Sophie Korn

Sophie Korn is an Adjunct Associate Research Scientist in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics at Columbia University. Her research integrates structural molecular biology, protein science, and nucleic acids biochemistry to elucidate mechanisms of innate immunity and viral RNA recognition. Recent breakthroughs include defining how the Ku protein limits RNA-induced innate immunity to permit primate-specific Alu element expansion, and characterizing conserved viral RNA pseudoknot folds that confer nuclease resistance across kingdoms of life. Her work also encompasses A-T Hoogsteen base pairs in DNA hairpins, the disordered extensions of the Arid5a ARID domain in gene regulation, and the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid N-terminal domain's structural integrity and selective RNA binding. Her findings have appeared in Nature, Nature Communications, Nucleic Acids Research, and Angewandte Chemie International Edition.