Structural biophysics of RNA interactions that contribute to viral replication

Blanton S. Tolbert, Ph.D.
Professor of Chemistry
Case Western Reserve University

LSI Seminar Series

Interests: Biochemistry, Biophysical Chemistry, Structural Biology

Blanton S. Tolbert is a professor of chemistry at Case Western Reserve University, where he oversees a diverse research group that endeavors to understand biochemical mechanisms by which human pathogenic RNA viruses replicate within cells, and to leverage this knowledge to identify novel drug targets for therapeutic intervention. Tolbert is the PI of multiple NIH grants, and he has published in top journals including Nature Communications, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and the Journal of the American Chemical Society. Tolbert also serves on the NIH Office of AIDS Research Advisory Council (OARAC), and he will become the next chair of OARAC in 2021. He is a member of the Burroughs Wellcome Fund Postdoctoral Enrichment Program Advisory Board and an editor for the Journal of Biological Chemistry and Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews. Tolbert is the proud father of two boys, and in his spare time he enjoys exploring the outdoors in the Cleveland Metroparks.