry in 2003 and Distinguished McKnight University Professor in 2006. In 2007, she moved to her current position at Ohio State University, where she is the Ohio Eminent Scholar in Biological Macromolecular Structure and Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry. She was awarded the Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award in 1996, the Pfizer Award in Enzyme Chemistry from the Biological Division of the American Chemical Society in 2003, and was Elected as AAAS Fellow in 2009. In 2014 she was awarded the William H. Kadel Alumni Medal for Outstanding Career Achievement from her alma mater, Eckerd College (St. Petersburg, FLA) and in 2020 she was a co-recipient of the Diversity Enhancement Faculty Award from the College of Arts & Sciences at Ohio State. She has served as co-director of the NIH T32 Predoctoral Training Program at Ohio State since 2011. She has published over 200 peer-reviewed research articles, book chapters and reviews and has served as an Associate Editor of the Journal of Biological Chemistry since 2018.

Musier-forsyth.1@osu.edu

Office: CBEC 387

Research Scientists and Staff

Dr. Ioulia Rouzina

Research Assistant Professor

I am a theoretical biophysicist analyzing experiments and proposing testable models of viral functioning. I am currently working on understanding how HIV-1 packages its own genome, how the reverse transcription inside the mature HIV-1 capsid drives its disassembly, how LEDGF protein binding to nucleosomes affects sites of HIV-1 integration, and how SARS-COV-2 N protein selects and packages its genome. I have a lot of experience deciphering data from optical tweezers stretching single biological molecules. I am interested in all kinds of biophysical phenomena.

I like all kinds of cultural activities and travel.

rouzina.1@osu.edu

Dr. Rylan Watkins

Post Doctoral Scholar (2025 – Present)

Chemistry and Biochemistry Program (2020 – 2025)

I study translational quality control mechanisms in Trypanosoma brucei.

In my free time you can find me enjoying one of the local coffee shops.

watkins.819@osu.edu

Graduate Students

Joseph Kanlong

Ohio State Biochemistry Program (2021 – Present)

I focus on the regulation of HIV-1 genomic RNA translation by transcriptional start site heterogeneity and structural diversity within the 5’UTR.

I grew up in NY, in the Hudson Valley and I love anything outdoors or water related. In my free time I love to cook, listen to music, and spend time with friends! I’m also Vice President of the OSBP Buckeye Biochemistry Club!

kanlong.1@osu.edu

Kaylee Grabarkewitz

Chemistry and Biochemistry Program, Co-mentored by Dr. Vicki Wysocki (2021–Present)

Determining the role of transcriptional start site differences in HIV-1 genomic RNA 5’UTRs and their role in Gag binding and selective packaging using native mass spectrometry.

I grew up in Northern Minnesota and enjoy hiking and snowshoeing.

grabarkewitz.1@osu.edu

Mahfam Shariati

Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Program (2021 – Present)

I am trying to determine whether HIV-1 evades the host immune response, particularly the cGAS/STING pathway, using human Lysyl-tRNA synthetase.

Give me a little bit of time to learn a new language. You can call me a scientist by day and a polyglot by night. Also, I am trying to quit my Twitter addiction!

shariati.3@osu.edu

Morgan Bauer

Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Program (2021 – Present)

My research focus is on translational quality control mechanisms in humans. I am also elucidating the activity of human EPRS, and glutamyl-prolyl tRNA synthetase, in vitro and in cells.

bauer.715@buckeyemail.osu.edu

Tasnin Nila

Chemistry and Biochemistry Program (2022 – Present)

My research focuses on how the RNA structure modifies the alternative pre-mRNA splicing mechanism of Kinesin protein that is related to a neurodegenerative disorder.

I am from Bangladesh. I love to listen to music and traveling new places.

Nila.1@osu.edu

Zixi (Cecilia) Long

Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Program (2022 – Present)

My project involves host protein interaction with HTLV-1 Gag.

I enjoy listening to music and playing video games.

long.1681@osu.edu

Grace Crowe

Ohio State Biochemistry Program (2023 – Present)

My research focuses on how transcriptional start-site heterogeneity determines the fate of HIV-1 viral RNA. I am specifically interested in the effect of differential capping on HIV-1 genomic RNA 5’UTR structure, packaging selectivity and translation.

In my free time, I enjoy playing classical guitar, painting, and doing large jigsaw puzzles!

crowe.321@osu.edu

Andrew Nielsen

Medical Scientist Training Program (MD/PhD)

Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program (2023 – Present)

My research focuses on the heterogeneity of HIV-1 transcription start sites and how this variability influences RNA structure and RNA-protein interactions in immune cells. Future studies will aim to identify HIV-1 RNA-binding molecules that alter RNA structure and interfere with viral pathogenesis.

In my free time, I like to garden, brew homemade beer, and hang out with my two cats, Cricket and Rufus.

Andrew.Nielsen@osumc.edu

Hannah Lathrop

Ohio State Biochemistry Program (2024 – Present)

I am interested in how yeast Arc1p contributes to tRNA quality control within the multi–aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase complex, as well as the evolutionary conservation of OB-fold proteins involved in tRNA binding.

In my free time, I enjoy hiking, traveling, and spending time with my cat.

lathrop.41@buckeyemail.osu.edu

Dalton Dencklau

Ohio State Biochemistry Program (2024 – Present)

My research investigates the roles of MCP1 and MCP3 in maintaining translational fidelity within the Trypanosoma brucei multi–aminoacyl‑tRNA synthetase complex.

Outside of the lab, I enjoy playing volleyball and pickleball, spending time with my cat, and listening to music.

dencklau.1@osu.edu

Alvin Antony Chungath

Chemistry and Biochemistry Program (2024 – Present)

I am interested in developing nanobody-based BioPROTAC strategies to selectively target and degrade proteins involved in HIV-1 viral replication and RNA trafficking.

In my free time, I enjoy archery, long-distance running, and dancing.

antonychungath.1@osu.edu

Maddie Goodman

Ohio State Biochemistry Program (2025 – Present)

My research focuses on how Trypanosoma brucei maintains translational accuracy through specialized quality-control mechanisms. Specifically, I investigate the roles of the aminoacyl-tRNA editing proteins MCP1 and MCP3 in maintaining cellular protein homeostasis in vivo and characterize their substrate specificities and molecular mechanisms in vitro.

In my free time I enjoy running, lifting, and going to concerts.

goodman.672@osu.edu