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Biography
Lisa Olshansky is an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry. Her primary affiliation is multimodal vascular imaging. Additional affiliations include Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, Center for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology, and Materials Research Laboratory.
Education
Ph.D., inorganic chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2015
B.S., chemistry, University of California San Diego, 2009
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Honors
2024: Paul Saltman, Metals in Biology GRC Young Investigator Award
2022: Department of Energy Early Career Research Award
2022: Cottrell Scholars Award
2021: Vallee Scholars Award
2020: Searle Scholars Award
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Research
Research Areas:
Inorganic Chemistry
Organic Chemistry
Chemical Biology
Physical Chemistry
Research Interests:
Bioinspired inorganic chemistry,
Synthesis of metal complexes capable of undergoing triggered conformational changes
Preparation of switchable artificial metalloproteins
Applications in biomedical research and renewable energy
Research in the Olshansky lab centers on exploring and exploiting conformational gating mechanisms. Conformational gating is when the rate of a reaction depends on a large-scale structural change and is a common mechanism for regulating reactivity in biological systems. Creating simplified model systems that encapsulate this mechanistic paradigm, Olshansky and coworkers are developing new biocatalysts, biosensors, and new molecular switches for solar energy conversion.
In one project area, her team is creating conformationally switchable artificial metalloproteins. These proteins are designed to mimic the way that naturally occurring metalloproteins convert allosteric binding energy into activation energy. Through these studies, Olshansky has developed switchable proteins in which glutamine binding triggers a change in MRI contrast signal. This result is particularly exciting because cancer cells are known to consume glutamine much more rapidly than healthy cells. Accordingly, Olshansky envisions that these biomolecular sensors may one day be applied to detect early diseased states, prior to the formation of tumor cells. For this work, collaborations with Brad Sutton, Tracy Wszalek, and their teams at the Biomedical Imaging Center play a critical role in the translation of systems development to testing and application.
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2024
- Alyssa A. DeLucia and Lisa Olshansky “Carboxylate Shift Dynamics in Biomimetic Co2(µ-OH)2 Complexes” Inorg. Chem. 2024, 63, 1109?1118.
2023
- Bronte J. Charette, Shelby R. King, Jiaqi Chen, Annika R. Holm, Robert D. Cook, Richard D. Schaller, Nick E. Jackson, and Lisa Olshansky “Excited State Dynamics in a Conformationally Fluxional Copper Coordination Complex” J. Phys. Chem. A 2023, 127, 7747?7755.
- Khadanand KC, Toby Woods, and Lisa Olshansky “Ligand Field Modifications Produce Two-Step Magnetic Switching in a Cobalt(dioxolene) Complex” Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2023, Accepted, DOI: 10.1002/anie.202311790.
- Paul J. Griffin and Lisa Olshansky “Rapid Electron Transfer Self-Exchange in Conformationally Dynamic Copper Complexes” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2023, 145, 20158?20162.
- Paul J. Griffin, Matthew J. Dake, Alesandro D. Remolina, and Lisa Olshansky “Conformational Dynamicity in a Copper(II) Complex” Dalton Trans. 2023, 52, 8376?8383.
2022
- Bronte J. Charette, Paul J. Griffin, Claire M. Zimmerman, and Lisa Olshansky “Conformationally Dynamic Copper Coordination Complexes” Dalton Trans. 2022, 51, 6212– 6219. *Selected as Dalton Transactions Outstanding Paper, 2022.
- Paul J. Griffin, Bronte J. Charette, John H. Burke, Josh Vura-Weis, Richard D. Schaller, David J. Gosztola, and Lisa Olshansky “Toward Improved Charge Separation through Conformational Control in Copper Coordination Complexes” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2022, 144, 12116–12126.
- Paul J. Griffin, Bronte J. Charette, John H. Burke, Josh Vura-Weis, Richard D. Schaller, David J. Gosztola, and Lisa Olshansky “Toward Improved Charge Separation through Conformational Control in Copper Coordination Complexes” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2022, 144, 12116–12126.
- Saman Fatima, David G. Boggs, Noor Ali, Peter J. Thompson, Megan C. Thielges, Jennifer Bridwell-Rabb, and Lisa Olshansky “Engineering a Conformationally Switchable Artificial Metalloprotein” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2022, 144, 21606–21616.
- Saman Fatima, David G. Boggs, Noor Ali, Peter J. Thompson, Megan C. Thielges, Jennifer Bridwell-Rabb, and Lisa Olshansky “Engineering a Conformationally Switchable Artificial Metalloprotein” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2022, 144, 21606–21616.
2021
- Alyssa A. DeLucia, Kimberly A. Kelly, Kevin A. Herrera, Danielle Gray, and Lisa Olshansky “Intramolecular Hydrogen-Bond Interactions Tune Reactivity in Biomimetic Bis(µhydroxo)dicobalt Complexes” Inorg. Chem. 2021, 60, 15599–15609.
- Feature in in virtual issue of Inorganic Chemistry, 2021, 60, 6957–6963. “Periodic Table Talks: The Elements Never Go Out of Style”
2020
- Kanchana Ravichandran, Lisa Olshansky, Daniel G. Nocera, and JoAnne Stubbe “Subunit Interaction Dynamics in Class Ia Ribonucleotide Reductase: In Search of a Robust Assay” Biochemistry 2020, 59, 1442–1453.
2018
- Lisa Olshansky, Raúl Huerta-Lavorie, Andy I. Nguyen, Jaicy Vallapurackal, T. Don Tilley, and Andy S. Borovik “Artificial Metalloproteins Containing Co4O4 Cubane Active Sites” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2018, 140, 2739–2742.
2016
- Lisa Olshansky, Brandon L. Greene, Chelsea Finkbeiner, JoAnne Stubbe, and Daniel G. Nocera “Photochemical Generation of a Tryptophan Radical within the Subunit Interface of Ribonucleotide Reductase” Biochemistry 2016, 55, 3234–3240.
- Lisa Olshansky, JoAnne Stubbe, and Daniel G. Nocera “Charge Transfer Dynamics at the a/ß Subunit Interface of a Photochemical Ribonucleotide Reductase” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2016, 138, 1196–1205
2014
- Lisa Olshansky, Arturo A. Pizano, Yifeng Wei, JoAnne Stubbe, and Daniel G. Nocera “Kinetics of Hydrogen Atom Abstraction from Substrate by an Active Site Thiyl Radical in Ribonucleotide Reductase” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2014, 136, 16210–16216.
2013
- Arturo A. Pizano, Lisa Olshansky, Patrick G. Holder, JoAnne Stubbe, and Daniel G. Nocera “Modulation of Y356 Photooxidation in E. coli class Ia Ribonucleotide Reductase by Y731 Across the a2:ß2 Interface” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2013, 135, 13250–13253.
- Ellen C. Minnihan, Nozomi Ando,* Edward J. Brignole,* Lisa Olshansky,* Johnathan Chittuluru, Fancisco J. Asturias, Daniel G. Nocera, Catherine L. Drennan, and JoAnne Stubbe “Generation of a Stable, Aminotyrosyl Radical-induced a2ß2 Complex of E. coli class Ia Ribonucleotide Reductase” Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2013, 110, 3835–3840. (*denotes equal author contribution)
2008
- Matthew J. Buller, Cynthia B. Gilley, Brian Nguyen, Lisa Olshansky, Breena Fraga, and Yoshihisa Kobayashi “Synthesis of Functionalized Pyroglutamic Acids, Part 1: The Synthetic Utility of N-Acylindole and the Ugi Reaction with a Chiral Levulinic Acid” SYNLETT 2008, 15, 2244–2248.