Jamie Dixson is a UNT graduate student from Grandview, Texas working toward a doctoral degree in bioinformatic research with the lab of Biological Sciences professor Dr. Rajeev Azad, where as a result of the pandemic, their research recently pivoted to studying the evolution of the receptor binding domain of coronavirus spike proteins. The methods they are using could be beneficial in predicting the next emergence of a deadly coronavirus either before it happens or very early in an outbreak before it can reach epidemic or pandemic status.

As a nontraditional student, Jamie chose the University of North Texas for his doctoral studies for its proximity to home and because UNT has a dedicated bioinformatics program. "Bioinformatics is the combination primarily of three separate fields of study: biology, mathematics, and computer science," he said. "A bioinformaticist is basically a data scientist that also knows biology. While the program at UNT is part of the biology department and my degree will be a biology degree, it is invaluable to have an accomplished bioinformaticist like Dr. Azad as an advisor and mentor."

Jamie's current research interest is rooted in a conversation that he had with a lab mate nearly twenty years ago while completing his master's degree at Texas State University. The conversation involved infectious proteins which are best known for causing diseases like mad cow disease and its human equivalent, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

"Since having that conversation and after several periodic literature reviews, I maintained an interest in prions and felt that they could be more than just a disease-causing agent. I felt that there must be many more prions and that they must have essential functions," said Jamie. "I was writing software to identify prions early in the morning at my house for about a year before I decided I should apply my efforts to forwarding my education. Once I came to that realization I contacted Dr. Azad and met with him."

Dr. Azad liked the idea of studying prions from a bioinformatic point of view and was impressed that Jamie had been performing research independently. He invited Jamie to join his lab. Since then Dr. Azad has mentored Jamie, and the two work together toward developing techniques to identify novel prions.

Once the Covid-19 pandemic hit, Jamie and Dr. Azad decided to explore whether some of the techniques that they had been developing could be applied to coronaviruses. They found that the receptor binding domain of the spike protein was particularly well suited to analyses using one of their techniques, the findings of which were recently published as an advance article in the journal Evolution, Medicine and Public Health.

"Ultimately our research may reveal evolutionary relationships that have heretofore been elusive due to high levels of evolution having occurred between two proteins. Such proteins fall into what is known as the Twilight Zone of homology," said Jamie. "Deciphering these relationships will allow us to gain a much deeper understanding of the origins, maintenance, and evolution of life in general."

Outside of his research, Jamie is a husband of twenty-five years with two sons. He also owns and operates three businesses in the home building and real estate industries.

"Sometimes I find it to be challenging to balance all my work and research responsibilities while putting my family at the top of my priority list," said Jamie. "Despite that challenge, within the roughly three years that I have been at UNT I have completed most of the required coursework, published two papers, published one book chapter, and have written numerous pieces of bioinformatic software in several different programming languages."

Having a good advisor and mentor helps, he says. "Dr. Azad has helped me focus my efforts and has opened my eyes to the full breadth of techniques and inquiries within the field of bioinformatics. He has been very understanding of the fact that unlike many younger students without kids and businesses, my education is not the top priority in my life. His guidance and understanding of that has empowered me to be more productive in my research."

Juggling his research, businesses, and family is something Jamie has improved upon since coming to UNT. "While I was efficient before, being here has taught me that I can do far more things at once than I ever dreamed possible," he said.

Jamie has some sound advice for fellow students hoping to pursue their dreams of research: "The most important thing that you will ever learn is that getting a formal education is only partly about the knowledge that you gain. The other part is that you learn how to question everything and find the answers independently. That is the essence of research," he said. "It does not matter if you are a journalism student or student of the sciences, you will at some point come to a question that has not been answered. When you do, you will have the choice of accepting the challenge to objectively find the answer or not. When you come to that crossroad don't be shy to accept the challenge. You are capable, and you are worthy."

Learn more about Jamie and Dr. Azad's research at: https://bioinformatics.unt.edu/faculty/azad-lab-bioinformatics-and-computational-biology