Research and Markets: Comprehensive Chiroptical Spectroscopy, 2 Volume Set

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DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Dublin - Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/psxwcg/comprehensive_chir) has announced the addition of John Wiley and Sons Ltd's new book "Comprehensive Chiroptical Spectroscopy, 2 Volume Set" to their offering.

This two-volume set provides an introduction to the important methods of chiroptical spectroscopy in general, and circular dichroism (CD) in particular, which are increasingly important in all areas of chemistry, biochemistry, and structural biology.

The set can be used as a text for undergraduate and graduate students and as a reference for researchers in academia and industry, with or without the companion volume in this set.

Experimental methods and instrumentation are described with topics ranging from the most widely used methods (electronic and vibrational CD) to frontier areas such as nonlinear spectroscopy and photoelectron CD, as well as the theory of chiroptical methods and techniques for simulating chiroptical properties.

Each chapter is written by one or more leading authorities with extensive experience in the field.

Key Topics Covered:

PART I INTRODUCTION

1 ON THE INTERACTION OF LIGHT WITH MOLECULES: PATHWAYS TO THE THEORETICAL INTERPRETATION OF CHIROPTICAL PHENOMENA

2 MEASUREMENT OF THE CIRCULAR DICHROISM OF ELECTRONIC TRANSITIONS

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Research and Markets: Comprehensive Chiroptical Spectroscopy, 2 Volume Set

Novel biochemistry in Bovine immunodeficiency virus [erv]

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Many roads lead to Rome there is no one right way to solve an evolutionary hurdle. Viruses encounter the same evolutionary problems, but have evolved lots and lots and lots of different solutions to the exact same problems. Random chance of mutations + the bumbling blindness of natural selection (good enough is selected, not BEST!) means all that bumbling mess leads to different solutions. Some might work better than others, but they all work, and thats good enough.

Its easy to comprehend an RNA virus doing something differently than a very distantly related DNA virus. But differences exist between closely related viruses as well. We all know no-new-genes-no-new-functions Michael Behe and his Creationist BFFs hate the evolutionary capacity of new-genes-new-functions HIV-1. They have to hate its cousin Bovine immunodeficiency virus too:

The bovine immunodeficiency virus Rev protein: identification of novel nuclear import pathway and nuclear export signal among retroviral Rev/Rev-like proteins

There are lots of different ways to get a protein. Retroviruses operate like a sheet cake it makes one bit mRNA that gets cuts up into lots of little mRNAs as it leaves the nucleus, which go one to be translated into all the proteins the retrovirus needs.

But then how to you get a retroviral genome into the babby viruses? The retroviral genome is a big uncut piece of mRNA. If it always gets cut up when it leaves the nucleus, how can you ever get that big uncut RNA genome into new viruses?

Lentiviruses have an answer to this dilemma Regulator of Virion Expression, Rev.

Rev escorts the mRNA out of the nucleus, so it can be chopped up in different ways to get different retroviral proteins, or, prevent the RNA from being cut entirely so full genomes can be packaged into babby viruses.

And of course, its not just about Rev getting out of the nucleus with its RNA companion. It must also be able to get itself into the nucleus. Proteins like Rev are made in the cytoplasm on ribosomes it needs to perform a few tricks to get itself into the nucleus to pick up its RNA buddy.

So Rev does two things gets into the nucleus, gets out of the nucleus with RNA. Gets into the nucleus, gets out of the nucleus with RNA. Over and over.

You would think that Rev from HIV and Rev from BIV would look and behave in the same manner. Theyre the same protein from the same family of retrovirus (lentivirus) that accomplish the same function.

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Novel biochemistry in Bovine immunodeficiency virus [erv]

Stover honored with MERIT award for folate research

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June 5, 2012

Stover honored with MERIT award for folate research

For his long-running research on the molecular genetics and biochemistry of the vitamins folate and vitamin B-12, and their link to colon cancer, cardiovascular disease and human birth defects, Patrick Stover, professor of nutritional biochemistry and director of Cornell's Division of Nutritional Sciences, has received a prestigious MERIT (Method to Extend Research in Time) award from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK).

In the award letter from NIDDK, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Stover is cited for his "consistent and excellence contributions to scientific knowledge" on the subject. Among his breakthrough findings: the identification of a gene that increases the risk for colon cancer in laboratory mice when their diets lack folate; the genetic underpinnings of mitochondrial depletion syndrome in humans; and, in mice, the discovery of a gene that causes neural tube defects.

MERIT awards provide recipients with stable, long-term research funding, freeing them from the administrative burden of submitting their work for regular renewals and reviews. With the award, Stover will receive 10 years of uninterrupted support for his research on folate (vitamin B-9) and vitamin B-12.

"I am grateful to NIH-NIDDK for their continuous support of my research program since I arrived at Cornell as an assistant professor in 1994, and for giving me the security and opportunity to undertake high-risk/high-reward fundamental research through this MERIT award," Stover said. "I value my continuing relationship with this important NIH institute, which has played such a pivotal role in advancing our understanding of fundamental metabolism and nutrition and the molecular basis of human chronic disease."

Stover had previously received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers and the E.L.R. Stokstad Award in Nutritional Biochemistry from the American Society for Nutrition.

Ted Boscia is assistant director of communications for the College of Human Ecology.

##

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Stover honored with MERIT award for folate research

Enamine, MRC LMB and IOCB Announce Collaboration to Identify Novel Rhomboid Protease Inhibitors for Treatment of …

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KIEV, Ukraine--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Enamine Ltd, a leading provider of screening compounds, chemical building blocks and discovery services, today announced that it has signed a collaboration agreement with the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology (MRC LMB), Cambridge, UK, and the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic (IOCB), Prague, Czech Republic.The new alliance is aimed at discovering novel Rhomboid Protease inhibitors as potential drugs to treat infectious, parasitic, oncological, immune and cardiovascular diseases.

Under the terms of the agreement, Enamine will provide the MRC LMB and IOCB with access to its integrated drug discovery capabilities, including Molecular Modeling, Compound Library, Screening Assays, Hit Finding and Characterization, Hit to Lead Chemistry and ADMET. The three parties will jointly own the Intellectual Property resulting from this programme and will seek to partner the small molecule inhibitors generated with pharmaceutical companies for onward clinical development. The collaboration agreement was negotiated by MRC Technology on behalf of MRC LMB.

Dr. Sergey Zozulya, Vice President, Biology at Enamine, said: "We are delighted to launch this collaboration with high calibre partners, demonstrating the interest of prominent academics in realising the translational potential of their scientific discoveries through an alliance with Enamine. This alliance reflects our strategy to apply our integrated discovery platform, cost effective solutions and state-of-the-art technologies to create valuable IP for our partners and clients. With our recently introduced High Throughput Screening and bioanalytical service components, we have added capability to boost productivity."

Dr. Matthew Freeman, Head of Cell Biology Division at MRC LMB, commented: "We anticipate a very successful relationship with Enamine. This project provides evidence of the ability of our respective research centers to recognize valuable drug discovery models.

Dr. Kvido Strisovsky, Group Leader at IOCB, said: "We are delighted to be part of this collaboration and we hope that the project will realise its full potential for the benefit of patients.

ENDS

About Enamine http://www.enamine.net

Established in Kiev in 1991, Enamine is a medicinal chemistry driven company, provider of innovative screening libraries, comprehensive chemistry support in hit development, and integrated drug discovery services.

About the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology http://www2.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk/about-lmb

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Shippen honored as Faculty Fellow by Texas AgriLife Research

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Writer: Kathleen Phillips, 979-845-2872, ka-phillips@tamu.edu Contact: Dr. Dorothy Shippen, 979-862-2342, dshippen@tamu.edu

COLLEGE STATION Dr. Dorothy Shippen, professor of biochemistry and biophysics, has received the Texas AgriLife Research Senior Faculty Fellow Award.

The faculty fellows program, created in 1998, recognizes people who have contributed to the scholarly creation and dissemination of new knowledge through exceptional research leadership and grantsmanship.

Professors and associate professors in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University who hold a joint appointment with AgriLife Research are eligible for the senior faculty fellow honor and $5,000 award.

Shippen was honored with Dr. Del Gatlin, fisheries researcher, and Dr. Bruce McCarl, agricultural economist, both of whom also received Senior Faculty Fellow awards, and with Dr. Binayak Mohanty, who was named Faculty Fellow.

I am extremely proud of these scientists whose studies have brought great advances in their fields and to the benefit of the public and our agency, said Dr. Craig Nessler, AgriLife Research director. Their scientific endeavors are yielding results that positively impact people in our state, nation and world.

Shippens studies on telomerase an enzyme which has special significance to aging and cancer research, led to 16 scientific papers being published in the last five years, according to her nomination. Among the journals that have published her research are Nature, Science and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.

Dr. Shippen rapidly carved a unique scientific niche for herself, as she is now unquestionably the worlds expert in this subfield of telomerase research, said Dr. Greg Reinhart, Texas A&M department of biochemistry and biophysics chair. The excitement derives not just from the important implication of her work for plant science, but also because this model organism, despite being a plant, is in many ways a better model of mammalian telomerase behavior than the more commonly studied organisms.

The citation noted that Shippen is frequently invited to speak at major scientific conferences and is known for her rigorous but popular teaching ability in college courses such as molecular biology and for her involvement in numerous scientific associations.

Shippen earned her bachelors in biology in 1982 from Auburn University and her doctorate in biology in 1987 from the University of Alabama.

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Shippen honored as Faculty Fellow by Texas AgriLife Research

BVU student selected for DMU health professions program

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Chelsea Clayton, a triple biology, chemistry and biochemistry major at BVU, will be one of 10 students attending an advanced health professions summer program at Des Moines University. / submitted photo

"I am one of two students from the state of Iowa that will be participating in this program," Chelsea says. "The other eight students come from Washington, Nebraska, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Florida, California and Michigan."

This three-week program exposes students to the four advanced clinical degrees offered at DMU. All costs associated with accommodations, transportation and food are covered by DMU.

"Through this program, I will have the opportunity to learn from lectures and presentations in DMU's four clinical areas - osteopathic medicine, podiatric medicine and surgery, physical therapy and physician assistant studies," says Chelsea.

"I will also have the opportunity for hands-on experiences as well as job shadowing doctors and other care providers in the DMU clinic. On top of all that, I will learn how to plan for medical/health professions school and participate in mock interviews to enhance my preparation for medical school. I believe this program will impact my career goals by helping me decide what area of medicine I actually want to go into. It will give me the additional tools I need to get into medical school and accomplish my dream of becoming a doctor."

Chelsea learned of the opportunity from BVU faculty and says her relationships with her professors have had a major impact on her learning and career decisions.

"Aside from being exceptionally well at what they do in the classroom, BVU's professors have also encouraged me outside the classroom and I know that I am more than just 'another student' to them."

"I know that my professors truly care about me, and because of that it has motivated me to accomplish even more than what I would have anywhere else," says Chelsea.

"BVU's facilities and programs have also helped to prepare me for this program. I believe that BVU has one of the nicest science centers I have seen, and the access to the research equipment that BVU has available to students is amazing."

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BVU student selected for DMU health professions program

Raiders' professor of defense

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It's a good thing that Jason Tarver mastered (as in degree) biochemistry and molecular biology. Because he is taking on much uglier, more complicated material now.

How are the Raiders going to stop the run?

And when he's done with that decade-old problem, Oakland's bright-eyed new defensive coordinator can tackle this brainteaser:

How are the Raiders going to stop the pass?

Oakland, which won eight games last season on the strength of its offense, became one of four teams to allow at least 30 TD passes and 5.0 yards per carry in a season. (Not to mention the entire squad's NFL-record 163 penalties for 1,358 yards.) The Raiders had a lot of high-priced players, but few, if any, playmakers on defense.

And then, in the offseason, Oakland cut leading pass-rusher Kamerion Wimbley for salary-cap reasons and also let go of its two starting cornerbacks, Stanford Routt and Chris Johnson.

The Raiders replaced them with several veterans signed to one-year contracts and rookies drafted after the second round, as they didn't have any early picks.

All of which explains why Tarver can't go into a lot of detail when asked what the Raiders' defense is going to look like. He doesn't know yet.

The team was back on the field for organized workouts Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and Tarver and new head coach Dennis Allen are still in discovery mode.

"Put all these guys out here and see who can play and who can learn and who can communicate and who can fit with your group," Tarver said.

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Raiders' professor of defense

Biologists construct self-assembling tiles of DNA

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Harvard biologists have brought new meaning to the term "fine print" by devising microscopic tiles made of DNA that self-assemble into letters, Chinese characters, emoticons and other shapes.

More than mere doodling, their advance, detailed this week in the journal Nature, could make it easier and cheaper to build tiny DNA devices capable of delivering drugs or aiding the study of biochemistry, scientists said.

"This technique will accelerate the research field of DNA nanotechnology," said Ebbe Sloth Andersen, a researcher at Aarhus University in Denmark who collaborated on an editorial that accompanied the report.

In its usual role as a warehouse for storing genetic information, DNA helps build humans and hummingbirds, maple trees and meerkats all sorts of complex organisms. But as a building material for machines smaller than the smallest bacterium, it has been tough to control.

Since the early 1980s, engineers have experimented with a variety of approaches to create structures out of DNA, including the use of tiles small bricks woven together out of several strands of DNA that could stick to one another and self-assemble into shapes.

But when researchers tried to construct precisely defined shapes, they ran into trouble, said Peng Yin, a systems biologist at Harvard's Wyss Institute in Boston and senior author of the Nature study. The tiles tended to stick together incorrectly, resulting in incomplete structures.

"People thought this couldn't work," Yin said.

But he and his collaborators pressed on, ultimately designing bricks out of single rather than multiple strands of DNA.

The strands each had four sequences of 10 or 11 bases, which could bind to complementary sequences of 10 or 11 bases on other tiles. If all four sequences on the edges of a tile bind with their matching counterparts on neighboring tiles, the tile assumes a rectangular shape.

The scientists programmed the tiles to stack up in a staggered formation, like a miniature brick wall. Then they created shapes by leaving out tiles at certain locations of their 64-by-103-nanometer "molecular canvas."

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Biologists construct self-assembling tiles of DNA

Around Iowa State University: June 3

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ISU proposes department name

Pending approval by the Iowa Board of Regents, Iowa State Universitys Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology will be named in honor of the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust, in recognition of gifts and commitments to the department totaling more than $12.3 million.

This support includes a $7.5 million commitment announced Thursday to support strategic research initiatives in biomolecular structure.

Also known as structural biology, this scientific field seeks to better understand basic biomolecular function, which can hold the key to unlocking important new discoveries in wide-ranging areas important to human, plant and animal life.

With the regents approval, the new name will be the Roy J. Carver Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology.

ISU grads give scholarships

Benches, plaques, art, fountains these are typical class gifts. Tangible things you can sit on, gaze upon, drink from.

Cognizant of the growing financial pressures on college students, ISUs class of 2012 opted to leave something different to the alma mater. The class set up an endowment that will fund scholarships for upperclassmen.

Thus far, more than 600 recent graduates have pledged $45,400 to the scholarship fund.

Thats an average of $74 per graduate, said Sarah Johnson, a program manager in the ISU Foundation. And we expect the endowment to grow in the next couple of weeks as student fundraisers finish making contacts with the graduating seniors.

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Around Iowa State University: June 3

Madison masterpieces: John Steuart Curry murals, UW Biochemistry Building

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On a stroll through the UW campus, there's plenty of art to see, from the newly expanded Chazen Museum of Art to galleries within Memorial Union and Union South.

But not all of the university's artistic treasures are in places you might expect. Take the stairwell of the recently renovated Biochemistry Building. There you'll find murals by the renowned American painter John Steuart Curry that are not only fascinating in their own right, but also a testament to a forward-thinking collaboration between the sciences and arts.

Curry, part of a trio of famed regionalists along with Grant Wood and Thomas Hart Benton, was invited to the UW in 1936 as artist-in-residence. While such arrangements are now common at schools across the country, Curry's position was the first of its kind in the nation and it was through the College of Agriculture, not the art department.

The 1940s mural The Social Benefits of Biochemical Research dramatically depicts the gains brought by vitamin discoveries and applications by leading UW researchers such as Harry Steenbock.

Sickly children and animals contrast with vibrant, healthy kids and livestock striding forward. Spread over three walls in the octagonal stairwell, the main panel exudes a sincere conviction in human progress and the ability of science to make life better. Additional panels in the stairwell show lush cornstalks waving in the wind and an idyllic farm where roosters, sows, calves and other critters thrive.

A nearby conference room contains more Curry murals, and works by Curry are also in the permanent collections of the Chazen and the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art.

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Madison masterpieces: John Steuart Curry murals, UW Biochemistry Building

Memoir tracks the life, decline and death of a family farm

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

Contact: Diana Yates diya@illinois.edu 217-333-5802 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. There is no sentimentality in Robert Switzer's modestly titled new book, "A Family Farm: Life on an Illinois Dairy Farm." Switzer, an emeritus professor of biochemistry at the University of Illinois, begins with a quote (from Victor Davis Hanson's own book on farming) that "the American yeoman farmer is doomed," and describes the internal and external forces that led to the demise of his family's farm in northwest Illinois.

The story of the Allison-Switzer farm (named for Switzer's maternal grandparents, who bought the 121-acre property in 1916, and his father and mother, who took it over after her parents retired in 1946) is just one of millions of such stories, Switzer writes.

"In 1900, 42 percent of the U.S. population lived on farms; by 1990 that number had dwindled to less than 2 percent," he says in the book's prologue. This transition occurred largely as a result of economic and technological changes made possible by the aggressively optimistic borrowing, investing and expansion that some farmers were willing to embrace in the latter half of the 20th century. Many other farmers, who had stared down economic catastrophe in the 1920s and '30s, were unwilling to take on new big risks, and their farms generally gave way to the forces favoring consolidation and the mass-production of agricultural commodities. (Watch an audio slide show about the book.)

Switzer's book is not a treatise on the evolution of American farming, however.

"The characters in this story are not statistical stick figures illustrating the decline of a Midwestern family farm," he writes. "They are my family. The details of their lives provide an intimate portrait of a once common way of life, now almost entirely vanished from the American countryside."

This portrait includes details normally left out of family memoirs: his maternal grandmother's hostility to her daughter's intellectual and educational aspirations; his grandfather's recurrent narcolepsy, a lifelong handicap brought on by severe heatstroke suffered while working in the fields as a teenager; Switzer's mother's depression and unhappiness with farm life; and his father's inability to recruit his sons to the profession.

The book also offers an account of the changes that occurred over the 76 years the family owned the farm, from the early days of kerosene lamps, hand milking and horse-drawn plows, to the gradual though never fully realized modernization of equipment and farming techniques.

Switzer begins with the gritty details of his grandparents' daily life. Charlie and Mabel Allison milked their cows twice daily in a drafty barn. They lived in an oversized and poorly insulated farmhouse with no modern conveniences. They grew corn, hay, oats and barley to feed their livestock and themselves. Charlie carted fresh milk to a nearby cheese factory every morning. Mabel kept a vegetable garden and orchard, and canned produce for the winter. The couple raised chickens and sold their eggs.

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Memoir tracks the life, decline and death of a family farm

On early Earth, iron may have performed magnesium's RNA folding job

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Public release date: 31-May-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Abby Robinson abby@innovate.gatech.edu 404-385-3364 Georgia Institute of Technology Research News

On the periodic table of the elements, iron and magnesium are far apart. But new evidence suggests that 3 billion years ago, iron did the chemical work now done by magnesium in helping RNA fold and function properly.

There is considerable evidence that the evolution of life passed through an early stage when RNA played a more central role before DNA and coded proteins appeared. During that time, more than 3 billion years ago, the environment lacked oxygen but had an abundance of soluble iron.

In a new study, researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology used experiments and numerical calculations to show that iron, in the absence of oxygen, can substitute for magnesium in RNA binding, folding and catalysis. The researchers found that RNA's shape and folding structure remained the same and its functional activity increased when magnesium was replaced by iron in an oxygen-free environment.

"The primary motivation of this work was to understand RNA in plausible early earth conditions and we found that iron could support an array of RNA structures and catalytic functions more diverse than RNA with magnesium," said Loren Williams, a professor in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Georgia Tech.

The results of the study were published online on May 31, 2012 in the journal PLoS ONE. The study was supported by the NASA Astrobiology Institute.

In addition to Williams, Georgia Tech School of Biology postdoctoral fellow Shreyas Athavale, research scientist Anton Petrov, and professors Roger Wartell and Stephen Harvey, and Georgia Tech School of Chemistry and Biochemistry postdoctoral fellow Chiaolong Hsiao and professor Nicholas Hud also contributed to this work.

Free oxygen gas was almost nonexistent more than 3 billion years ago in the early earth's atmosphere. When oxygen began entering the environment as a product of photosynthesis, it turned the earth's iron to rust, forming massive banded iron formations that are still mined today. The free oxygen produced by advanced organisms caused iron to be toxic, even though it was -- and still is -- a requirement for life.

This environmental transition triggered by the introduction of free oxygen into the atmosphere would have caused a slow, but dramatic, shift in biology that required transformations in biochemical mechanisms and metabolic pathways. The current study provides evidence that this transition may have caused a shift from iron to magnesium for RNA binding, folding and catalysis processes.

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On early Earth, iron may have performed magnesium's RNA folding job

Research and License Agreements between National Cheng Kung University and Novo Nordisk A/S

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TAINAN, Taiwan--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

A southern Taiwan-based National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) research team led by Ming-Shi Chang, NCKU professor of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, has discovered an anti-interleukin-20 (anti-IL-20) antibody, a potential new anti-osteoporosis and anti-rheumatoid arthritis drug, and agrees to license selected intellectual property and transfer certain technology to Novo Nordisk A/S, a Danish-based pharmaceutical company for a total payment of US$ 13.3 million in case of a successful completion of the project.

In addition, Professor Ming-Shi Chang and Novo Nordisk A/S have established a 2-year research collaboration to further strengthen and possible expand the usages of an IL-20 antibody.

NCKU President Hwung-Hweng Hwung hailed the groundbreaking discovery of anti-interleukin-20 antibody: The findings not only mark a milestone in global healthcare, but also raise the visibility of Taiwans academic research.

This medical discovery was published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine (JEM) and has drawn huge attention in the academic world and the biotechnology industry as well.

IL-20 has a key role in osteoclast differentiation, and blockading this cytokine could represent a novel therapeutic approach for osteoporosis, according to data from the NCKU medical team.

The chief editor of Nature Reviews wrote a research highlight in the September issue of Nature Reviews Rheumatology commenting on this finding, while Science-Business eXchange (SciBX) published a cover story reporting on the discovery in the same month.

The study not only signifies groundbreaking findings in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis, but could lead to the innovation of new drugs to treat osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Professor Chang pointed out that the medical expense of anti-osteoporosis drugs for patients around the world is estimated to be as much as US$8 billion per year, and that the amount spent on them by 2015 will be about US$8.8 billion.

Changs team has discovered that IL-20 is an important factor in bone cell differentiation and that high serum IL-20 levels in osteoporosis patients cause bone destruction.

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Research and License Agreements between National Cheng Kung University and Novo Nordisk A/S

CEM President and CEO Delivers Commencement Address at the 2012 University of Texas at Austin Chemistry and …

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MATTHEWS, N.C., May 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --CEM Corporation president and CEO Michael J. Collins delivered the commencement address for the University of Texas at Austin Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, which was held on May 18, 2012. Collins received his PhD in Physical Chemistry from the University and has been a member of the Advisory Board for the Chemistry Department at the school for a number of years.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090622/CL35336LOGO-b )

"I am honored to have been asked to deliver the commencement address again this year," said Michael J. Collins. "UT's encouragement of science and innovation has resulted in a thriving chemistry and biochemistry program whose graduates rank at the top of their professions. I enjoyed speaking to this year's graduates and I look forward to the scientific discoveries and contributions they will make in the years to come."

Collins told the audience about his time at the University of Texas at Austin and how it helped shape his life as a chemist, entrepreneur, and business leader. He advised graduates to disregard the defeatists that have been predicting a worsening of the economy and a lack of opportunities.

"I predict we are on the verge of a major new era of growth for the US which will exceed anything we have seen in the past," said Collins, who believes the growth will be driven by continuing technological advancements in many fields including medicine, material science, and energy production and the ongoing globalization of business as new markets open up in developing countries.

Collins also sees a coming revitalization of American manufacturing through entrepreneurial innovation and breakthroughs in technology.

"Science-based technology companies will continue to change the world. Chemistry and biochemistry will drive many of these companies," said Collins. "Your goal is to go forward and truly become our greatest generation ever."

Collins encouraged the graduates to find something they are passionate about and to pursue it with all their energy and determination.

"Whatever you decide to do, be the absolute best at it and keep challenging yourself," Collins encouraged. "Always be prepared, but be bold and think big."

A prepared text of Dr. Collins' commencement address is available on CEM's website at http://www.cem.com.

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CEM President and CEO Delivers Commencement Address at the 2012 University of Texas at Austin Chemistry and ...

McNeese offers summer biochemistry internship program on alligators

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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

John Joseph Scocca, Hopkins biochemistry professor

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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.

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John Joseph Scocca, Hopkins biochemistry professor

Global Laboratory Chemical Reagents Industry

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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

People on the move, 5/1

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Mark Johnston, a professor and chair of the department of biochemistry and molecular genetics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

William R. Ward, an institute scientist in the planetary science directorate at Southwest Research Institute, has been named a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Ted Warner, president and owner of Connecting Point Greeley, was inducted into the IT Hall of Fame at the CompTIA annual meeting for outstanding contributions/service to the information technology channel.

Bureau of Land Management announced the appointment of Deborah Rawhouser as the associate state director for the agency's Arizona State Office. Rawhouser is currently based in Lakewood.

Eric Nesbitt of The Nesbitt Group at Keller Williams Park Meadows was recently appointed by Denver Mayor Michael Hancock to serve on the board of directors of the Denver Housing Authority.

Shawna Topor was named vice president of marketing for Beaver Creek-based East West Partners.

Colorado Housing and Finance Authority appointed James Hahn of JMH Consulting LLC as its board chair for the 2012-2013 term.

Charisse McAuliffe has been named managing director for the Institute for Entrepreneurship in the College of Business at Colorado State University.

Catalyst Lending Inc. named Kevin Yamane president.

Mercedes-Benz of Littleton hired Darren Hollingsworth to lead the dealership's service department.

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People on the move, 5/1

Penn State student Zachary Hostetler from Garnet Valley is being honored as a student marshal

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Zachary Hostetler of Garnet Valley, Pennsylvania, is one of two students who will be honored as the student marshals for the Eberly College of Science during Penn State's spring commencement ceremonies on 5 May, 2012 at the University Park campus. Hostetler's faculty escort will be Song Tan, a professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Hostetler, who will graduate from Penn State with a 4.0 grade-point average and a bachelor's degree in biochemistry and molecular biology, also is enrolled in the Schreyer Honors College and he has been on the Dean's List every semester while at Penn State. Hostetler's awards and scholarships include a Schreyer Academic Excellence Scholarship, two Eberly College of Science academic scholarships--the Tershak Scholarship and the Vinezie Scholarship, a President's Freshman Award, a President Sparks Award, two Evan Pugh Scholar Awards, a University Undergraduate Research Funds award, and a Summer Discovery Grant.

During his years at Penn State, Hostetler has focused on laboratory research involving X-ray crystallography -- a method used to model the atomic structure of proteins. In particular, he and his faculty escort Song Tan, a professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, have been working on a research project dealing with improving protein crystallization, which is often one of the most difficult steps in X-ray crystallography. While certain proteins naturally form large, ordered crystals, some proteins resist crystallization attempts. Hostetler's approach involves fusing a "protein of interest" with a protein that is known to crystallize well so that this fusion protein will form crystals.

In addition to his scientific pursuits, Hostetler has served on the executive board of the Schreyer Honors College Student Council for several years. He also has represented the Schreyer Honors College Student Council and a Four Diamonds Family by dancing in Penn State's IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon -- an independent student-organized event that raises money to fight pediatric cancer.

In addition, Hostetler has volunteered as a Donor and Alumni Relations (DAR) captain for THON. As a DAR captain, his responsibilities included approaching companies for monetary donations, acting as a liaison to Penn State clubs and organizations to help them with fund-raising efforts, and establishing a system to track and analyze donation patterns. Hostetler also has volunteered for ATLAS, which is an organization devoted to raising money for THON and the Four Diamonds Fund. The Four Diamonds Fund is a Penn State Hershey organization that provides support for patients and families facing pediatric cancer.

After graduation, Hostetler plans to attend a combined M.D./Ph.D. program at either the University of Pennsylvania or Weill-Cornell Medical College in New York City. "I hope that attending a combined medical and graduate-degree program will allow me to combine my interests in human medicine and scientific research," Hostetler said. "Ultimately, I envision myself in academic medicine: conducting research, treating patients, and eventually teaching and training new physicians."

Hostetler also said he is truly honored to represent his Eberly College of Science colleagues at graduation. "This past year truly challenged the Penn State community." Hostetler said. "However, I believe it also was an opportunity for a troubled community to come together. Candlelight vigils and a record-breaking THON weekend marked the best of what Penn State has to offer. These memories, the ones that challenged us as a school and a community, will forever be a part of my Penn State experience."

Hostetler, who attended Garnet Valley High School, will be accompanied at graduation by his parents Robert and Lisa Hostetler, his sisters Lauren and Jenna Hostetler, and his grandfather John Hostetler.

Hostetler, who will graduate from Penn State with a 4.0 grade-point average and a bachelor's degree in biochemistry and molecular biology, also is enrolled in the Schreyer Honors College and he has been on the Dean's List every semester while at Penn State. Hostetler's awards and scholarships include a Schreyer Academic Excellence Scholarship, two Eberly College of Science academic scholarships--the Tershak Scholarship and the Vinezie Scholarship, a President's Freshman Award, a President Sparks Award, two Evan Pugh Scholar Awards, a University Undergraduate Research Funds award, and a Summer Discovery Grant.

During his years at Penn State, Hostetler has focused on laboratory research involving X-ray crystallography -- a method used to model the atomic structure of proteins. In particular, he and his faculty escort Song Tan, a professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, have been working on a research project dealing with improving protein crystallization, which is often one of the most difficult steps in X-ray crystallography. While certain proteins naturally form large, ordered crystals, some proteins resist crystallization attempts. Hostetler's approach involves fusing a "protein of interest" with a protein that is known to crystallize well so that this fusion protein will form crystals.

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Penn State student Zachary Hostetler from Garnet Valley is being honored as a student marshal

Protein heals wounds, boosts immunity and protects from cancer

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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