Newswise PHILADELPHIA Kristen W. Lynch, PhD, has been appointed chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, following eight years as a tenured faculty member in the department.

Dr. Lynch has a broad vision of the future of biochemistry and biophysics at Penn, said J. Larry Jameson, MD, PhD, executive vice president of the University of Pennsylvania for the Health System and dean of the Perelman School of Medicine. Her experience, talent, and collaborative spirit will foster strong ties among investigators within the department, as well as across Penn Medicine and the University. I am confident that under Dr. Lynchs leadership Penn will secure its place among the nations top biochemistry and biophysics departments.

Lynch, who is a professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics, also holds a secondary appointment in the department of Genetics and has expertise in RNA biology and immunology. Her laboratory focuses on understanding the biochemical mechanisms and regulatory networks that control alternative gene splicing in response to antigens. (Antigens are toxins and foreign substances, such as bacteria, viruses, and cells of transplanted organs, that stimulate the production of antibodies to protect an organism.)

Alternative splicing is a process in which a single gene codes for differentbut related forms of a given protein (called isoforms), each of which has similar functions. It eliminates the need for an organism to have large numbers of genes make distinctive proteins for carrying out similar functions throughout the body. Additionally, alternative splicing helps explain why humans have substantial genetic similarity with animals and insects, for example, yet such obvious physical and behavioral differences.

The Lynch laboratory specializes in understanding how alternative splicing is regulated in T cells when the cells are stimulated by an antigen during an immune response. Lynch and her team have identified more than 500 genes that undergo alternative splicing in response to T cell stimulation and have discovered some of the molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways that lead to this regulation.

She received her doctorate from Harvard University in 1996 and completed her postdoctoral training at the University of California, San Francisco. Lynch joined the Penn faculty as an associate professor in the department of Biochemistry and Biophysics in 2009, having been recruited from University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, where she chaired the biological chemistry graduate program.

She is the author of more than 50 scientific papers in the leading journals in her field and the recipient of numerous awards and honors in recognition of her scientific achievements, including a National Science Foundation Career Award. Lynch founded and directs the campus-wide RNA Group, a central forum for investigators in and around Penn interested in RNA-related topics. Lynch has served as a director of the RNA Society, an international scientific organization; is an editor for Molecular and Cellular Biology; and has co-chaired several international meetings in the field of RNA processing.

Penn Medicine is one of the world's leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and excellence in patient care. Penn Medicine consists of the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (founded in 1765 as the nation's first medical school) and the University of Pennsylvania Health System, which together form a $5.3 billion enterprise.

The Perelman School of Medicine has been ranked among the top five medical schools in the United States for the past 18 years, according to U.S. News & World Report's survey of research-oriented medical schools. The School is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $373 million awarded in the 2015 fiscal year.

The University of Pennsylvania Health System's patient care facilities include: The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Penn Presbyterian Medical Center -- which are recognized as one of the nation's top "Honor Roll" hospitals by U.S. News & World Report -- Chester County Hospital; Lancaster General Health; Penn Wissahickon Hospice; and Pennsylvania Hospital -- the nation's first hospital, founded in 1751. Additional affiliated inpatient care facilities and services throughout the Philadelphia region include Chestnut Hill Hospital and Good Shepherd Penn Partners, a partnership between Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network and Penn Medicine.

Penn Medicine is committed to improving lives and health through a variety of community-based programs and activities. In fiscal year 2015, Penn Medicine provided $253.3 million to benefit our community.

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RNA Biologist Kristen Lynch Appointed Chair of Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics at Penn - Newswise (press release)