Prof. Kevin Aherns musical lilt to his biochemistry lectures is a hit with Oregon State students

Its a Tuesday morning, and Kevin Ahern is entertaining a room full of college students in an introductory class to biochemistry and biophysics with a voice that carries and a lesson that is positively lyric.

The class is full of young students, many of them in the second week of their first year of college. They have many reasons to be nervous; their course work is among the most difficult at the university. But Ahern, a senior instructor of biophysics and biochemistry at Oregon State University, has found a way to calm jittery.

Music.

After brief announcements and role call during which Ahern proves that he knows his class of about 50 students by name and face he projects song lyrics on an overhead screen that contain words like ribosome and DNA.

Then, without hesitation, he begins to sing the scientific lyrics to the melody of America, the Beautiful and the class follows his lead.

This is Metabolic Melodies, one of Aherns unconventional teaching methods to cut through the anxiety that new students often feel when first entering his class.

Ahern, who jokingly claims the title of frustrated musician, began writing the melodies in 1990.

I originally conceived of the melodies because biochemistry itself is a pretty scary subject for students, he said.

Metabolic Melodies have made a big enough impression on the student population that Ahern often has students enrolling in his courses because of the songs.

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Metabolic melodies

The biochemistry research that should earn him a PhD by next summer involves categorizing the structure of a nonpathogenic protein from an obscure bacteria that apparently exist at a near-atomic level.

I think thats what its about, anyway. Youd need a couple of masters degrees to do more than simply nod along politely as he talks about bioremediation and terraforming and something called Deinococcus Radiodurans that can apparently recover from extreme damage, which makes it a huge deal for doctors and even NASA, which has taken some into space for study. Or something like that.

Smart? Uh, yeah. Seiji Sugiman-Marangos is off the charts.

Which makes you wonder why a McMaster student with a brain like this will walk into a cage on Friday night and risk it by fighting another man in a mixed martial arts bout. After all, its kind of a given that being kicked and punched and elbowed and kneed in the head isnt ideal for brain cells.

For me, its just about competing, he says.

Make no mistake, the 27-year-old featherweight whose name is pronounced Say-jee Soogie-man Marangoes is acutely aware of the danger. He gets how valuable the cargo inside his skull is for his future. He understands the risks. But he also feels the lure of the game.

Growing up, he says he wasnt good at any sports. But as soon as he tried karate as a teenager, he found his sweet spot. He was good at it right away and loved it. That led to taekwondo and other martial arts before finding his way into a jiu-jitsu gym.

His laughs talking about his first time sparring when a teenage girl and then a very small boy manhandled him. But he worked at and soon became pretty proficient.

Watching a couple of professional fighters work out, he started thinking he should give the game a try for real. Mostly because he says it seemed like a waste of time to spend so much time training for nothing.

But the thought of taking blows to the head is never far away. He can take a punch. He has. Truth is, hes fearless and maybe too tough for his own good.

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McMaster biochemistry student making his mark as an MMA fighter

BOSTON As a girl and young woman, Annie Dookhan was quiet, unassuming, not one to wear makeup. She was charming but stood out more for her dedication to her studies, and by all accounts appeared headed for success.

The only child of hard-working immigrant parents, she enjoyed their pride as she glided through a prestigious Boston prep school, graduated from college with a degree in biochemistry and appeared headed for medical school.

Now, as she takes center stage in a shocking scandal that has sent the Massachusetts legal system into a tailspin, those familiar with her from school and work are struggling to reconcile the Annie Dookhan they knew with the chemist accused of falsifying criminal drug tests.

"I find it hard to believe that she was an individual who decided to falsify lab results ... that she would turn into someone who did something like that. ... That isnt the person I remember," said John Warner, an instructor who gave her As and A-minuses in 2000 when she took his biochemistry class as a senior at the University of Massachusetts-Boston.

"Obviously, things can happen to people," he said. "Either something happened in her life that changed the person that she is, or this is a deeper story."

Dookhans struggle with both personal and professional problems in 2009 including a miscarriage and a legal ruling that put new pressures on chemists at the lab may help offer an explanation, one former co-worker said.

"Perhaps she was trying to be important by being the go-to person," Elizabeth OBrien told state police, who shut down the lab in August after discovering the extent of Dookhans alleged mishandling of drug samples sent to the lab by local police departments.

In her own interview with police, Dookhan said she had not tested all the drugs she claimed she did, forged initials of her co-workers, and sometimes mixed drug samples to cover her tracks.

"I messed up bad; its my fault. I dont want the lab to get in trouble," she said, according to a state police report.

She faces as many as 20 years in prison on obstruction of justice charges. More than two dozen drug defendants are already back on the streets as authorities scramble to figure out how to handle the cases of more than 1,100 inmates whose cases Dookhan handled.

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For lab chemist Annie Dookhan, an unlikely road to scandal

As a girl and young woman, Annie Dookhan was quiet, unassuming, not one to wear makeup. She was charming but stood out more for her dedication to her studies, and by all accounts appeared headed for success.

The only child of hard-working immigrant parents, she enjoyed their pride as she glided through a prestigious Boston prep school, graduated from college with a degree in biochemistry and appeared headed for medical school.

Now, as she takes center stage in a shocking scandal that has sent the Massachusetts legal system into a tailspin, those familiar with her from school and work are struggling to reconcile the Annie Dookhan they knew with the chemist accused of falsifying criminal drug tests.

''I find it hard to believe that she was an individual who decided to falsify lab results ... that she would turn into someone who did something like that. ... That isn't the person I remember,'' said John Warner, an instructor who gave her A's and A-minuses in 2000 when she took his biochemistry class as a senior at the University of Massachusetts-Boston.

''Obviously, things can happen to people,'' he said. ''Either something happened in her life that changed the person that she is, or this is a deeper story.''

Dookhan's struggle with both personal and professional problems in 2009 - including a miscarriage and a legal ruling that put new pressures on chemists at the lab - may help offer an explanation, one former co-worker said.

''Perhaps she was trying to be important by being the go-to person,'' Elizabeth O'Brien told state police, who shut down the lab in August after discovering the extent of Dookhan's alleged mishandling of drug samples sent to the lab by local police departments.

In her own interview with police, Dookhan said she had not tested all the drugs she claimed she did, forged initials of her co-workers, and sometimes mixed drug samples to cover her tracks.

''I messed up bad; it's my fault. I don't want the lab to get in trouble,'' she said, according to a state police report.

She faces as many as 20 years in prison on obstruction of justice charges. More than two dozen drug defendants are already back on the streets as authorities scramble to figure out how to handle the cases of more than 1,100 inmates whose cases Dookhan handled.

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A closer look at the accused rogue chemist Annie Dookhan

BOSTON As a girl and young woman, Annie Dookhan was quiet, unassuming, not one to wear makeup. She was charming but stood out more for her dedication to her studies, and by all accounts appeared headed for success.

The only child of hard-working immigrant parents, she enjoyed their pride as she glided through a prestigious Boston prep school, graduated from college with a degree in biochemistry and appeared headed for medical school.

Now, as she takes center stage in a shocking scandal that has sent the Massachusetts legal system into a tailspin, those familiar with her from school and work are struggling to reconcile the Annie Dookhan they knew with the chemist accused of falsifying criminal drug tests.

"I find it hard to believe that she was an individual who decided to falsify lab results ... that she would turn into someone who did something like that. ... That isn't the person I remember," said John Warner, an instructor who gave her A's and A-minuses in 2000 when she took his biochemistry class as a senior at the University of Massachusetts-Boston.

"Obviously, things can happen to people," he said. "Either something happened in her life that changed the person that she is, or this is a deeper story."

Dookhan's struggle with both personal and professional problems in 2009 including a miscarriage and a legal ruling that put new pressures on chemists at the lab may help offer an explanation, one former co-worker said.

"Perhaps she was trying to be important by being the go-to person," Elizabeth O'Brien told state police, who shut down the lab in August after discovering the extent of Dookhan's alleged mishandling of drug samples sent to the lab by local police departments.

In her own interview with police, Dookhan said she had not tested all the drugs she claimed she did, forged initials of her co-workers, and sometimes mixed drug samples to cover her tracks.

"I messed up bad; it's my fault. I don't want the lab to get in trouble," she said, according to a state police report.

She faces as many as 20 years in prison on obstruction of justice charges. More than two dozen drug defendants are already back on the streets as authorities scramble to figure out how to handle the cases of more than 1,100 inmates whose cases Dookhan handled.

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For crime lab chemist, an unlikely road to scandal

The first emotion, for those of us in North Carolina who havent just won the Nobel Prize in chemistry, is pride. We are proud to have Dr. Robert Lefkowitz of Duke University living and working in our midst. We are proud of what his achievements say about this areas intellectual climate and depth of scientific expertise.

Pride verges with respect and gratitude. The award to Lefkowitz which he shares with Stanfords Brian Kobilka, whom he mentored at Duke recognizes a career that reached the apex of achievement in medical research.

Over the years in his lab, he hammered away at riddles of cell biology and biochemistry in search of answers that would make medicines work more effectively. It was a dedication that must have been driven not only by the thrill of discovery but also by the physicians desire to ease peoples suffering.

In the process, Lefkowitz fulfilled the high calling of a professor of medicine training more than 200 other scientists such as Kobilka to make their own discoveries in their own labs. That Duke, where he has worked since 1973, proved to be a fertile and compatible home base is a great credit to the university, which for the first time can point to a Nobel awarded for work done on its campus.

It takes a special kind of environment to foster research at such a high level. North Carolina is fortunate indeed that the region we know as the Research Triangle provides the environment that can support a scientist of Lefkowitz caliber.

He becomes the fifth Triangle-area Nobel winner, following previous laureates associated with UNC-Chapel Hill, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and Wellcome Research Laboratories.

This state looks to the life sciences as an economic mainstay, both in the conduct of research that attracts many millions in federal grants and as a focus of industry. The honor to Lefkowitz amounts to putting a fresh shine on the North Carolina brand. And it underscores the appeal of that tried-and-true goal doing well by doing good.

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Hail to a scientist

BOSTON (AP) As a girl and young woman, Annie Dookhan was quiet, unassuming, not one to wear makeup. She was charming but stood out more for her dedication to her studies, and by all accounts appeared headed for success.

The only child of hard-working immigrant parents, she enjoyed their pride as she glided through a prestigious Boston prep school, graduated from college with a degree in biochemistry and appeared headed for medical school.

Now, as she takes center stage in a shocking scandal that has sent the Massachusetts legal system into a tailspin, those familiar with her from school and work are struggling to reconcile the Annie Dookhan they knew with the chemist accused of falsifying criminal drug tests.

I find it hard to believe that she was an individual who decided to falsify lab results that she would turn into someone who did something like that. That isnt the person I remember, said John Warner, an instructor who gave her As and A-minuses in 2000 when she took his biochemistry class as a senior at the University of Massachusetts-Boston.

Obviously, things can happen to people, he said. Either something happened in her life that changed the person that she is, or this is a deeper story.

Dookhans struggle with both personal and professional problems in 2009 including a miscarriage and a legal ruling that put new pressures on chemists at the lab may help offer an explanation, one former co-worker said.

Perhaps she was trying to be important by being the go-to person, Elizabeth OBrien told state police, who shut down the lab in August after discovering the extent of Dookhans alleged mishandling of drug samples sent to the lab by local police departments.

In her own interview with police, Dookhan said she had not tested all the drugs she claimed she did, forged initials of her co-workers, and sometimes mixed drug samples to cover her tracks.

I messed up bad; its my fault. I dont want the lab to get in trouble, she said, according to a state police report.

She faces as many as 20 years in prison on obstruction of justice charges. More than two dozen drug defendants are already back on the streets as authorities scramble to figure out how to handle the cases of more than 1,100 inmates whose cases Dookhan handled.

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Those Who Knew Dookhan ‘Shocked’ By State Drug Lab Scandal

Carolyn Lim | DP

Dr. Christine Guthrie, a biochemistry professor at the University of California, San Francisco, delivered the keynote address at Penns biomedical postdoctoral research symposium, which took place on Oct. 9.

Yesterday, the Biomedical Postdoctoral Council and the Office of Biomedical Postdoctoral Programs hosted a symposium to showcase current postdoctoral research.

The symposium, featured about 50 poster exhibits, nine lectures and a keynote address given by Dr. Christine Guthrie, a professor of biochemistry at the University of California, San Francisco.

The event began at noon, ended at 5 p.m. and was followed by a short reception. About 200 people attended the event.

The symposium gave postdocs the opportunity to present their research and to strengthen Penns postdoctoral community, said postdoctoral fellow Melissa Mendez, chair of the BPC Symposium Committee. It gives people who want to present the opportunity to practice and to get communication going, she said. The people who come want to get to know their colleagues.

But the symposium was more than just a postdoctoral mixer. It was an opportunity for the fellows and researchers to practice communicating their ideas to those who do not understand the intricacies of their fields.

It all comes down to communication, said Rohinton Tarapore, BPC co-chair and a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Periodontics. Can postdocs communicate their science in laymans terms? The way we measure the success [of this event] is if you understood a majority of the posters. That means that the postdocs are doing a good job of communicating their ideas.

Postdocs are technically not faculty or staff of the university but are trainees who receive a stipend while conducting research. Their appointments are annual and can be renewed for a maximum of five years. Most postdocs do not see their position as a permanent job, but rather as a stepping-stone toward a larger goal.

Your end goal can be a faculty position, and you can become a professor, or it can be joining and doing industry research in a start-up biotech company like GSK or Pfizer, Tarapore said. You can become a consultant or you can be in policy-making. You can start your own biotech company or [you could go into] writing science articles.

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Symposium highlights postdoctoral research

By BRIDGET MURPHY and DENISE LAVOIE Associated Press

BOSTON (AP) - As a girl and young woman, Annie Dookhan was quiet, unassuming, not one to wear makeup. She was charming but stood out more for her dedication to her studies, and by all accounts appeared headed for success.

The only child of hard-working immigrant parents, she enjoyed their pride as she glided through a prestigious Boston prep school, graduated from college with a degree in biochemistry and appeared headed for medical school.

Now, as she takes center stage in a shocking scandal that has sent the Massachusetts legal system into a tailspin, those familiar with her from school and work are struggling to reconcile the Annie Dookhan they knew with the chemist accused of falsifying criminal drug tests.

"I find it hard to believe that she was an individual who decided to falsify lab results ... that she would turn into someone who did something like that. ... That isn't the person I remember," said John Warner, an instructor who gave her A's and A-minuses in 2000 when she took his biochemistry class as a senior at the University of Massachusetts-Boston.

"Obviously, things can happen to people," he said. "Either something happened in her life that changed the person that she is, or this is a deeper story."

Dookhan's struggle with both personal and professional problems in 2009 - including a miscarriage and a legal ruling that put new pressures on chemists at the lab - may help offer an explanation, one former co-worker said.

"Perhaps she was trying to be important by being the go-to person," Elizabeth O'Brien told state police, who shut down the lab in August after discovering the extent of Dookhan's alleged mishandling of drug samples sent to the lab by local police departments.

In her own interview with police, Dookhan said she had not tested all the drugs she claimed she did, forged initials of her co-workers, and sometimes mixed drug samples to cover her tracks.

"I messed up bad; it's my fault. I don't want the lab to get in trouble," she said, according to a state police report.

See the original post here:
For Mass. lab chemist, an unlikely road to scandal

Four MU professors were appointed as Curators Professors, the highest educational honor given by the UM System.

Statistics professor Nancy Flournoy, biochemistry professor Gerald Hazelbauer, fisheries and wildlife professor John Jones and geological sciences professor Mian Liu received the award after the UM Board of Curators approved the nominations at its September meeting.

The Curators Professorship is prestigious, and only outstanding scholars with established reputations are considered for appointment, according to the Office of the Provost's website.

The recipients were notified via mail by letters from Chancellor Brady Deaton, Provost Brian Foster and President Tim Wolfe about their nominations. In addition to the award, the recipients receive a raise and a stipend for scholarly activity.

Nancy Flournoy, statistics professor

Flournoy is the former statistics department chairwoman. She currently teaches one undergraduate class and one graduate class. Flournoy was the only woman of the four recognized.

It was really cool, Flournoy said. I was very pleased. Its a great honor.

Her work with statistical theory has been motivated by problems encountered while working with the Seattle bone marrow transplant team, according to her website. Flournoy received her bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles before receiving her Ph.D. from the University of Washington. Flournoy has spent 10 years at MU.

The students are a joy, Flournoy said.

Gerald Hazelbauer, biochemistry department chairman

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Four MU professors awarded Curators’ Professorships

Election to the Fellowship recognises a career that has significantly advanced the world's store of scientific knowledge. The Academy also elects a small fraction of its Fellows by Special Election, recognising conspicuous service to the cause of science.

Fellows elected to the Academy in 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | Y | Z

Adams, Jerry Mckee, PhD, FAA, FRS, NAS Joint Head, Molecular Genetics of Cancer Division, and Director, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Specialized Center of Research, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research. Professor of Molecular Genetics, University of Melbourne. Speciality: The genetics of haemopoietic differentiation and malignancy. Year of election: 1986

Allen, David Grant, PhD, FAA Professor of Physiology, School of Medical Sciences, University of Sydney. Website: http://www.physiol.usyd.edu.au/~davida Speciality: Cardiac and skeletal muscle physiology. Year of election: 2006

Alpers, Michael, AO FAA FRS Centre for International Health, Curtin University Year of election: 2012

Anderson, Brian David Outram, AO, PhD, DHC (Louvain), Hon Dr ScTech (Swiss Fed Inst Tech), Hon DEng (Syd, Melb, Newcastle), Hon DSc (UNSW), FAA, FRS, FTSE Professor, Research School of Information Sciences and Engineering, Australian National University. Website: http://users.cecs.anu.edu.au/~briandoa/contact.html Speciality: Control systems; signal processing; telecommunications. Year of election: 1974

Anderson, Jan Mary, PhD, FDhc (Ume), FAA, FRS Adjunct Professor, Division of Plant Science Research School of Biology, ANU College of Medicine, Biology and Environment, Australian National University. Website: http://biology.anu.edu.au/Staff/Profiles/PS/Anderson/index.php Speciality: Thylakoid membranes; photosynthesis; acclimation; photoinactivation; molecular organisation. Year of election: 1987

Anderson, Marilyn FAA, FAICD, FTSE Professor, Department of Biochemistry, La Trobe University. Speciality: Plant defence related proteins. Year of election: 2011

Andrews, Thomas John, PhD, FAA Speciality: Biochemistry and molecular biology of photosynthetic carbon metabolism. Year of election: 1998

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Fellowship list

The highest honour an academic staff member can receive from the University of Alberta was recently awarded to researcher and professor Marek Michalak.

Vice-Dean of Research at the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry and a professor in the Department of Biochemistry, Michalak was honoured with the University Cup for his successes in teaching, research and community service at the Celebrate! Teaching. Learning. Research ceremony Sept. 27.

Originally from Poland and a faculty member with the U of A since 1987, Michalak has mentored nearly 100 students and post-doctoral fellows in his time at the university. However, he believes working with a vibrant team is far more important that his individual contributions.

If (the team) will bring passion and motivation to their work, what difference does it make if we are the bosses? As long as (we) provide the environment, the mentorship and the supervision, then everything falls into place, he said.

If you really think about it thats what I said to the crowd (at the ceremony) Im just doing my job, so whats the big deal?

The research conducted by Michalak and his team includes the analysis and reduction of protein-folding diseases, such as Alzheimers, multiple sclerosis and cystic fibrosis.

As a leader in the field of molecular cell biochemistry, Michalaks accolades include the awarding of $24 million in research funding for his lab and the publication of more than 200 academic papers.

Michalak explained most of his research discoveries started from asking curiosity-driven questions.

In the past 20 years, weve been asking ourselves very simple, almost trivial questions that led us to huge findings, such as (issues like) complete heart blocking in children. That received quite a lot of attention, he said.

Anything is possible; you just never know what the next discovery brings. Thats the fascinating part of science.

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U of A honours biochemistry professor with University Cup

The Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pondicherry University, will hold a two day national conference on current scenario and emerging trends in hepatocellular diseases.

According to a university release here today, the conference will focus on the key aspects of hepatology research, and strategies to explore liver at the cellular and molecular level.

"Liver is a vital organ in our body as it plays a central role in metabolic regulation and toxin excretion.

Liver is constantly exposed to a variety of stress due to our modern lifestyle adaptations, including tendency to avail drugs and substances, alcohol and fatty foods, resulting in liver injury, specifically to liver cells, hepatocytes. This leads to malfunction and disease conditions of the liver," the release said.

"The damage caused to liver worsens with time and hence it is essential to find a cure or treatment option via biocompatible drugs, herbal medicines and drugs at nanomolar concentrations which can help the liver cells to recuperate even at very minute concentrations," the release further added.

The conference would highlight the recent advances in the field of hepatology research and its future perspectives in various angles. (UNI)

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Pondicherry University to hold conference

SOUTH BEND -- Anthony Serianni was a postdoctoral associate at Cornell University when he and his adviser, Robert Barker, started Omicron Biochemicals in 1982, the same year Serianni joined the faculty at the University of Notre Dame.

"We had developed some new chemistry that made the synthesis of certain kinds of sugar molecules easier to do," says Serianni, the president and CEO. "At that time, I had intentions of pursuing an academic career. I had already applied to Notre Dame.

"We are a carbohydrate lab, a sugar lab," adds Serianni, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. "There's an explosion in the interest in carbohydrates in biology, not just for dietary reasons."

Sugar molecules coat many cells in the human body and interact with other material such as bacteria, viruses and proteins, potentially offering targets for fighting disease, he explains.

"There are lots of molecules that attach themselves to the cell because of the sugars," he says. "Those interactions elicit a whole host of biological responses. Some people believe cancer can be treated by pharmacological intervention on saccharide."

Omicron is not a research laboratory but synthesizes material used in other laboratories.

"We provide the tools, that is, the molecules, that are needed for studies of that type," Serianni says. "When we build these molecules in that lab, we label them. The nuclei of the atoms that compose these molecules are tinkered with slightly," a process called isotopic labeling. "That type of labeling is really valuable."

In some cases, quantities ordered have increased dramatically since the beginning.

"Years ago, a large-scale synthesis of these products might have been 1 to 5 grams," he says, adding that some orders are for thousands of grams. "On the other hand, many of these products are custom-made. They're difficult syntheses. Having a gram or two of material, you're doing pretty well. It varies by the product.

"The need for these kinds of molecules is pretty broad. Lots of different kinds of laboratories doing chemical and biological research might need them."

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Omicron has Chemistry

WASHINGTON (AP) Abbott Laboratories said Friday it repeatedly misstated the college education of senior executive Robert Gonzalez, who is soon slated to become CEO of its $18 billion-pharmaceutical spinoff.

Company regulatory filings between 2002 and 2007 list Gonzalez as holding a bachelor's degree in biochemistry from the University of Miami and a master's degree in biochemistry from the University of Houston. The North Chicago, Ill., company's current website states that Gonzalez only attended those schools. The change was first reported by Crain's Chicago Business.

"There was an error made when the bio was written many years ago," said Abbott spokeswoman Melissa Brotz. "When we became aware of it we corrected it." Brotz said Abbott doesn't know when the incorrect information was first introduced or corrected.

Abbott announced last October that Gonzalez would lead its spinoff AbbVie, which will market the company's major prescription medicines, including the blockbuster anti-inflammatory drug Humira.

The split-up, schedule to take effect before 2013, is designed to free Abbott from the risks and uncertainty of developing innovative pharmaceutical drugs. Abbott CEO Miles White will lead a trimmed down version of the company built around medical devices, generic drugs and nutritional formula.

Gonzalez joined Abbott in 1977 and held various leadership positions until 2007, when he briefly retired from the company. He returned in 2009 and has been executive vice president for pharmaceuticals since 2010.

Brotz said the company still expects Gonzalez to assume leadership of the spinoff.

"There is no issue with respect to Gonzalez's educational background and his ability to lead AbbVie," she said. "He has had a distinguished 30-year career with the company and a demonstrated track record."

CEOs of public companies who have not graduated college are a rarity, especially in the science and technology industries.

Earlier this year Yahoo dumped CEO Scott Thompson after just four months on the job. His departure was triggered by the revelation that his resume included a college degree in computer science that he never received.

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Abbott says rising exec did not graduate college

Biochemistry Department Makes Strides in Diagnostic Testing

This month the Journal of the American Chemical Society published findings by chemistry and biochemistry professor Kevin W. Plaxco and his team of researchers that have led to the design of quick and inexpensive medical tests used for the detection of human disease.

The diagnostic tests are based on models in nature and can easily detect antibodies found in a number of human diseases such as autoimmune diseases, sexually transmitted diseases and allergies through a microscopic DNA part. The tests are more convenient and affordable than current ones and can therefore potentially allow for earlier treatment. Treatments administered earlier on in disease development may significantly reduce effects or terminate the pathogen itself.

Plaxco said current tests are not necessary faulty in their accuracy but fail to reveal the presence of diseases soon enough, particularly in the case of sexually transmitted diseases.

Patients typically must wait for days or even weeks to receive the results of most STD tests The blood sample has to be transported to the lab, its content analyzed by trained personnel, and the results sent back to the doctors office, Plaxco said in a press release. If we can move testing to the point of care, it eliminates the lag between testing and treatment, which would enhance the effectiveness of medical interventions and for infectious diseases like STDs reduce transmission.

Co-author and post-doctoral scholar Alexis Valle-Blisle said the tests use of natural occurrences and bioengineering is what gives them their revolutionary efficiency and speed.

All creatures, from bacteria to humans, monitor their environments using amazing molecular nanoswitches that signal the presence of a specific target by changing their structure, Valle-Blisle said in a press release. For example, on the surface of our cells, there are millions of receptor proteins that detect various molecules by switching from an off state to an on state. The beauty of these switches is that they are able to work directly in very complex environments such as whole blood.

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The University of California, Santa Barbara's independent, student-run newspaper.

Researchers at McNeese State University believe alligators could hold thekey to healing humans.

At the helm of the study is Dr. Mark Merchant, professor of biochemistry.

Merchant saidhis interest with gators began at an early age.

"I grew up in the marshes of Southwest Louisiana and Southeast Texas hunting and fishing and I am still in the marsh a lot pursuing those activities. I've been around alligators most of my life," Merchant said.

Merchant said he realized a long time ago that there was something special about the immune systems of theseprehistoric animals.

"Alligators and crocodiles are very territorial and they fight andat times, inflict great injury on one another butthe fact is it seems they heal rather rapidly despite the fact they live in an environment wherethere are lots of potentially infectious microbes such asbacteria and fungi and things that can infect these massive wounds," Merchant said.

When his research began 11 years ago, Merchantwas able to prove the blood of alligators could kill pathogens. Since then, he has learned more howalligator blood kills bacteria, fungi and viruses, specifically white blood cells.

"What we have found in the last four or five years is that the white blood cells from alligators can and other crocodilians around the world make these tiny peptides that have tremendous antibacterial and antifungal activity," explained Merchant. "We have just recently isolated the small peptides or proteins and are working to determine the exact structure. So we think we potentially may have not only a new antibiotic, but a whole new class of antibiotics for human and veterinary use."

Merchantsaid there is still a lot of researchbeforethe antibioticcan be produced inlabs.

"It could be tomorrow. It could be next month or it could be in 10 years. I hope it is sooner rather than later," he said.

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Research of alligator blood could one day help humans

SUN-TIMES MEDIA September 27, 2012 6:58PM

Abbott Laboratories gave incorrect education credentials for the executive chosen to lead its pharmaceutical spinoff in regulatory filings between 2002 and 2007, Crains Chicago Business is reporting.

Richard A. Gonzalez, named CEO of AbbVie, did not receive a biochemistry bachelors degree nor a biochemistry masters degree from the universities Abbott filings listed, Crains reported.

According to Crains, Gonzalez did not receive a bachelors degree in biochemistry from the University of Houston, nor a masters degree in biochemistry from the University of Miami, contrary to claims in Abbotts filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission when the longtime company executive was a director.

He started at the company in 1977 and retired from Abbott as president and chief operating officer in 2007, but returned two years later.

Gonzalez, 58, currently executive vice president, Global Pharmaceuticals at Abbott, was chosen to be chairman and CEO of AbbVie (pronounced Abb-vee), the new research-based pharmaceutical firm, which is projected to have $18 billion in annual sales after it is spun off later this year.

Abbott external communications Vice President Melissa Brotz confirmed to Crains that Gonzalez did not receive degrees from either university.

The inaccurate information about his education was included in SEC filings as a result of an internal administrative error. She told Crains that Abbott learned about the errors some time ago. The company corrected the information on its Web site immediately after the errors were discovered, she said.

According to the companys Web site, Gonzalez is listed as a research biochemist at the University of Miami School of Medicine and attended the University of Houston, majoring in biochemistry,

Theres really no issue here with respect to his educational background and his ability to lead AbbVie, Brotz told Crains. His ability to lead AbbVie is evidenced by his distinguished career over 30 years, culminating in his reaching the highest levels of the company.

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CEO of Abbott spinoff lacks degrees claimed in filings

September 27, 2012 5:02PM

Updated: September 28, 2012 12:05AM

Abbott Laboratories is shrugging off the fact that the company overstated the education level of the man chosen to helm its pharmaceutical spinoff, which is expected to make $18 billion in sales next year. Longtime Abbott exec Richard Gonzalez didnt receive either a bachelors degree in biochemistry from the University of Houston or a masters in biochemistry from the University of Miami contrary to biographical information filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2007 and several years prior while he was a director at the company. There was an administrative error many years ago when the bio was written, said Abbott spokesman Melissa Brotz. When we became aware of it a while back we corrected it promptly I dont have an exact date. Theres absolutely no issues with his educational background or ability to lead. Hes had a distinguished career reaching the highest levels in the company with a proven track record, said Brotz. Gonzalez will take the reigns of the pharmaceutical spinoff AbbVie when the nascent company completes its separation Jan. 1. AbbVie (pronounced Abb-vee) will be the new research-based pharmaceutical firm expected to be launched by Abbott Laboratories by the end of the year. In October 2011, North Chicago-based Abbott said it would separate into two publicly traded firms one in diversified medical products, the other in research-based pharmaceuticals. AbbVie will include Abbotts current portfolio of proprietary pharmaceuticals and biologics. The name is derived from a combination of Abbott and vie, which references the Latin root vi meaning life. The AbbVie logo and graphic identity will be unveiled when the new company is launched. The diversified medical products company, which will retain the Abbott name, will consist of Abbotts existing products portfolio, including its branded generic pharmaceutical, devices, diagnostics and nutritional businesses. AbbVie has nearly $18 billion in annual revenue and will have a portfolio of market-leading brands, including Humira, Lupron, Synagis, Kaletra, Creon and Synthroid. Gonzalez joined Abbott in 1977 and retired briefly in 2007 as the companys No. 2 man before returning in 2009 to head its investment arm and is currently executive vice president of the pharmaceutical products group. A spokesman for the University of Houston confirmed Gonzalez took classes at the school in 1972 and 1973, but did not earn a degree. School administrators from the University of Miami were not immediately available Thursday. Crains Chicago Business first broke the story.

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CEO of Abbott’s spinoff didn’t receive college degrees claimed in filings

Public release date: 13-Sep-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Ellen de Graffenreid edegraff@med.unc.edu 919-962-3405 University of North Carolina Health Care

A mysterious form of cell death, coded in proteins and enzymes, led to a discovery by UNC researchers uncovering a prime suspect for new cancer drug development.

CIB1 is a protein discovered in the lab of Leslie Parise, PhD , professor and chair of the department of biochemistry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The small calcium binding protein is found in all kinds of cells.

Cassandra Moran, DO, was a pediatric oncology fellow at UNC prior to accepting a faculty position at Duke University. She is interested in neuroblastoma, a deadly form of childhood brain cancer. While working in the Parise lab at UNC as a resident, she found that decreasing CIB1 in neuroblastoma cells caused cell death.

Cancer is a disease of uncontrolled cell growth, so the ability to cause cancer cell death in the lab is exciting to researchers but the UNC team couldn't figure out how it was happening.

Tina Leisner, PhD, a UNC research associate in biochemistry, picked up where Dr. Moran left off when she returned to her clinical training.

"It was a mystery how loss of CIB1 was causing cell death. We knew that it wasn't the most common mechanism for programmed cell death, called apoptosis, which occurs when enzymes called caspases become activated, leading to the destruction of cellular DNA. These cells were not activating caspases, yet they were dying. It was fascinating, but frustrating at the same time," said Leisner.

What Dr. Leisner and her colleagues found, in the end, is that CIB1 is a master regulator of two pathways that cancer cells use to avoid normal mechanisms for programmed cell death. These two pathways, researchers believe, create "alternate routes" for cell survival and proliferation that may help cancer cells outsmart drug therapy. When one pathway is blocked, the other still sends signals downstream to cause cancer cell survival.

"What we eventually discovered is that CIB1 sits on top of two cell survival pathways, called PI3K/AKT and MEK/ERK. When we knock out CIB1, both pathways grind to a halt. Cells lose AKT signaling, causing another enzyme called GAPDH to accumulate in the cell's nucleus.Cells also lose ERK signaling, which together with GAPDH accumulation in the nucleus cause neuroblastoma cell death. In the language of people who aren't biochemists, knocking out CIB1 cuts off the escape routes for the cell signals that cause uncontrolled growth, making CIB1 a very promising drug target," said Dr. Parise.

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Cell death mystery yields new suspect for cancer drug development