Al-Hashimi Research Group

Alexandar Hansen

5th Year Graduate Student

BA Chemistry and Music:
Carthage College

Alex Hansen graduated from Carthage College in Kenosha, WI. During his time at Carthage he studied Chemistry and Music and graduated with a major in both. He plays violin and is currently looking for an orchestra to join in the Ann Arbor area.

Alex works on developing methods for studying RNA structure and dynamics with 13C residual chemical shift anisotropies (RCSAs) [1] and 13C spin relaxation using the transactivation response element (TAR) as a model system along with the elongation strategy developed in the lab. He also writes programs to accurately interpret these measurements. Current progress includes the development of TROSY detected 13C R1 and R1rho pulse sequences, the program RAMAH for studying residual anisotropic measurements in RNA (both RDCs and RCSAs), and a (rough) model free program that takes into consideration the high anisotropy of RNA nucleobase CSA tensors, non-colinearity of the CSA with the dipolar vector, additional 13C-13C interactions, and highly anisotropic diffusion. In future work, Alex will move on to study the dynamics of larger systems, such as the TPP riboswitch.

Publications

1. Hickok, Robin S.; Wedge, Seamus A.; Hansen, Alexandar L.; Morris, Kevin F.; Billiot, Fereshteh Haddadian; Warner, Isiah M. Pulsed field gradient NMR investigation of solubilization equilibria in amino acid and dipeptide terminated micellar and polymeric surfactant solutions. Magnetic Resonance in Chemistry (2002), 40(12), 755-761.

2. Hansen, Alex L.; Morris, Kevin F.. A molecular modeling and diffusion ordered NMR investigation of dipeptide terminated polymerized surfactants. Abstracts of Papers, 223rd ACS National Meeting, Orlando, FL, United States, April 7-11, 2002

3. Hansen, Alexandar L.; Ober, Christopher; Pham, Victor. MS&E Dept., Cornell University. 2002 NNUN REU Research Accomplishments. http://www.cnf.cornell.edu/2002reu/Hansen.pdf. Available 8/6/2004

4. Hansen, A., and Al-Hashimi, H. M.*, Insight into the CSA Tensors of Nucleobase Carbons in RNA Polynucleotides From Solution Measurements of Residual CSA: Towards New Long-Range Orientational Constraints. J. Magn. Reson., 179:323-331 2006