Diana Barko

Dr. Diana Barko is Chair of the Department of Chemistry and Professor of Chemistry at Baldwin Wallace University, specializing in biochemistry and enzymology. Her research focuses on enzyme function and characterization, particularly in protein degradation and nucleic acid metabolism.

Her laboratory investigates citrullination—a post-translational modification catalyzed by peptidyl arginine deiminase (PAD)—and collaborates with Dr. Raymond Shively on G-quadruplex stabilizing molecules for cancer therapy. These projects are funded by the Myeloma Foundation in Solon, Ohio. Students in her lab develop enzymatic assays to study reaction pathways and contribute to national conferences.

Barko earned her Ph.D. in Chemistry from Case Western Reserve University, where her dissertation characterized lon protease kinetics. Prior to joining Baldwin Wallace in 2007, she completed a postdoctoral fellowship in pharmacology at Case Western Reserve, researching non-natural nucleoside analogs for cancer treatments.

Teaching:

• Chemistry I and II
• Organic Chemistry
• Biochemistry

Scientific Awards:

• No scientific awards mentioned in the provided texts.

Advising and Grants: Barko mentors undergraduate researchers, emphasizing training in experimental design and data analysis. Her work is funded by the Myeloma Foundation.