Getting Published as a First Author: A CAS Conversation with Kelsey Kirsch

In CAS Conversations, we sit down with students, faculty, staff, and alumni to dive into their unique insights, experiences, and ideas. From classroom innovations and personal stories to community impact, CAS Conversations offers fresh perspectives from the incredible people shaping our campus and beyond.

Kelsey Kirsch in the Toledo Lab

Kelsey Kirsch (BS biochemistry major, public health minor '25) published a peer-reviewed article in the journal Dalton Transactions, a prestigious journal published by the Royal Society of Chemistry. Kelsey's article details the study of a unique dioxygenase enzyme, acireductone dioxygenase (ARD), which has been linked to cancer development. Her study is the first to create a functional and structural model that mimics how ARD works. Even more exciting, she discovered a nickel-based compound capable of directly activating oxygen-something never documented before. These findings help open the door to understanding how similar enzymes might behave abnormally in ways that contribute to disease.

Kelsey worked under the mentorship of Chemistry Professor Santiago Toledo to bring this research to life. Since joining the Toledo Lab at the beginning of her sophomore year, she has not only contributed to this project but also taken on leadership roles within the department, including serving as a supplemental instructor for General Chemistry I and as a member of the recruitment and retention committee.

We sat down with Kelsey to ask her about her research, its implications, and what advice she has for other students who are working towards getting their research published.

Kelsey Kirsch, working in lab glovebox, synthesizing a compound.

PH: Getting published in a prominent journal like Dalton Transactions is really impressive, especially as an undergraduate student! How did it all come about?

KK: Thank you! I wanted to get more involved in the chemistry department and get some experience in the lab, so I joined the Toledo lab in my sophomore year. I took over a project he had started at his previous university, which already had plans of being published, it just needed a significant amount of work done on it. I spent nearly two years synthesizing and testing the reactivity of our compound until I gathered all the results needed. While I was performing the in-lab work, Dr. Toledo and I worked together on writing and editing the manuscript.

PH: Can you tell us a little bit about your research?

KK: We published a paper that looks at making a model that accurately depicts the structure and function behavior of the acireductone dioxygenase enzyme, which performs different behaviors/functions based on the metal present in the enzyme. My research focused on what happens when nickel is present. Our model can access a high oxidation state and break chemical bonds in a similar way to that of the native enzyme (acireductone dioxygenase). We can use this to understand more about how diseases, such as cancer, might develop or how they can be treated.

PH: What are the implications?

KK: This is the most accurate model of ARD to date, which can help us understand how this metalloenzyme functions. It is also important that we were able to make a complex that can reach a highly reactive, more positively charged state of nickel, something that is usually not possible in complexes built the way ours is.

PH: What's next for the research?

KK: I am currently working on a similar project using cobalt as the metal instead of nickel, as it is a part of the same system in acireductone dioxygenase.

PH: And what's next for you, after graduation?

KK: After graduation, I plan to attend graduate school to get my PhD in Chemistry!

PH: That's very exciting. As you think about your time at AU, what advice do you have for other students who want to get more lab experience-or even get published?

KK: For students who want to get experience, I would say not to be scared to reach out to faculty. They want students to be a part of their labs, as we keep them running! They are all more than willing to share their research with interested students.

Getting published is a lengthy process, so I suggest that students find a project they are very interested in as it will make the process more enjoyable! Also, it is not expected of undergrads to get published, so if that doesn't happen-it's okay!

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