Senior Lily DeBell has been named to the Gates Cambridge Scholars class of 2024 at the University of Cambridge. The Gates Cambridge Scholarship program, launched in 2000 by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation through a contribution to Cambridge University, acknowledges young people from all over the world who excel academically while also demonstrating a dedication to social issues and improving the world.
DeBell, who graduated from Caltech with a BS in biology this spring, will pursue an MPhil in biological science at Cambridge, where she will investigate how particular proteins regulate the deadenylation of messenger RNAs. Deadenylation is the process of cutting off a specific section of an RNA, known as its poly(A) tail, in order to degrade it and cease gene expression. Cells can quickly change their gene expression as a result of this mechanism.
“This project will promote advances in medicine and human health by establishing a basis for future research on new tools to manage gene expression during disease,” DeBell said in a press release. “I am pleased to be part of the Gates Cambridge program and look forward to working alongside students performing cutting-edge research to improve the human condition.”
DeBell studies membrane protein evolution in Bil Clemons’ laboratory at Caltech, where she is the Arthur and Marian Hanisch Memorial Professor of Biochemistry. Membrane proteins are intriguing pharmacological targets because treatments directed at them do not need to infiltrate the cell to affect cellular processes.
In addition to her studies, DeBell, a native of Baltimore, Maryland, is a peer academic coach in chemistry and biology, participates with the RISE tutoring program, and performs in the Caltech Glee Club.
