Biography
Quinlin Hanson is a staff scientist (biology) in the Early Translation Branch within NCATS’ Division of Preclinical Innovation, where he develops biochemical assays for high-throughput screening to understand the chemical space amenable for modulating the activities of enzyme families. As a member of the Discovery Biology Group’s Target-Based Assay Team within the Antiviral Program for Pandemics (APP), he works with Natalia J. Martinez, Ph.D., to conduct antiviral research for targets of pandemic potential.
Prior to becoming a staff scientist in 2021, Hanson initially joined NCATS as a postdoctoral fellow under Matthew D. Hall, Ph.D., in late 2018. During his postdoctoral studies, he worked on assay development for small molecule methyltransferases, with the aim of profiling the target class to create a functional assay platform. He also worked to leverage NCATS’ drug repurposing libraries to investigate potential inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein interactions with host ACE2.
Hanson earned his doctorate in biochemistry from Iowa State University, where he studied the structural biology and enzymology of post-synaptic signaling complex enzymes.
Research Topics
Hanson’s research focuses on leveraging target class profiling for the development of probes for understudied targets. He also is interested in the development of chemical probes for studying biological processes, such as small molecule methylation or viral RNA processing. Hanson believes strongly in the importance of open science and open data.
Selected Publications
- Target Class Profiling of Small Molecule Methyltransferases
- Targeting ACE2-RBD Interaction as a Platform for COVID-19 Therapeutics: Development and Drug-Repurposing Screen of an AlphaLISA Proximity Assay
- An OpenData Portal to Share COVID-19 Drug Repurposing Data in Real Time
- Calmodulin-Induced Conformational Control and Allostery Underlying Neuronal Nitric Oxide Synthase Activation