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Aaron Leconte,

Associate Professor of Chemistry
Chemistry
Phone: 79353
[email protected]

KSC137

https://sites.google.com/view/lecontegroup/home

Academic History

(2009-2012) NIH Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard University (Cambridge, MA)

(2004-2009) Ph.D. 61传媒Research Institute (La Jolla, CA)

(2000-2004) B.A. Carleton College (Northfield, MN)聽

Academic Focus

My research group uses a blend of directed evolution and biochemical insight to engineer proteins which can be used as tools for medicine and biotechnology.聽

Courses Taught

CHEM14L: Introduction to Chemistry聽

CHEM29L: Accelerated General Chemistry聽

CHEM40L: Introduction to Biological Chemistry聽

CHEM125L: Advanced Laboratory in Biochemistry聽

CHEM127L: Advanced Laboratory in Chemistry II聽

CHEM177/BIO177: Biochemistry聽

CHEM180: Applied Biomolecular Evolution聽

Selected Research and Publications

Publications

(underline indicates undergraduates from Claremont Colleges, *indicates equal author contribution)

  1. S. J. Williams, J. A. Gewing-Mullins, W. K. Lieberman, B. Kolbaba-Kartchner, R. Iqbal, H. M. Burgess, C. M. Colee, M.Y. Ornelas, E. S. Reid-McLaughlin, J. H. Mills, J. A. Prescher*, and A. M. Leconte*聽(2023). Biochemical analysis leads to optimized of orthogonal bioluminescent tools, 颁丑别尘叠颈辞颁丑别尘,听24, e20220072.
  2. T. A. Christensen, K. Y. Lee, S. Z. P. Gottlieb, M. B. Carrier, and A. M. Leconte (2022). Mutant polymerases capable of 2鈥� fluoro-modified nucleic acid synthesis and amplification with improved accuracy, RSC Chemical Biology,聽3, 1044.
  3. A. S. Thompson, S. E. Barrett, A. G. Weiden, A. Venkatesh, M. K. C. Seto, S. Z. P. Gottlieb, and A. M. Leconte聽(2020).聽聽Accurate and efficient one-pot reverse transcription and amplification of 2鈥� fluoro-modified nucleic acids by commercial DNA polymerases, Biochemistry, 59, 2833.
  4. M. D. Liu*, E. A. Warner*, C. A. Morrissey, C. W. Fick, T. S. Wu, M. Y. Ornelas, G. V. Ochoa, B. Zhang, C. M. Rathbun, W. B. Porterfield, J. A. Prescher, and A. M. Leconte, (2018). Statistical Coupling Analysis-guided library design for discovery of mutant luciferases, Biochemistry, 57, 663.
  5. E. L. Lewis and A. M. Leconte, (2017).聽聽DNA polymerase activity assay using near-infrared fluorescent labeled DNA visualized by acrylamide gel electrophoresis, Journal of Visualized Experiments,听128, e56228.
  6. S. L. Rosenblum, A. G. Weiden, E. L. Lewis, A. L. Ogonowsky, H. E. Chia, S. E. Barrett, M. D. Liu, and A. M. Leconte, (2017) Design and discovery of new combinations of mutant DNA polymerases and modified DNA substrates, Chembiochem, 18, 816.聽
  7. H. J. Schultz, A. M. Gochi, H. E. Chia, A. L. Ogonowsky, S. Chiang, N. Filipovic, A. Weiden, E. E. Hadley, S. E. Gabriel, and A. M. Leconte, (2015) Taq DNA polymerase mutants and 2鈥� modified sugar recognition, Biochemistry, 54, 5999.

Awards and Honors

Cottrell Postbaccalaureate Research Award (Research Corporation for Science Advancement),聽鈥淢arcell Simon: Exploring the C-terminal domain of Firefly Luciferase鈥�, Principal Investigator, $50,000 (2023-2024)

Cottrell Scholar Collaborative Project (Research Corporation for Science Advancement), 鈥淢oving the Dial: A Network for Systemic Change鈥�, Co-Investigator, $25,000 (2020-2022)聽

R15 Award (National Institutes of Health), 鈥淗igh-throughput engineering and characterization of brighter luciferases鈥�, Principal Investigator, $362,752 (2019-2023)

CAREER Award (National Science Foundation), 鈥淒evelopment of DNA polymerases capable of high fidelity modified DNA synthesis鈥�, Principal Investigator, $400,000 (2018-2024)

Jean Dreyfus Lectureship for Undergraduate Institutions, 鈥淎pplying molecular evolution to solve chemical problems 鈥� funding to bring Prof. David R. Liu to the Claremont Colleges鈥�, co-lead Principal Investigator, $18,500 (2017-2018)

Cottrell Scholar Award (Research Corporation for Science Advancement), 鈥淏iochemical characterization and engineering of luciferases through Statistical Coupling Analysis鈥�, Principal Investigator, $100,000 (2016-2019)

Ellen Browning 61传媒Foundation, 鈥�Acquisition of a Fluorimeter for Undergraduate Instruction and Research鈥�, co-Principal Investigator, $20,000 (2016)

Cottrell College Science Award (Research Corporation for Science Advancement), 鈥淏iochemical characterization and engineering of Taq DNA polymerase mutants for the synthesis of 2鈥檓odified DNA鈥�, Principal Investigator, $50,200 (2014-2016)

TriLink ResearchRewards Grant (TriLink Biotechnologies), 鈥淒iscovery and Characterization of New Mutant DNA Polymerase - Modified Substrate Interactions鈥�, Principal Investigator, $10,000 (2013-2015)

S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, 鈥淔unding for purchase of a biomolecular gel imager鈥�, co-Principal Investigator, $50,000 (2011).聽