Andrei A Korostelev

Dr. Andrei A Korostelev is a Professor at UMass Chan Medical School, with primary appointments in the RNA Therapeutics Institute and the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology at the T.H. Chan School of Medicine. He also holds positions in multiple graduate programs at the Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, including Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology, Biophysical Chemical and Computational Biology, Interdisciplinary Graduate Program, MD/PhD Program, and RNA Therapeutics and Biology Program.

Dr. Korostelev received his BS and MS in Chemistry from Moscow State University, followed by a PhD in Chemistry & Biochemistry from Florida State University. His educational background provided the foundation for his current research in structural biology and molecular mechanisms of protein synthesis.

Dr. Korostelev's research focuses on the structure and function of the ribosome, the cellular machine responsible for decoding genetic information and synthesizing proteins. His laboratory employs X-ray crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy to obtain high-resolution snapshots of different functional states of the ribosome during translation. Through biochemical approaches, his team tests hypotheses concerning the mechanisms and dynamics of the ribosome and translation factors. This research not only expands fundamental knowledge of this essential molecular machine but also aids in developing new drugs that target ribosomes, with potential applications in treating bacterial infections and other diseases.

Dr. Korostelev's scientific contributions have been recognized with several prestigious awards, including the Soros Academic Fellowship from Moscow State University (1994-1995), the I.V. Berezin Young Scientist Award from Moscow State University (1996-1997), the RNA Society/Scaringe Young Scientist Award (runner-up, 2010), the Earl and Thressa Stadtman Scholar Award from ASBMB (2018), and the Early Career Award from the RNA Society (2018).

As an active researcher and mentor, Dr. Korostelev supervises graduate students through rotation projects that apply X-ray crystallography and biochemical methods to understand ribosome mechanisms. His laboratory offers opportunities to investigate translation via mutagenesis/biochemical assays, crystallize and determine structures of translation factors and ribosome complexes, and improve computational methods for macromolecular structure determination. His extensive publication record demonstrates significant contributions to understanding translation termination, ribosome rescue mechanisms, frameshifting, and the structural dynamics of protein synthesis.

Dr. Korostelev leads an active research laboratory focused on ribosome structure and function. His team combines structural biology techniques with biochemical approaches to investigate the molecular mechanisms of translation. Through collaborations with other researchers at UMass Chan Medical School and beyond, his laboratory continues to make significant contributions to our understanding of this fundamental biological process and its implications for human health and disease.