I am Briana Mercado, a Brown University PhD candidate in my third year in the Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, and Biochemistry graduate program, conducting research in the lab of George Lisi. Her work explores how redox-sensitive cysteine and methionine residues shape the structure, dynamics, and allosteric regulation of the cytokines MIF and MIF-2. By combining functional assays with high-resolution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, she investigates how subtle per residue changes influence cytokine behavior and structure at the atomic level.
Through ICIS, I am excited to connect with researchers passionate about cytokine biology, signaling, and regulation while gaining broader insight into the diverse roles these proteins play in health and disease.