Bioanalysis Young Investigator: Maria Lorna A De Leoz

Abstract

Supervisor’s supporting comments Lorna joined The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) as a NIST-American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Postdoctoral Fellow in June 2011, positions that were competitively awarded. Lorna’s research involves the use of MS to characterize the complex sugar molecules, called glycans, that adorn many protein drugs and are important for their mechanism of action. Improved measurements for characterizing the composition and structure of glycans are needed by manufacturers and the US FDA for ensuring that these products are safe and effective. She is attempting to develop a comprehensive library of reference tandem mass spectra of glycans from protein drugs. Such a library would help to speed up analysis times and improve the accuracy and precision of these measurements. Lorna is extremely bright, creative, self-motivated, hardworking and a team player. In less than a year, she has made tremendous progress on her project. Indeed, Lorna’s research was recognized in February at NIST’s Annual Postdoctoral Poster Presentation where, competing against over 100 other postdocs, her work won best poster in the biotechnology category. In summary, Lorna is an outstanding young scientist and supremely deserving of the Bioanalysis Young Investigator Award.