Patricia Dranchak
About Patricia Dranchak
Patricia Dranchak is a Staff Scientist at the National Institutes of Health, where she has worked since 2010. She specializes in developing strategies to identify chemical modulators for rare and neglected diseases and has extensive experience in biochemical assays and high-throughput screening.
Work at National Institutes of Health
Patricia Dranchak has been employed as a Staff Scientist at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) since 2010. She works in Rockville, MD, and has accumulated 14 years of experience in this role. Dranchak focuses on developing novel strategies to identify chemical modulators that target the molecular bases of rare and neglected disease pathophysiology. Her work contributes to advancing the understanding of these diseases and developing potential therapeutic approaches.
Education and Expertise
Dranchak earned her PhD in Molecular and Comparative Biosciences from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, where she studied from 2000 to 2006. Her education has equipped her with a strong foundation in molecular biology and biosciences. She specializes in biochemical and cell-based phenotypic assays, high-throughput screening of chemical and chemogenomic libraries, and nucleic acid processing techniques, including siRNA transfection and qRT PCR.
Background
Before joining the NIH, Patricia Dranchak worked as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Southern California from 2006 to 2010. During her time in Los Angeles, she gained experience in various research methodologies and techniques that have informed her current work. Her background in both academic and research settings has contributed to her expertise in assay development and screening technology.
Technical Skills and Methodologies
Dranchak is proficient in several technical methodologies relevant to her research. She utilizes software for quantitative high-throughput screening (qHTS) curve fit analyses, data normalization, and high-content image analyses. Additionally, she is skilled in lipid extraction and preparation for high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and mass spectrometry (Mass Spec) analyses. Her expertise extends to high-content cell imaging and laser cytometry, which are crucial for her research in chemical genomics.