Deepak Koirala

Deepak Koirala is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), where he leads the Koirala Lab focused on RNA structural biology. His research bridges biochemistry, biophysics, and molecular biology to understand RNA structures and functions in fundamental biological processes and disease mechanisms.

Education

• Postdoc – The University of Chicago (2014 – 2020)
• Ph.D. – Kent State University (2008 – 2014)
• M.Sc. – Tribhuvan University, Nepal (2002 – 2004)
• B.Sc. – Tribhuvan University, Nepal (1999 – 2002)

Research Interests

Dr. Koirala's research focuses on understanding RNA structures and functions involved in fundamental biological processes and exploring opportunities for RNA-targeted therapeutics. His laboratory interconnects biochemistry, biophysics, and biology, providing members with opportunities to learn various biochemical and biophysical techniques while pursuing cutting-edge research in RNA structural biology.

Current research directions include chaperone-assisted RNA crystallography using synthetic antibodies, RNA structures associated with cap-independent viral translation, RNA structure-based strategies of translation in cellular mRNAs and viral genomes, and RNA structures associated with human repeat expansion disorders such as Huntington's disease, myotonic dystrophy, fragile-X syndrome, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Publication Trends

Dr. Koirala's recent publications (2022-2024) demonstrate a strong focus on RNA structural biology, particularly examining viral RNA elements involved in genome replication and translation. His work combines X-ray crystallography with biochemical and biophysical approaches to determine 3D structures of RNA elements from enteroviruses and other pathogens. A recurring theme is the development and application of synthetic antibodies as chaperones for RNA crystallography, enabling structural determination of previously intractable RNA molecules.

Scientific Awards

• CAREER Award, National Science Foundation (NSF) (2023)
• Collaborative Development Award, CRNA (2023)
• Strategic Awards for Research Transitions (START), UMBC (2021)
• Summer Research Faculty Fellowship (SURFF), UMBC (2021)
• Taylor Scholarship for Graduate Research, Kent State University (2013)

Research Support and Mentoring

Dr. Koirala has secured significant funding for his research, including an NSF CAREER award (#2236996) totaling approximately $785,747 for structural and mechanistic studies of RNA-mediated enteroviral genome replication (2023-2028), and NIH funding totaling approximately $1.8 million. His laboratory provides training opportunities for high school, undergraduate, and graduate students, encouraging them to pursue careers in RNA biochemistry, structural biology, and related STEM fields.

Research Facilities

The Koirala Lab is equipped with state-of-the-art instrumentation including a Bio-Layer Interferometry (BLI) system for studying RNA-protein interaction kinetics and a Mosquito Xtal3 robot for RNA crystallography. The lab is housed in Rooms 456 and 460 of the Meyerhoff Chemistry Building at UMBC, with Dr. Koirala's office in Room 475D.