Senior biochemistry major Adam Gatch is many things: a student, a hiker, a researcher, a tutor, a Goldwater Scholar, an EMT, a volunteer, a writer, a backpacker – too many things to name.
Originally from Charleston, SC, Adam enjoys Clemson for its people and its proximity to great hiking spots and the mountains.
“It’s been nice to meet others with strong work ethic and passion for learning, and it has been motivating to be surrounded by other students with all kinds of exciting future plans.”
Being involved in many extracurricular activities, Adam’s main focus is his research work with Dr. Feng Ding, who runs the Clemson Multiscale Biophysics Lab in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. With Dr. Ding, he has worked on numerous independent projects investigating the structure and dynamics of various proteins implicated in neurodegenerative disease.
“The major theme of my personal research work is understanding the molecular basis of co-pathologies involving multiple disease-associated proteins. Essentially, many neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s are characterized by the abnormal accumulation of certain proteins, and the inclusions they form are considered disease hallmarks.”
In some cases, multiple “hallmark” proteins are found in the same pathological assembly or in closely associated assemblies of each protein. Adam’s work seeks to elucidate the molecular mechanisms that enable the proteins to interact and give rise to these co-pathologies, and additionally to understand how that interaction can affect clinical presentation and disease outcome.
From this project, Adam has published four articles in peer reviewed journals with his group, including one first-author paper recently published titled, TDP-43 Promotes Amyloid-Beta Toxicity by Delaying Fibril Maturation via Direct Molecular Interaction in ACS Chemical Neuroscience. In addition, he was awarded a $10,000 NIH REU grant to support his summer research with Dr. Ding.
Adam’s research experience doesn’t stop there; he is involved in the Clemson University Clinical Undergraduate Research Experiences in Surgery (CURES) and has shadowed neurologists at MUSC. Also, he is involved in the Drug Design, Development, and Delivery (4D) lab led by Dr. Jeoung Soo Lee in the Department of Bioengineering, which is focused on nanoparticle-based therapeutics for traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury.
“In contrast to my computational biophysics research, the 4D lab utilizes in vivo and in vitro experiments, using rats to study the effectiveness of the treatments developed by the group. While Dr. Ding’s lab appealed to me because of my strong interest in neurodegeneration and molecular-level study of disease, Dr. Lee’s lab was perfect for exploring another clinical interest of mine, namely traumatic brain injury.”
In addition to research work, Adam is an EMT on the weekends, a tutor for CH 1010 and 1020 at the Academic Success Center, a member of the College of Science Student Advisory Board, a volunteer at the Paw Pantry and a member of the Clemson Debate Team.
“In my [EMT] work, I have cared for many patients with highly advanced forms of neurodegenerative disease, which reinforces my motivation to study these diseases in the lab. These experiences have been hugely impactful in affirming my commitment to my future career as a physician-scientist.”
After graduation Adam plans to take a couple gap years traveling around Europe before applying to a number of MD-Ph.D. programs in neuroscience. Afterward, he plans to complete medical residency in neurosurgery and lead a research-intensive career as an academic neurosurgeon at a medical university.
“I plan to continue working on highly interdisciplinary research throughout my Ph.D. training and later in my career, hope to one day lead a successful lab.”
