Mathews Fellow uses the power of computation to explore how mutations lead to disease

Doctoral student Patrick Morar was awarded the 2019-20 Christopher and Catherine Mathews Graduate Fellowship in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics. Morar was selected among many talented candidates on the basis of his academic merit, teaching acumen and research potential.

“I am delighted to see Patrick receive this well-deserved honor, and grateful once again to Chris and Kate for their highly impactful support,” said Andrew Karplus, head of the biochemistry and biophysics department.

The endowed fellowship, awarded every summer to a second-year Ph.D. student, was created in 2015 thanks to the generosity of emeritus professor Chris Mathews and his wife Kate to help recruit and retain top-notch students in the biochemistry and biophysics doctoral program. Mathews, a distinguished professor, continues to have an outsize impact on both the department and the field. He chaired the department from 1978-2002, published leading research in the area of nucleotide metabolism and co-authored several well-regarded biochemistry textbooks. Last but not least, as an emeritus professor, Mathews continues a long history of being a valued colleague and mentor to many.

“I am delighted to see Patrick receive this well-deserved honor, and grateful once again to Chris and Kate for their highly impactful support,” said Andrew Karplus, head of the biochemistry and biophysics department.

The gift has been leveraged through the Provost Graduate Fellowship Match Program, a partnership between the OSU Foundation, the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics and The Graduate School.

This year’s awardee, Patrick Morar is a native of Beaverton, Oregon, and completed his undergraduate education in biochemistry at George Fox University. That spawned his interest in proteins and his own genetic disorder, osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), which is caused by a mutation in the structural protein type I collagen. As an undergraduate, Morar collaborated with doctors Eric Orwoll and Lindsey Nicol at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland on a publication in 2017. The research focused on altered non-type I collagen levels in OI patients and contributed to the hypothesis that aberrant type I collagen could impact the shared biosynthesis and extracellular organization of other collagens.

“I am also interested in rare genetic diseases, especially my own, osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) or brittle bone disease,” explained Morar. “As with most genetic disorders, the lack of a cure for OI means there is always a need to better understand how certain mutations can cause the disorder in order to develop more effective treatments.”

Driven by his research interests, Morar decided to pursue a Ph.D. in biochemistry and biophysics at Oregon State. In his first year, he explored both experimental and computational research projects, rotating with professors Phil McFadden, David Hendrix and Elisar Barbar. With a new understanding of the power of computation to reveal some of biochemistry’s greatest mysteries, Morar decided to join the Hendrix Lab. He plans both to continue studying rare mutations that cause OI so that he can develop a more complete model for how mutations lead to disease, and to also investigate the effects of aging on circadian rhythms through bioinformatics and computational approaches.

Currently, Morar is studying circadian rhythms and how life responds to the daily 24-hour cycle.

“Proper sleep is essential for health. It’s becoming clear that a better grasp on which biological processes [in the body] vary throughout the day and the molecular explanation of how it is accomplished may lead to therapies that can help those with trouble sleeping and associated chronic ailments as a result,” said Morar.