ZUG, Switzerland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

PSI CRO, a full service Contract Research Organization, known for predictable,on-timeenrollment and project delivery, announced today that Oscar Podesta has joined PSI as Head of Latin America. He holds a University degree in Biochemistry with sixteen years experience in research, a Fellowship in Clinical Microbiology and further specialization in Virology.

Prior to joining PSI, Mr. Podesta worked in the clinical research business field, working as a manager for central laboratory services and has held positions in Operations and Strategic Development at international CROs and SMOs in Latin America that have included clinical start up activities in the region.

We are very pleased to have Oscar join PSI at a time when we are expanding our operational presence in the region which is directly driven by a strong interest and demand from our clients worldwide, said Boris Iossel, Head of Project Management, The Americas. Oscar brings a wealth of experience and a clear understanding of specifics of growing a successful operation and understands the challenges of conducting high quality clinical studies in Latin America. Supported by our existing experienced clinical and regulatory teamat our regional headquarters in Buenos Aires, Oscar will lead our expansion, oversee opening more of our new offices and manage the continuing growth of our personnel across Latin American region.

Mr. Podesta has an active role in the clinical research market in Latin America, with participation in the Chamber of CROs (Brazil and Argentina) and Committee member of the Drug Information Association Latin American event. Lastly, Mr. Podesta is currently responsible for Fundraising and Marketing for a non-profit organization focused on Ethics and Quality in Clinical Research in Latin America (FECICLA).

Mr. Podesta stated, I am very excited with this opportunity. PSI has the strengths and resources to expand their business in the region and I am honored the company has considered me to lead this process. There is no doubt Latin America is a fertile ground for a patient recruitment centric international CRO like PSI.

About PSI CRO AG: PSI is a privately-held, full-service CRO, operating globally with 1,200 employees worldwide.Global headquarters are located in Zug, Switzerland at 113a Baarerstrasse 6300.

Excerpt from:
PSI Announces New Leadership in Latin America

NEW YORK, May 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue:

Global Laboratory Chemical Reagents Industry

http://www.reportlinker.com/p087339/Global-Laboratory-Chemical-Reagents-Industry.html#utm_source=prnewswire&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=Genomics

This report analyzes the worldwide markets for Laboratory Chemical Reagents in US$ Million by the following Product Segments: Molecular Biology (Monoclonal & Polyclonal Antibodies, Gene Expression, Vectors, Cloning, & Sequencing, Gene Synthesis, Extraction Kits, PCR Reagents, Enzymes, & Others), Biochemistry (IVD), Cytokine & Chemokine Testing, Cell/Tissue Culture, Carbohydrate Analysis, Immunohistochemistry, and Environmental Testing (Pesticide Residues, & Others). The report provides separate comprehensive analytics for the US, Canada, Japan, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Rest of World. Annual estimates and forecasts are provided for the period 2009 through 2017. Also, a six-year historic analysis is provided for these markets. The report profiles 226 companies including many key and niche players such as BD Biosciences, Beckman Coulter, Inc., Biomerieux, EMD Chemicals Inc., GE Healthcare, Life Technologies Corporation, Meridian Life Science, Inc., PerkinElmer, Inc., SAFC Biosciences, Inc., Shimadzu Biotech, Sigma-Aldrich Corp., Takara Bio, Inc., Wako Pure Chemical Industries Ltd., and Waters Corp. Major Monoclonal and Polyclonal Antibodies suppliers also profiled in the report include Strategic Diagnostics Inc., Gallus Immunotech, Inc., and Lonza Biologics Ltd., key Nucleic Acid Extraction Kits supplier, Quiagen, is also profiled in the report. The two major Biochemistry Reagents and Related Chemical Suppliers highlighted in the report are A.G. Scientific, Inc., and Promega Corporation. R&D Systems, the major Cytokine and Chemokine Reagent and Kits supplier, is also profiled in the report. Market data and analytics are derived from primary and secondary research. Company profiles are primarily based upon search engine sources in the public domain.

I. INTRODUCTION, METHODOLOGY & PRODUCT DEFINITIONS

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Global Laboratory Chemical Reagents Industry

Peptide extracts from the Arctic prawnPandalus Borealishave demonstrated blood pressure benefits via the,most potent Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE) inhibiting peptide concentrate that is reported in scientific literature.

Those results in a small rat study, published in volume 46 of Process Biochemistry in 2011, have prompted a human clinical to be commissioned by the same Norwegian organisation - Nofima .

That hydrolysates-peptides study is due to complete by years end.

ACE inhibitors work by inhibiting the conversion of angiotensin I to the potent vasoconstrictor, angiotensin II, thereby improving blood flow and blood pressure.

Nofima senior scientist and lead author of the study, Asbjrn Gildberg, said the ACE results were significant, although not necessarily linked just to the particular type of shrimp-prawn.

These are the highest seen but hydrolysates from Chinese shrimps have indicated levels almost as good, he said.The human trial data will be very interesting.

Results

The researchers wrote: The measurements by two independent methods both revealed higherin vitroACE inhibitory activity, IC50=0.075 and 0.035mg/ml, respectively, than earlier reported in comparable hydrolysates.

An introductory feeding trial with spontaneously hypertensive rats indicated positivein vivoresults when the rats were given 60mg hydrolysate/kg body weight per day.

Although furtherin vivostudies are necessary to verify the antihypertensive potential, the very highin vitroACE inhibitory activity reveals that the shrimp protein hydrolysate is a promising candidate for nutraceutical application.

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Prawn peptides are ACE for blood pressure: Rat study

John Joseph Scocca, a retired Johns Hopkins biochemistry professor recalled for his keen critical eye, died of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease May 10 at Gilchrist Hospice Care in Towson. He was 72 and lived in Aberdeen.

Born in South Philadelphia, he came to Baltimore in 1958 as a Johns Hopkins University undergraduate and went on to spend his entire career at the school. He earned a bachelor's degree in three years and received a doctorate in biochemistry. He then became a professor at what is now the Bloomberg School of Hygiene and Public Health, where he retired four years ago.

Family members said that in his third year of graduate school, he taught laboratory technique to a group of students that included his future wife, Jane Ruble.

They moved to a home on Monterey Road in Ednor Gardens north of the old Memorial Stadium. He, his wife and children were Orioles fans and enjoyed attending games. In 1977, the family moved to Aberdeen.

Colleagues said that as a professor at the School of Public Health, he taught biochemistry to graduate students from outside the biochemistry department. He called his course "baby biochemistry," but friends said he was a thorough and demanding scientist-teacher. He also valued concise speaking and brevity.

"Perhaps John's most significant contributions involved his 30-year tenure as chief organizer of the laboratory rotations for first-year doctoral students," said a Hopkins colleague, Roger McMacken, who lives near Lake Roland. "John operated a dreaded alarm clock that so loudly, rudely and famously halted student rotation talks precisely 10 minutes after the start of any still-continuing research presentation."

Mr. McMacken said this was an "immensely effective training strategy." By the time the students returned for more oral presentations, they "were virtually all completed before the sound of the jarring alarm clock."

He recalled his favorite "Scocca moment," which involved the annual opening day meeting of the department faculty with an incoming class of doctoral students.

"John, because of his wit, keen sense of humor, candor, and unparalleled scientific integrity, routinely had the honor of describing the department's academic program for first-year students," said Mr. McMacken. "What followed was an impassioned exhortation about the do's and don'ts of laboratory research and academic life. No one, including John, knew precisely what he was going to say. But you could certainly count on 45 minutes of a hilarious, off-the-cuff soliloquy that perpetually was a highlight of academic life for us."

Family members said that his personal research work involved the study of the bacterium Haemophilus influenzae and its interactions.

Originally posted here:
John Joseph Scocca, Hopkins biochemistry professor

Nicolle Rager Fuller / NSF

An artist's conception shows an RNA molecule, which may have served as an early form of life on Earth.

By Alan Boyle

The debate over the definition of life is getting messier and messier, but one of the pioneers on the biochemical frontier is suggesting a method to tell whether scientists are actually looking at a new form of life: Follow the bits of information that are contained in the chemistry.

"How many heritable 'bits' of information are involved, and where did they come from?" Scripps Research Institute biologist Gerald Joyce asks in an essay published today by the journal PLoS Biology. "A genetic system that contains more bits than the number that were required to initiate its operation might reasonably be considered a new form of life."

By that definition, we're not yet close to identifying alien life, in the lab or in the cosmos, Joyce told me today."The fact is, there is only one known form of life, and we're part of it. Someday, maybe there'll be something that's off the grid, but everything we know is part of the tree of life."

Joyce says that verdict applies to microbes with artificially constructed DNA, such as the bacteria that were built in a lab two years ago, as well as to the arsenic-tolerant bacteria that were at one time touted as a form of alien life. Heworries that all these claims about creating or finding alien life could backfire.

"We've had enough of these false alarms that I'm getting a little nervous that the public is going to perceive it as 'crying wolf,'" he said. "There have been enough examples that we need to just cool it a little."

Joyce applies the same rule of thumb to his own research, which focuses on RNA enzymesthat can be combined to create a synthetic genome. In the essay, he notes that the RNA enzymes can "evolve" into new forms, but contain only 24 bits of their own heritable information in the form of chemical base pairs. The molecules need another 60 bits of information that are provided at the outset and are not subject to mutation and selection.

"Thus, of the 84 total bits required for the system to replicate and evolve, only about one-fourth can be counted as part of the system's molecular memory," he writes. "The synthetic genetic system is not a new life form because it operates mostly on borrowed bits."

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What is life? Follow the bits

Studying alligators, chemistry and biology will be the focus of a three-week summer internship program for high school students July 16-Aug. 3 at McNeese State University.

"McNeese has one of the world's most knowledgeable and experienced Crocodilian biochemist on faculty and this is the second summer that Dr. Mark Merchant is working with high school students to investigate the immune system of American alligators," said Dr. Nikos Kiritsis, dean of the McNeese college of engineering and engineering technology.

Students, accompanied by faculty members, will explore the marshes to capture blood samples from alligators and learn about the unique immune system of these reptiles.

"Dr. Merchant grew up hunting and fishing in the swamps of Southeast Texas and Southwest Louisiana," Kiritsis said. Merchant holds a doctorate in biochemistry and biophysics from Texas A&M University and teaches biochemistry.

His current research is focused on the immune system of alligators and other crocodilians. He has traveled to many countries including Australia, Gabon, Brazil, Panama, Costa Rica, Columbia, Mexico and Belize to study the different species of wild crocodilians. He has been featured on four National Geographic and two Discovery Channel documentaries, as well as other international appearances on Korean, Japanese and Russian television. His collaboration with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department biologists was featured in the January-February issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine.

Cost for the internship program is $1,500 and includes all transportation, lab supplies, on-campus housing and meals. Day trips are scheduled to the NASA Space Center in Houston, Creole Nature Trail, Avery Island and a canoe trip on the Ouiska Chitto.

For more information, contact Kiritsis at nikosk@mcneese.edu or at 337-475-5875.

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McNeese offers summer biochemistry internship program on alligators

For just the second time in history, a UAB faculty member has been elected to the prestigious National Academy of Sciences.

Louise Chow -- professor of biochemistry and molecular genetics, and a senior scientist in the University of Alabama at Birmingham's Comprehensive Cancer Center -- was one of 105 people picked this year for their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. Chow received her FedExed letter of invitation from the academy on Wednesday.

The National Academy of Sciences -- sometimes called the science hall of fame -- has only 2,582 members. No one else from an Alabama institution is listed in the academy's directory.

Chow, a citizen of Taiwan, was elected as one of 21 foreign associates this week, along with 84 new members who are U.S. citizens.

The only previous National Academy of Sciences member from UAB was Dr. Max Cooper, a physician and immunologist who was elected in 1988. Cooper was the first person from an Alabama institution ever chosen for that august scientific body. He left Birmingham in 2007 after 40 years at UAB, lured to Emory University in Atlanta with the help of funding and support from the Georgia Research Alliance.

Chow came to UAB in 1993 from the University of Rochester School of Medicine. For the past 25 years she has worked on the pathobiology of human papilloma viruses. These viruses can be sexually transmitted and some types of the papilloma viruses are associated with cervical, penile and laryngeal cancers.

Chow earned her Ph.D. in chemistry at the California Institute of Technology, and for years worked at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. As a talented electron microscopist, she helped discover mRNA splicing in the adenovirus.

Her collaborator in that work, Richard Roberts, won a share of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1993. In his Nobel banquet speech, Roberts gave tribute to his talented colleagues, particularly naming Chow and four other researchers.

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UAB researcher elected to prestigious National Academy of Sciences

The membrane of the yeast cell is divided into different domains (highlighted in colour), giving it the appearance of a molecular patchwork quilt. MPI f. Biochemistry/Wedlich-Sldner

(Phys.org) -- As the interface between the cell and its environment, the cell membrane, which consists of fats and proteins, fulfils a variety of vital functions. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry in Martinsried near Munich have performed the first comprehensive analysis of the molecular structure of this boundary layer, and revealed precisely how it is organised. In yeast cells, the entire membrane is made up of independent domains, each containing just one or a few protein types. If a protein is relocated to an inappropriate domain, it may even fail to function. The study shows that the membrane is a kind of patchwork quilt and should help scientists to gain a better understanding of basic cellular processes.

The cell membrane must process numerous signals from the environment and the cell interior in order to initiate apposite molecular responses to changing conditions. For example, if certain messenger substances bind to the membrane, this can trigger the growth or division of a cell. The cell membrane has long been the focus of scientific research. One aspect that has remained largely unexplained, however, is exactly how its various components organise themselves. According to an early model, the fats (lipids) and proteins anchored in the membrane are in constant flux and do not form fixed structures. That at least some are organised in bounded domains was only proven quite recently, and only for a small number of proteins.

Researchers working with Roland Wedlich-Sldner, a group leader at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, have now carried out the first comprehensive analysis of the molecular structure of the cell membrane. They used advanced imaging technologies for the purpose, enabling them to obtain much sharper images of the cell membrane and the marked proteins within them than were previously available. They discovered that domain formation in the cell membrane is not the exception, but the rule. Each protein in the cell membrane is located in distinct areas that adopt a patch- or network-like structure. The entire cell membrane thus consists of domains like a kind of molecular patchwork quilt.

Some areas contain more than one type of protein, says Roland Wedlich-Sldner. Even if these molecules fulfil entirely different functions, they generally have one thing in common: they are attached to a shared domain in the membrane by a similar or identical molecular anchor. In another experiment, the scientists succeeded in demonstrating the extent to which the protein function depends on this specific environment: they replaced the original anchor in some proteins with another molecular variant. The modified proteins then relocated to a foreign domain that matched the new anchor. However, they were no able longer to function correctly in their new surroundings.

How then do proteins find the appropriate domain and remain associated with it, despite being relatively mobile in the plane of the membrane? The researchers were able to show that the lipids in the cell membrane play a central role in this process. Different lipids prefer to accumulate around certain protein anchors. Therefore, areas arise that are particularly attractive to proteins with a similar type of anchor. This could explain how cell membranes self-organise another previously unanswered question in biology. The highly ordered structure of the cell membrane could help scientists to gain a better understanding of its many functions. One may assume that many processes only function efficiently thanks to the formation of domains in the cell membrane, says Wedlich-Sldner. It is possible that the cell exploits a principle that also applies in everyday life: a certain degree of order makes it much easier to get things done.

Provided by Max Planck Society (news : web)

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Cell membrane is patterned like a patchwork quilt

THE CANADIAN PRESS

UFC bantamweight Nick Denis credits an episode of "Star Trek" for his career path. Not fighting, but biochemistry.

He started at the University of Ottawa as a math and physics student. But hooked on "Star Trek," he saw an episode where a disease hype-accelerated some on board the Enterprise and Dr. McCoy had to figure it out.

"After that episode, I was like 'Screw physics. I want to do biochemistry. It's cool,"' Denis said with a laugh.

"I based that decision purely on an episode of TV."

Denis went on to get a bachelor's and master's degrees in biochemistry, electing at the start of 2011 to focus on fighting rather than continue with his PhD studies.

On Saturday night, the Montreal-based fighter steps into the Octagon for a second time when he takes on Ronald Delorme in all-Canadian bantamweight battle on a televised UFC card in East Rutherford, N.J.

The main event at the IZOD Center features lightweights Jim Miller (21-3) and Nate Diaz (15-7).

Denis' diving into biochemistry illustrates his penchant for setting a goal and accomplishing it.

Denis got into MMA at 20, just looking for something different than lifting weights. He joined a gym and got to meet some fighters. "One thing led to another."

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Cdn Denis drops biochemistry for Octagon

THE CANADIAN PRESS

UFC bantamweight Nick Denis credits an episode of "Star Trek" for his career path. Not fighting, but biochemistry.

He started at the University of Ottawa as a math and physics student. But hooked on "Star Trek," he saw an episode where a disease hype-accelerated some on board the Enterprise and Dr. McCoy had to figure it out.

"After that episode, I was like 'Screw physics. I want to do biochemistry. It's cool,"' Denis said with a laugh.

"I based that decision purely on an episode of TV."

Denis went on to get a bachelor's and master's degrees in biochemistry, electing at the start of 2011 to focus on fighting rather than continue with his PhD studies.

On Saturday night, the Montreal-based fighter steps into the Octagon for a second time when he takes on Ronald Delorme in all-Canadian bantamweight battle on a televised UFC card in East Rutherford, N.J.

The main event at the IZOD Center features lightweights Jim Miller (21-3) and Nate Diaz (15-7).

Denis' diving into biochemistry illustrates his penchant for setting a goal and accomplishing it.

Denis got into MMA at 20, just looking for something different than lifting weights. He joined a gym and got to meet some fighters. "One thing led to another."

Read the original post:
Denis drops biochemistry for the octagon

Public release date: 30-Apr-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Leanne Yohemas lmyohema@ucalgary.ca 403-220-7722 University of Calgary

Hans Vogel, a professor in the biological sciences department, is the guest editor of a special issue of the journal Biochemistry and Cell Biology that focuses on lactoferrin, an important iron-binding protein with many health benefits.

"Some people describe this protein as the 'Swiss army knife' of the human host defense system," says Vogel. "We now know that lactoferrin has many functions in innate immunity and that it plays a role in protecting us from bacterial, viral, fungal, and protozoal infections. It can even protect us from some forms of cancer."

Lactoferrinwhich is secreted into human milk, blood and other biofluidshas attracted a lot of interest from academics and industry. Furthermore, Vogel says it's likely the only protein that garners its own regular scientific conference. Researchers are starting to use lactoferrin as a potential therapeutic protein, one that can be taken orally instead of injected like other proteins.

"Lactoferrin is quite an unusual protein that has many effects on health," Vogel says. "It is also used as a general health-promoting substance, and in Japan it is added to infant formula."

The June issue of the journal includes 27 peer reviewed papers from leading international researchers on topics including the role of lactoferrin on small intestinal growth and development during early life, use of bovine lactoferrin to inhibit influenza and how the protein may prevent some preterm deliveries.

The protein may also have an important role in wound healing, says Vogel. "We've been working in this area for about 15 years and it's cool to see how the whole field slowly progresses, and you start to see more and more interesting applications. It is particularly exiting to see that clinical trials are now going on in the infectious disease area and in cancer."

Vogel says being a guest editor was a lot of work and a lot of fun. He also wrote an introductory article for the special issue that provides an overview of the current status of research into the protein. Read the open access article: http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/full/10.1139/o2012-016

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Protein heals wounds, boosts immunity and protects from cancer

Public release date: 30-Apr-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Dr. Hans Vogel vogel@ucalgary.ca Canadian Science Publishing (NRC Research Press)

Ottawa, Ontario (April 30, 2012)Lactoferrin is an important iron-binding protein with many health benefits. The major form of this powerful protein, is secreted into human biofluids (e.g. milk, blood, tears, saliva), and is responsible for most of the host-defense properties. Because of the many beneficial activities associated with it, researchers are starting to use lactoferrin as a potential therapeutic protein. And, in contrast to many other therapeutic proteins, which need to be injected into patients, lactoferrin can be orally active. Lactoferrin is the subject of the upcoming June issue of the journal Biochemistry and Cell Biology.

"We now know that lactoferrin is a protein that has many functions in innate immunity and that it plays a role in protecting us from bacterial, viral, fungal, and protozoal infections. It can even protect us from some forms of cancer," says special issue guest editor Dr. Hans Vogel, a professor at the University of Calgary. "Some people describe this protein as the 'Swiss army knife' of the human host defense system. In part it does all this by binding iron, but many other properties of the protein contribute to its function."

This special issue comprises 27 articles and review papers contributed by leading international researchers. The role of lactoferrin on skin wound healing; impacts of lactoferrin on small intestinal growth and development during early life; and use of bovine lactoferrin on the inhibition of influenza and in the prevention of preterm delivery associated with sterile inflammation are among the studies presented.

One important contribution, already published online, is from a Chinese research group led by Professor Ning Li in Beijing. It shows that consumption of milk containing increased levels of the lactoferrin protein modulates the composition of the gut microflora, which in turn promotes health. This research relies on extensive biochemistry and molecular biology to produce the protein and to analyze the changes in the composition of the gut flora. While the article describes an animal model study, the results can probably be extended to humans. The research article titled Transgenic milk containing recombinant human lactoferrin modulates the intestinal flora in piglets is now available open access on the NRC Research Press website.

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The Lactoferrin special issue (coming soon) in Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Vol. 90, Issue 3, published by the NRC Research Press at http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/journal/bcb

The introduction to the special issue by Dr. Hans Vogel is available open access at http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/full/10.1139/o2012-016

Full Reference

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Potent protein heals wounds, boosts immunity and protects from cancer

Contrasting modern and historic architecture details are pictured in this view of the newly constructed Biochemical Sciences Building, at left, and the renovated Biochemistry Buildings brick exterior. Photo: Jeff Miller

The Biochemistry complex located next to Henry Mall looks a lot different than decades ago. But you wouldnt necessarily know that at first glance.

While the outside of the buildings looks similar to when they were first constructed, the interiors have been given state-of-the-art makeovers.

Theyve done a beautiful job in restoring the older parts and integrating the newer parts. I really think its remarkable, says Betty Craig, Biochemistry chair.

Planning started long ago on the $112 million project, and it had once been discussed that some of the old historical buildings would become history, torn down to make way for new structures.

A glass panel, at right, reflects a mirror view of a man descending a sunlight-filled staircase at the Biochemical Sciences Building. The graphic design featured on the exterior glass of the foyer, created by artist Norie Sato as part of Wisconsins Percent for Art program, incorporates a pattern abstracted from biochemical language that describes parts of DNA structure.

Photo: Jeff Miller

That didnt happen.

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Biochemistry complex blends old with new

SAN DIEGO Jack E. Dixon, vice president and chief scientific officer of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and professor of pharmacology, cellular and molecular medicine, chemistry and biochemistry at the University of California, San Diego, has been named a foreign member of the Royal Society. Dixon is among 44 newly elected fellows and eight new foreign members of the Royal Society, a fellowship of the world's most eminent scientists that is the oldest scientific academy in continuous existence.

Founded in 1660, Royal Society Fellows have included Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Ernest Rutherford, Albert Einstein, Dorothy Hodgkin, Francis Crick, James Watson and Stephen Hawking. Today there are approximately 1,500 fellows and foreign members, including more than 80 Nobel laureates. Foreign members to the Royal Society are elected for life through a peer-review process on the basis of excellence in science. There are currently about 140 foreign members.

"Jack E. Dixon is one of the most influential biochemists of his generation. His elegant studies have radically advanced our understanding of cell signaling and the molecular basis of pathogenesis," said the Royal Society in announcing his election on Sunday (April 22).

Dixon was instrumental in the analysis of protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPases). He also discovered that the bacterium responsible for the plague or "black death," Yersinia pestis, harbors the most active PTPase yet described. This enzyme functions as a lethal weapon when injected into mammalian cells to block the immune response. This mechanism is now recognized as a widely used strategy for pathogenic bacteria to disarm the host's immune system.

A powerful advocate for scientific research, Dixon is also a member of the National Academy of Sciences and past president of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Read more:
Professor named to prestigious Royal Society

WINDSOR, Ont. -- Windsor scientists whove recently confirmed that dandelion root extract inhibits the growth of tumours in mice have landed a $157,500 grant to help advance their research toward proving it kills cancer in humans.

University of Windsor biochemist Siyaram Pandey said Thursday the grant from the B.C.-based Lotte and John Hecht Memorial Foundation is an exciting development. However, he added, hell be more excited should his team get approval for Phase I clinical trials from Health Canada, hopefully by the fall.

I think we managed to convince them with our published work, No. 1. No. 2, with our logic and going for a natural way of treating this, and No. 3, the fact that, if approved, people can take it safely at home.

Pandey emphasized the role played by local funders who believed in his work when the larger funding agencies in the country considered it a snake oil idea. First came the Knights of Columbuss council in St. Clair Beach, which gave $6,000 to help with initial research based on observations by Pandeys co-applicant Dr. Caroline Hamm.

Hamm, a Windsor Cancer Centre oncologist, noticed a number of patients whose conditions improved at least initially after they started to drink dandelion root tea as an alternative when traditional chemotherapy didnt work.

Their initial findings were enough to justify a $60,000 grant from Seeds4Hope, which provides seed money for local cancer research, in hope that promising results will receive further funding from the big national agencies. Pandey and his students got their initial samples of extract by digging the weeds out of local lawns.

This just matches exactly what we were hoping would happen when Seeds4Hope was established four years ago, said program administrator Michael Dufresne. This is the first example of local research receiving major funding as a result of a one-time infusion from Seeds4Hope.

He said the dandelion root extract results pose a brilliant possibility.

I say possibility because a lot still has to be done, but the potential is there.

The Windsor researchers have shown in the lab that the extract causes cancer cells to commit suicide, while not harming healthy cells, something that usually happens when toxic chemotherapy drugs are used.

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Funding aids search for cancer killer

Newswise The Arizona State University Parents Association honored Ian Gould, professor of chemistry and biochemistry in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS), as the 2012 Professor of the Year for his lifelong commitment to science and his ability to inspire students to become innovative in often-difficult chemistry classes.

With his internationally recognized career and extensive ongoing research, Gould provides tremendous vision and direction to ASU students. Through passionate and inspirational classroom instruction, he demonstrates a powerful devotion to undergraduate students and inspires each to excel both in and out of the classroom.

The students are number one. Ive learned something from every one of them, said Gould, receiving the honor before more than 200 ASU faculty, students, staff, administrators, parents, friends and other nominees at the Faculty Excellence Awards. I didnt prepare to win. There were a lot of nominees, and statistically it seemed improbable.

Parents Association Special Recognition awards also were presented to Lenore Dai, professor of chemical engineering in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, and Danwen Jiang, professor of music in the Herberger Institute of Design and the Arts. Information and a video about the 29 nominees can be found at asu.edu/pty.

Originally from the United Kingdom, Gould has received honors for his distinguished work, including the Organic Chemistry Prize in 1977 from Manchester University and the Gramatacakis Neumann Award in 1985 from the European Photochemical Association. Gould also won a CLAS Distinguished Teaching Award in 2002 and appointment to ASUs Presidents Professors in 2005.

After a substantial research career at Eastman Kodak, Gould joined ASU in 1998 offering students a strong industry perspective of science, resulting in his on-site and online classes filling quickly. While teaching, Gould takes time from his personal life to ensure he allows for one-on-one meetings with any student that requires his assistance. Gould, who received his doctorate in 1980 from the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom, was promoted to full professor at ASU in 2004.

The ASU Parents Association awarded the first Professor of the Year in 1994. Thanks to the continued generosity of ASU families and the participation of ASU students, faculty and staff, the ASU Parents Association bestows this prestigious honor annually. Four undergraduate students and three faculty colleagues contributed letters in support of Goulds nomination. These letters were considered by the committee of parents, other Professors of the Year and scholarship students in recognizing Gould.

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ASU Professor of Chemistry Named 2012 Professor of the Year

"Not all nature photography is wonderful and exciting. Im just now getting over my second case of poison ivy this spring alone, joked Bruce Flaig during his talk at the Breckenridge Public Library Tuesday afternoon.

Flaig, a Minnesota native, gave a slide show presentation of his photography and a question- and-answer session as part of the Lake Agassiz Regional Librarys The Beat Goes On! Sugarbeet Series. Hes been a professional photographer for two decades, but in earlier years he worked as an analytical chemist and biochemistry lab technician. He credits his attention to detail and patience with photography to his scientific background.

Birds are his favorite animals to photograph, but his work is peppered with colorful landscape images as well as macro shots of insects and wildflowers. He lives on 120 acres near Fertile, Minn., and is able to view a number of species from his property, which includes native prairie grasslands, oak trees and a lake.

Flaig said the best time to shoot just about anything outdoors is early morning and late afternoon.

Generally you want your shadow pointing at what youre shooting at, he explained. You can have the sun pointing in your face and use it effectively, but generally you want it behind you.

He said when the sun is high in the sky is the worst time to shoot and thats when nature photographers go in to take a nap.

Flaig shared many stories about his experiences seeking out the perfect shot, including one time when he spent 45 minutes walking around a tree to find the perfect angle.

It was a great tree, I just couldn't find the angle, Flaig said.

He uses a Fresnel lens when shooting birds, which amplifies the available light. He also uses a flash, which enhances the feather detail of the avians.

Flaig said its important to be patient when photographing wildlife and to get creative. He said a car can be used as a blind to shoot from. Most birds are used to seeing cars and arent bothered by them.

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Nature photographer inspires Breck Library

Benjamin Madej, a chemistry and biochemistry PhD student at the University of California, San Diego, has won the 2012-2013 Nvidia Graduate Fellowship Program award for his molecular dynamics research using graphics processing unit-based computing.

Madej will receive a $25,000 scholarship to further his research. Additionally, he will have access to Nvidia products, technology, and expertise.

His proposal focused on improving the Amber molecular dynamics GPU engine and extending the use of GPUs in other facets of molecular dynamics development and workflows. He is currently working on new methods for developing force fields used in molecular dynamics software, specifically the Amber MD package.

Biovest, a majority-owned subsidiary of Accentia Biopharmaceuticals, has tapped Brian Athey to be a member of its scientific advisory board.

Athey is a professor of biomedical informatics and was recently named chair of the department of computational medicine and bioinformatics at the University of Michigan's medical school (BI 1/20/2012). Additionally, he serves on Appistry's scientific and technology advisory board (BI 2/10/2012).

Athey is also one of the founders of the tranSMART project community which supports open source pharmaceutical data-sharing and -analysis software platforms.

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People in the News: Benjamin Madej and Brian Athey

Retired professor emeritus of biochemistry Robert Switzers book A Family Farm: Life on an Illinois Dairy Farm is his own familys rich history and loving devotion to the life they chose. Within the pages live four generations, from the start of the farm in 1916 to its heart-wrenching dismantlement under an auctioneers gavel in 1991. A Family Farm isnt just the journey of the Switzer farm, it is our own odyssey as a civilization, and a warning that if we do not tend to the strengths, labors and devotion that provided our foundations, we, too, could become an interesting exhibit in a quaint museum.

Readers wont just learn about the rigors of farm life, but about the people themselves as we follow the authors mother filled with dreams of a scholarly future, only to see the Great Depression snuff those dreams, and her return to the farm with her husband who performed his chores and taught in a rural schoolhouse as well. The story is an emotional rollercoaster, because thats what small farm life is.

Q. You and your brother Steve left farm life to pursue other careers, thereby unknowingly dooming your familys farm. Is this book a strand of conscience cleansing as well as the documenting of a rich history?

A. Near the end of his life, Dad coaxed Steve and me to keep the farm in the family, even though he knew that neither of us were free to operate it. It was a painful moment, but we wouldnt lie to himwe intended to sell the farm after he was gone. Economic and practical factors overrule sentiment in the passing of small family farms.

On a more personal level, I think the decision hurt Steve more than it did me. I confess that I was happy to leave the farm, and I was fortunate to be able to pursue a career in scientific research and education that I loved. Brashly, I never looked back until I was much older.

Q. What do you believe first inspired your grandparents to choose farming in northwest Illinois, especially considering they primarily utilized outdated methodology for their time?

A. They were like many rural people of the time: they stayed where they grew up and they did what they knew. Neither Grandpa nor Grandma had an education beyond the eighth grade, and they had grown up on farms. They were slow to adopt new methods and equipment because they were always cash-poor. Grandpa had an additional handicap: he suffered from narcolepsy, so he was afraid of falling asleep while operating motorized machinery.

Q. As your parents early dreams had involved scholarly pursuits, how instrumental were they to your decision to bring your academic dreams to fruition?

A. Their influence, especially the influence of my mother, can hardly be overstated. She had been an excellent student, completed a college degree with honors in 1931, and had an opportunity to pursue graduate studies in biology at Cornell, but was frustrated by the Great Depression. In some sense, I was acting out her dream in becoming a university professor. I think Dads feelings were more ambivalent; he was proud of what I accomplished, but hurt a bit by my rejection of the farm life he had chosen. In his own way Dad was something of an intellectual, though. He enjoyed discussing history, politics and literature. I recall him reciting fragments of French poetry while we were milking cows.

Q. You wisely elected to include photographs and artwork in your book. How supportive has your and your brothers families been to this project?

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The Readers’ Writers: Author and biochemist Robert L. Switzer, PhD

(KATV, Source: UofA) Fayetteville - University of Arkansas Honors College students have led a campus-wide effort to plant a community garden that will provide fresh produce and flowers to the Full Circle Campus Food Pantry, a student-run emergency food assistance program recently honored at the White House. Two years of research and planning, along with countless hours of hands-on work with soil, compost and seedlings will culminate in the dedication of the new campus community garden at 3:30 p.m. on Monday, April 2.

Emily Crossfield, an honors biochemistry major in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences has led the effort to get the garden in the ground. More than 50 students from multiple disciplines have worked together to design and plant the garden, fostering connections across campus. Crossfield said for her the project is as much about the people as the plants.

"I'm meeting people I never would have met otherwise," said Crossfield, who also serves as director of sustainability for the Associated Student Government. She sees the garden as an important tool for promoting community as the campus grows.

"As a freshman in a big class you can feel lost, but if you're working with 10 other students in the garden, you're going to get to know each other pretty well," she said.

Inspired by community gardens that she saw while studying in Berlin, Crossfield decided to plant a campus community garden as the capstone project required for her minor in sustainability. Her efforts have revolved around finding a good site and building partnerships across campus. The Associated Student Government and Residents' Interhall Congress have provided substantial funding for the garden, with additional support from the department of facilities management and two registered student organizations, GroGreen and the Horticulture Club.

"Emmy has worked hard to bring a lot of people together on this, and there have been lots of ups and downs," said Curt Rom, a professor of horticulture and honors program director for the Bumpers College. "She has provided the leadership to get this garden going."

The new garden builds on research by Samantha Jones, a recent honors graduate of Bumpers College who surveyed 86 universities with community gardens and visited six of them to document best practices in her honors thesis. Her feasibility study, directed by Rom, was undertaken after an earlier garden located at the university's Agricultural Research and Extension Center proved not to be sustainable.

The location of the new garden, close to two residence halls should help ensure ongoing support.

"You need the garden to be visible, where people pass by it, notice it and can easily take care of it," Crossfield said.

The site is not without challenges. Sandwiched between two four-story wings of Maple Hill, the garden is short on sunlight in certain areas and hampered by poor soil. The students have divided the small plot into three zones based on the amount of sunlight received, planting shade-loving perennials and herbs such as basil, rosemary and sage in the back of the garden. Two truckloads of topsoil and one truckload of compost, some of it recycled from residence hall food waste, have created a rich bed for growing broccoli, peppers, squash and tomatoes. One-half of the fresh produce will go to the student volunteers, while one-half will be donated to the Full Circle Campus Food Pantry. The students will also plant day lilies, cannas, irises and hostas to donate to the food pantry and to the chancellor's office for use at university events.

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Honors Students Lead Effort to Plant Campus Garden