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Track: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Age: 28
Hometown: Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo |
In 1988, Esther Babady's younger brother collapsed in school from cerebral malaria. His teacher rushed him to the hospital in the family's hometown of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaire at the time). School officials sent Esther running home to alert her parents.
"My parents and I arrived at the hospital to find my brother in a coma," Esther remembers. "We didn't know for a couple of days whether he would survive."
The experience made a lasting impact on Esther, and prompted her interest in medicine and biomedical sciences. As a fourth-year Ph.D. student in Mayo Graduate School, Esther studies the cardio- and neurodegenerative disease Friedreich's ataxia (FRDA), caused by reduced levels of the mitochondrial protein frataxin.
"My project aims at identifying and characterizing the proteolytic enzyme responsible for frataxin turnover," says Esther. "Given that FRDA is caused by reduced levels of frataxin, specific inhibitors against this protease could slow down the rate of frataxin turnover and therefore could potentially be translated into a therapy for FRDA."
After Esther finishes her Ph.D. in Rochester, Minn., she is considering a postdoctoral fellowship in tropical diseases.
"I have seen many people suffer from malaria and have developed a personal interest in finding a cure for tropical diseases," says Esther. "I'm getting an incredible education at Mayo Clinic, and someday I would love to use the knowledge and skills I'm acquiring here to deepen the understanding of tropical diseases."
Esther received a bachelor's degree from Florida State University and a master's from Florida A&M University.
"Coming from Florida (and before that the Congo), the Minnesota winter shocked my system," Esther says. "But since then I've enjoyed all kinds of cold weather experiences, like ice skating. And during the winter, the skyways and subways between the buildings keep me away from the cold for the most part."
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