Nisansala Vithanage

Highly motivated, energetic, Biochemistry Honors degree holder and a doctoral candidate in Chemistry. A dedicated scholar with four-year research experience and proven practical knowledge to work in laboratories. Experienced as a teaching assistant and a research assistant who has a great aspiration to seek opportunities for academic, professional, and personal development.

Graduate research: [November 2021 – Present]

Supervisor – Prof. Victor Outlaw, Department of Chemistry, University of Missouri

Projects:

• SARS CoV-2 Omicron variant spike glycoprotein mutation Q954H enhances fusion core stability. (First Author: Manuscript submitted), (PDB structure: Deposited in PDB (8VYA), To be published), Presented in 35th Annual Organic Chemistry Day poster session, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, April 2023, Upcoming presentation: ACS Midwest Regional Meeting, Omaha, NE, October 2024
• Structural characterization of disulfide-Linked, p53-derived peptide dimers: Collaborated project with Dr. Nicholas Sawyer in Fordham University, New York (Co-Author: Manuscript submitted), (PDB structure: Deposited in PDB (9C5S). To be published)
• Biophysical and structural characterization of the post-fusion core of Measles virus neuropathogenic variant bearing L454W and L454M mutations. (First Author: To be published in Fall, 2024, (Neuropathogenic variant fusion core PDB structure: To be deposited and published in Fall, 2024), Upcoming presentation: ACS Midwest Regional Meeting, Omaha, NE, October 2024
• Biophysical and structural characterization of the post-fusion core of Measles virus wild type variant (In progress); Role: Lead researcher, (WT variant fusion core PDB structure: In-progress)
• Development of ACE-2 receptor-based peptide inhibitors for the inhibition of interactions between ACE-2 and Receptor Binding Domain (RBD) of SARS CoV-2 Omicron (In progress); Role: Lead researcher
• Biophysical screening and structural analysis of Measles virus neuropathogenic variant fusion glycoprotein mutations T461I, N462K, and G464W to probe the effect on fusion core stability (In progress); Role: Lead researcher
• Probing the SARS CoV-2 spike protein C-terminal heptad repeat ASX motif – (In progress); Role: Co-lead researcher

Undergraduate research: [February 2019 – May 2020]

Individual research on “Developing Cinnamomum zeylanicum bark as an antidiabetic nutraceutical”

Supervisor – Prof. B.M. Jayawardena, Department of Chemistry, University of Kelaniya

Projects: [February 2019 – May 2020]

• Trichoderma harzianum - assisted extraction of Cinnamomum zeylanicum quills to obtain a high-quality water extract.
• Case study – “Anti-diabetic potential of Terminalia arjuna bark”
• Evaluation of in-vitro antioxidant, anti-diabetic potentials, and total phenolic content of Cocos nucifera hull.

• Sinhala (native); English (fluent); Hindi (intermediate); Tamil (intermediate)

• CAFNR International Program Student Organization, University of Missouri - (Vice President)
• Universities Fighting World Hunger - Mizzou Chapter - (Member)
• Volunteering Programs - Food Bank, Columbia, For Columbia program
• Chemistry Graduate Students Society, University of Missouri - (Member)
• American Chemical Society - (Member)
• Society of Biochemistry, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka - (Member)
• Society of Microbiology, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka - (Executive board member)