Category Archives: Biochemistry

Biochemistry

UCSF Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics

The Stein and Moore Award, named for Nobel laureates Dr. William Stein and Dr. Stanford Moore, venerates their contribution to understanding the connection between chemical structure and catalytic activity of the active center of the ribonuclease molecule. Established in 1986, the Stein and Moore Award is given to recognize eminent leaders in protein science who have made sustained high impact research contributions to the field.

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UCSF Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics

Biochemistry

Clinical Biochemistry – Journal – Elsevier

Due to the COVID-19 situation, we fully understand most labs are fully or partially shut down so please let us know if you need additional support and contact your Editor to ask for an extension of your revision if you need one.

Clinical Biochemistry is the official journal of the Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists (CSCC). The journal publishes articles relating to clinical chemistry, molecular biology and genetics, therapeutic drug monitoring and toxicology, laboratory immunology and laboratory medicine in general, with the focus on analytical and clinical investigation of laboratory tests in humans used for diagnosis, prognosis, treatment and therapy, and monitoring of disease.

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Clinical Biochemistry - Journal - Elsevier

Biochemistry

Celebrating the sciences: SciFest 2022 | BrandeisNOW – Brandeis University

Students with majors across the scientific spectrum came together to present their summer research findings. Photo/ Heratch Ekmekjian

Sam Greene '23 explaining his research.

By Kennedy RyanAug. 15, 2022

Ashley Moushegian 23 spent the summer studying 'cobrooding.'

Members of the Brandeis community came together on August 11th to celebrate the 11th annual SciFest event. This scientific showcase, featuring poster boards across the scientific spectrum, highlighted each students summer of research.

Students with a variety of majors, including biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, computer science, psychology and neuroscience, spent their summer working alongside the faculty and graduate students mentors to uncover new findings in their chosen field.

In addition to explaining their research, participants shared their exciting scientific revelations and moments of personal growth.

Ashley Moushegian 23, a psychology major, spent the summer researching co-brooding behaviors among students. This concept, when two or more people come together to share negative feelings, is a newer idea in the world of psychology. When negative feelings are shared among the group, each person feels worse as a result, affecting mental health.

While past studies focused on elementary-aged children, Moushegian wanted to study her fellow classmates. She used the timing of the pandemic to study mental health among students, seeing if there was an effect from co-brooding. She didnt find a correlation with the pandemic, but did see similarities between co-brooding effects on mental health.

Moushegian, who hopes to become a clinical therapist, believes her studies will impact the world of therapy beyond Brandeis.

This research helped me understand that there are different ways people can develop mental illness, said Moushegian. Im hopeful that my findings will contribute to therapy programs in the future.

Moushegians research was funded by The M.R. Bauer Foundation at Brandeis University.

Spencer Clark '23 (left) with his mentor, chemistry professor Hao Xu.

Spencer Clark 23, a biochemistry and chemistry double major, found that his research solidified his plans for graduate school.

His research, funded by the Blavatnik Family Foundation Summer Science Research Fellowships, focused on finding new ways to synthetically connect two sugars, an important discovery in the world of biochemistry. As he spent each day in the lab, he found himself growing more sure of his passion for the field.

Chemistry requires a lot of effort. You need to show up daily, putting in the time to try to find new takeaways, said Clark. It really gave me a sense of what it will be like as a graduate student studying synthetic chemistry. Luckily, I really enjoyed it.

Joanna Xiong 23 (right) shares her findings.

Joanna Xiong 23, a neuroscience major with a minor in Health Science, Society and Policy,

researched the molecular impact of memory formations in the brain, seeing different neurons that were activated during the memory process. Her biggest revelation was the power of leaning on others for support in the lab.

She found herself stepping out of her comfort zone by asking her peers in the lab to provide their insight on her project. Getting perspective from the fellow graduate students helped her form a well-rounded report.

I had the chance to really practice my oral communications skills, said Xiong. I received so much support from my lab mates throughout the entire process. It was a great experience.

Xiongs research was funded by the Blavatnik Family Foundation Summer Science Research Fellowships

His study focused on developments in the visual cortex of ferrets. He analyzed movement patterns in the brain, discovering that development occurs within two days after a ferret opens its eyes for the first time. He worked alongside Derek Wise, a graduate student who mentored him throughout the summer.

His research is in the preliminary stages, but hes confident in his ability to move forward because of his mentor support and new-found confidence.

My biggest takeaway is that anyone can do science, said Greene. I struggled to find my place at first, but I put in the work and time this summer. I made connections and really applied myself. Now Im confidently ready to approach my thesis this year.

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Celebrating the sciences: SciFest 2022 | BrandeisNOW - Brandeis University

Biochemistry

Stress can throw off circadian rhythms and lead to weight gain – Medical News Today

Scientists at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York say that stress-induced circadian clock disruptions may influence weight gain.

A study published in June showed that mice with artificially increased stress levels and interrupted hormone releases experienced an increase in fat cell growth. Its results appear in Cell Reports.

The second study, published in August, found that fat cell precursors commit to becoming fat cells only within a few hours at night. This work appears in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences (PNAS).

Mary Teruel, PhD, associate professor of biochemistry at Weill Cornell Medicine, was the senior author of both studies.

A lot of forces are working against a healthy metabolism when we are out of circadian rhythm, Dr. Teruel said in a press release. The more we understand, the more likely we will be able to do something about it.

In the Cell Reports study, Dr. Teruel and her team implanted pellets with glucocorticoids, a type of stress-related hormone, in mice. This was to mimic the effects of chronic stress or Cushings disease.

Cushings disease triggers elevated levels of cortisol, the bodys stress hormone.

The pellets released glucocorticoids under the skin of the mice at a steady rate over three weeks. The researchers also observed control mice with typical daily stress hormone fluctuations.

Although all the mice ate the same healthy diet, the mice with pellets ended up weighing over 9% more than the control mice.

The researchers observed whether the weight gain was from fat expansion and found that the brown and white fat of the pellet mice had more than doubled. Their insulin levels spiked as well.

To the teams surprise, the metabolic disturbances kept blood glucose levels low. Further, the disruptions prevented fat from accumulating in the blood or liver.

When the researchers removed the pellets, these changes reversed immediately.

Dr. Teruel explained to MNT: We saw this in our paper, basically, once we stopped flattening the corticoids, [the mice] started reversing [the fat mass gain] and the hyperinsulinemia went away so that increased insulin that seems to be causing the fat mass gains that went away when the restored rhythm.

She added that this study indicates that chronic stress can make weight gain more likely, even with a healthy, low fat diet.

If you stress the animals at the wrong time, it has a dramatic effect. The mice arent eating differently, but a big shift in metabolism causes weight gain, Dr. Teruel said in the release.

Dr. Teruels research team hopes that their findings lead to developing drugs that could help reset circadian rhythms to help people with obesity.

We dont know enough [yet], but one would think cortisol receptor antagonists or [] things that restore the cortisol rhythms would probably help a lot.

Dr. Mary Teruel, PhD, associate professor of biochemistry at Weill Cornell Medicine and senior author of both studies

Experts understand that flaws in circadian clock genes can alter cell differentiation in fat, immune, skin, and muscle cells.

The PNAS study revealed that even though differentiation happens over a few days, differentiation commitment happens within only a few hours. The findings also show that daily bursts of cell differentiation seem to be limited to evening phases when people are normally resting.

The decision to become a fat cell happens rapidly over 4 hours. It is like a switch, Dr. Teruel said.

Medical News Today discussed this with Dr. Mir Ali, bariatric surgeon and medical director of MemorialCare Surgical Weight Loss Center at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, California.

Dr. Ali explained how fat cells come to be: Fat cells form from [an] adipocyte progenitor cell or a type of cell that has not differentiated into its final form. The form it takes [to become] a fat cell depends on the hormonal and chemical stimulation it receives.

In the study, Dr. Teruel and her partners used fluorescent markers to observe daily fluctuations of fat cell production.

The researchers attached a red fluorescent protein to a protein that regulates circadian clock genes. They also attached a yellow fluorescent protein to peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARG), a protein that controls fat cell production.

They discovered that during the rest period of the day, a certain circadian protein CCAAT enhancer binding protein alpha induces a rapid increase in the protein that regulates fat cell production.

The researchers also found that when PPARG levels hit a certain threshold, individual fat precursor cells irreversibly commit to differentiate within only a few hours, which is much faster than the rest phase and the overall multiday differentiation process.

Dr. Teruel and her team believe that working with this time window may open therapeutic strategies to use timed treatment relative to the [circadian] clock to promote tissue regeneration.

Dr. Ali said: These studies are interesting in that they show the timing and length of stimulation affect the formation and growth of fat cells. The implications of this are that if we can find a way to safely influence the cell to grow or not grow, it may affect obesity in humans.

However, he believed that more extensive research is needed to make the studies findings applicable to humans.

Dr. Teruel told MNT that she and her co-authors were just trying to work on basic mechanisms [] Right now, we need to show this is really a mechanism that happens []

The researchers do plan to replicate the studies with people. We are looking at protein ribbons and humans using saliva samples, Dr. Teruel shared with MNT. Were planning to do those kinds of experiments.

Their main objective, she said, is to figure out ways to restore circadian [rhythms].

Dr. Teruel mentioned that currently known strategies, such as meditation and regular sleep in the dark may help.

She expressed hope that there could be some pharmacological ways [to] fix this in the future as well.

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Stress can throw off circadian rhythms and lead to weight gain - Medical News Today

Biochemistry

Anthony Rizzuto named A.L. Hook Emerging Professor in Science and Mathematics – Today at Elon

Rizzuto, an assistant professor of chemistry, has been recognized for his record of scholarship and professional activity as well as his mentorship of students.

Anthony Rizzuto, an assistant professor of chemistry, has been named the A.L. Hook Emerging Professor in Science and Mathematics.

The professorship, which has a three-year term, is awarded to a member of the faculty who has ongoing, active scholarship, has a history of mentoring undergraduate research and has demonstrated the ability to impact students, their department and the university. Dabrowskis selection follows a committee review and recommendation, with the professorship appointed by the provost.

Rizzuto joined the faculty at Elon in fall 2017 following the completion of his doctorate in physical chemistry at the University of California in Berkeley, California. Rizzuto graduated magna cum laude from Elon in 2011, and as a student was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and received the Senior Chemistry Achievement Award as the top graduating chemistry senior.

A dedicated mentor, Rizzuto has supported the undergraduate research of 12 students including three Elon College Fellows, three SURE fellows and a Glen-Raven scholar. Those research pairings have resulted in more than a dozen regional and national conference presentations, multiple external grant awards and numerous manuscripts prepared for publication in peer-reviewed journals.

Our students are the next generation of leaders in the scientific community, and as such I have endeavored to foster a broad-reaching, collaborative research environment while encouraging the intersection of chemistry, biochemistry, environmental science and engineering, Rizzuto said of his approach to mentorship.

As a scholar, Rizzuto has co-authored five papers in high-impact publications, thanks in part to maintaining collaborations with colleagues at UC Berkeley. The Hook professorship will provide Rizzuto with additional time as well as resources to advance his research conducted with undergraduates in the area of spectroscopy and expose student researchers to equipment and concepts they might not otherwise become familiar with.

In her remarks before Rizzuto was recognized with the professorship during Opening Day ceremonies, Professor of Chemistry Kathy Matera noted that he was an engaged student who started at Elon thinking he would study history before becoming immersed in chemistry. Today, Tony is on the other side of the fence, and he is a highly sought-after research mentor, Matera said during the event in Schar Center. Tony encompasses the teacher-scholar-mentor model that he saw as a student and he now embraces as a chemistry professor.

Tommy Holmes and Harris L. Hendricks, Elon alumni, established the A.L. Hook Emerging Scholar Professorship in Science and Mathematics to honor former physics and mathematics professor, Alonzo Lohr Hook, and to support science, research and student involvement at Elon. Previous faculty members who have held the professorship are Crista Arangala, Kyle Altmann, Kathryn Matera, Chad Awtrey and Jennifer Dabrowski.

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Anthony Rizzuto named A.L. Hook Emerging Professor in Science and Mathematics - Today at Elon

Biochemistry

U of U Health awarded $28M to explore HIV’s inner workings | @theU – @theU

A University of Utah Health-led multi-institutional research center that studies the inner workings and vulnerabilities of HIV, the human immunodeficiency virus that causes AIDS, recently received a five-year, $28 million grant renewal from the National Institutes of Health.

Since its founding in 2007, theCHEETAH Center for Structural Biology of HIV Infection Restriction and Viral Dynamicshas published more than 300 research papers that have led to a better understanding of HIV and its potential treatments.

Wesley Sundquist, the centers director and professor and chair of the Department of Biochemistry at U of U Health, is leading 20 research teams from 12 institutions. With the grant renewal, the researchers will focus on:

Wesley Sundquist, CHEETAH director. Photo credit: Charlie Ehlert.

The outstanding science stemming from this program is changing an understanding of HIV/AIDS, other viral diseases, and cellular biology, enabling the development of novel therapeutics such as lenacapavir and D-peptide inhibitors, saysRachel Hess, associate vice president for research at U of U Health, referring to two investigational drugs with roots in CHEETAH.

Just a half-century ago, HIV infection almost inevitably led to serious illness and death. Todays antiretroviral therapies can suppress the virus and prevent symptoms, but improvement is still needed. If these drugs arent taken daily, the virus can rebound and acquire drug resistance. The medicines can also cause difficult side effects. The underpinnings for two new investigational drugs that could help circumvent these issues are based on years of research by CHEETAH scientists.

Research from CHEETAH investigators Debra Eckert (left) and Michael Kay (right), and Wesley Sundquist and Christopher Hill (not pictured) and their teams have led to two investigational HIV drugs that are now being tested in clinical trials. Photo credit: Charlie Ehlert.

Research from Sundquist, Christopher Hill, distinguished biochemistry professor at U of U Health and other CHEETAH Center labs on the HIV capsida structure they found is vital for different steps of the HIV life cyclelaid the groundwork that led the pharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences to identify the capsid inhibitor lenacapavir. This investigational drug is now in phase 3 clinical trials and is already showing great promiseas a potent, long-acting treatment.

Taking a different approach,Michael Kay, CHEETAH investigator and biochemistry professor, andDebra Eckert, biochemistry research assistant professor, used synthetic chemistry to design a D-peptide inhibitor called CPT31 thatjams HIVs infection machinery. The molecule is now in phase 1 clinical trials sponsored by Navigen, Inc.

Often people forget that drug development builds from basic research, Sundquist says. These are two more cases where that has happened, and it is very satisfying.

CHEETAH continues to bring an understanding of HIV, related viruses and host biology in new directions through collaborations between its scientists, who come from a variety of disciplines. The CHEETAH Center is doing exciting, interdisciplinary science in a collaborative environment that allows us to accomplish projects that wouldnt otherwise be possible in any single lab, says Pamela Bjorkman, a professor of biology and biological engineering at Caltech.

Nels Elde, professor of human genetics at U of U Health, turns to evolution for inspiration, noting that many animals are not as susceptible as humans to disease caused by HIV. He is collaborating with fellow CHEETAH scientists to explore whether a gene found in mice and squirrel monkeys that prevents HIV from exiting cells after replicating could become the basis for anew type of antiviral.

Nature has done seemingly countless billions of experiments that got us to where we are today, Elde says. Can we learn from whats happened and borrow and deploy them in ways that are useful?

At 130 nanometers, HIV is about 60 times smaller than a red blood cell. Advances in cryo-electron microscopy (left) and molecular modeling (right) have made it possible to see the virus in unprecedented detail. Image credit: Owen Pornillos, Barbie Ganser-Pornillos.

By contrast, Owen Pornillos, a CHEETAH investigator from the University of Virginia who received his doctorate from the U, takes advantage of his biochemistry expertise to take a different approach. In a collaborative project with several CHEETAH Center members, he is removing the virus from the complex environment of the host cell and bringing it to the test tube. By adding back specific ingredients a few at a time, the team is identifying key virus and host cell components that are essential for early stages of viral infection and replication. Combining this approach with new microscope technologies is allowing them to visualize these steps with unprecedented clarity.

CHEETAH is committed to doing excellent science and is always planning for where we envision the field will be five years from now, Pornillos says. Its exciting to be a part of it.

These diverse tactics are providing valuable insights into virology and biology, and uncovering targets for new types of therapeutic intervention.

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U of U Health awarded $28M to explore HIV's inner workings | @theU - @theU

Biochemistry

Meet this year’s Baylor Faculty-in-Residence – Baylor University

A distinguishing part of the Baylor experience is the caring community on campus. One way we do that? Faculty-in-Residence!

These Baylor professors (many of them also BU alumni) dont just work on campus; they live on campus, too, in designated apartment-style homes inside most residence halls, along with their families. The goal: Fostering students social, cultural, educational and spiritual growth by encouraging community involvement and student interaction. That can mean everything from hosting fun events and socials, to group Bible study classes, to meeting one-on-one with students (even at odd hours).

Meet this years Faculty-in-Residence (FIR):

Alexander/Memorial Halls: Dr. Jason Whitt (BA 96, PhD 08). Whitt is a senior lecturer in the Honors Program whose research interests are in theology of disability, the intersection of faith and medicine, ecclesiology, and political theology. (Family: wife Maggie, MSED 06, and two children)

Allen/Dawson Halls: Dr. Beth Allison Barr (BA 96). The graduate program director in the Department of History, Barr teaches undergraduate courses on subjects such as medieval history and European womens history. (Family: husband Jeb, BA 97, and two children)

Brooks Flats Apartments: Dr. Lee Grumbles. Grumbles is a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Entrepreneurship and Cooperate Innovation. After 17 years as a VP of commercial banking, Grumbles brings extensive experience working with entrepreneurial ventures. (Family: wife Lauren, and two children)

Brooks Residential College: Dr. Rishi Sriram (BA 01, MSED 03). A FIR since 2013, Sriram spent eight years in higher education administration, helping launch and develop Baylors living-learning programs, before becoming a professor in the School of Education. (Family:wife Amanda, BS 02, and three school-aged children)

Earle Hall: Dr. Karenna Malavanti (BS 10, MA 12, PhD 14). A senior lecturer in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Malavantis primary research interest is in applied cognition and human memory. (Family: husband Matthew, and daughter Mila)

Kokernot Hall: Dr. Maricel Demesa. Demesa is a senior lecturer in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry with more than 25 years of teaching experience in various fields of chemistry at the university level. (Family: husband Fernadel, and a grown daughter)

Martin Hall: Dr. Clay Butler (BA 88). A FIR since 2015, Butler serves as a senior lecturer in the English department, teaching linguistics courses such as Language in Society, Cross-Cultural Linguistics, and Modern English Grammar. (Family: wife Susan, BA 89, and four grown children)

North Russell Hall: Dr. Joe Coker. Coker is a senior lecturer in the Religion Department, regularly teaching the core religion courses. He is interested in researching the way that religion both shapes the culture around it and is also shaped by the surrounding culture. (Family: wife Amy, and four children, including two current BU students)

North Village, Heritage House: Steven Pounders. Pounders is a professor in the Department of Theatre Arts. Along with teaching at Baylor, he has continued to work as a professional actor and director with theater productions in Texas, New York and other regions. (Family: wife Hope)

North Village, Texana House: Dr. Lesley McAllister. McAllister teaches piano and serves as director of piano pedagogy in the School of Music. She advocates to help musicians of every age reach peak performance using yoga, sport psychology research, and mind/body relaxation techniques. (Family: husband Dr. Scott McAllister, also a professor in the School of Music, and two school-aged children)

North Village, University House: Brent Philips. Philips has taught trombone in the School of Music since 2004. He is currently principal trombone in the Waco Symphony and Abilene Philharmonic, continues to perform regularly with the Houston Symphony, and serves as guest principal with the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra. (Family: wife Meredith (BA 94), and two sons, including one current BU student)

Penland Hall: Dr. Kelli McMahan (BSED 93). A FIR since 2016, McMahan is a clinical associate professor in the Department of Health, Human Performance, and Recreation and one of the creators of Baylors Outdoor Adventure Line Camp and Outdoor Adventure Living-Learning Center.

South Russell Hall: Dr. Mona Choucair (BA 86, PhD 00). A FIR since 2014, Choucair is a senior lecturer in both the English department and School of Education, teaching such subjects as American literature and advanced grammar.

Teal Residential College: Brian Thomas. A FIR since 2016, Thomas is a senior lecturer in engineering and faculty sponsor of the Engineers with a Mission student organization. (Family: wife Martha (BSED 81, MSED 88) and two sons)

University Parks: Dr. Bob Kane. A FIR since 2015, Kane is an associate chemistry professor and director of Baylors Institute of Biomedical Studies, researching applications of synthetic chemistry in areas such as vaccine development. (Family: wife Deb and five children)

Sic em, Faculty-in-Residence!

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Meet this year's Baylor Faculty-in-Residence - Baylor University

Biochemistry

Lasting leadership – The Source – Washington University in St. Louis – Washington University in St. Louis

Physician turned internationally renowned biochemist and pharmaceutical executive P. Roy Vagelos, MD, never planned his career path. Each step led to the next, he says. Recognition was never my motivation. I wanted to work where I could be productive and make important things happen.

Following a decade at the National Institutes of Health, Vagelos joined the faculty of Washington University School of Medicine in 1966 as head of the Department of Biological Chemistry, now called the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics. During his nine years at WashU, he founded two pioneering programs: the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP), combining elements of the MD and PhD programs into a rigorous curriculum for future physician-scientists; and the Division of Biology & Biomedical Sciences (DBBS), a transformative model for interdisciplinary education and research across the life sciences that united WashUs main and medical campuses. He also was instrumental in recruiting a cohort of Black medical students from historically Black colleges and universities to diversify thestudent body and advance racial equity in health care.

Vagelos left WashU in 1975 to direct research at Merck & Co., where he eventually became CEO and chairman. Since then, both MSTP and DBBS have risen to top ranks nationwide. Graduates of these lauded programs are advancing medicine and improving health across the globe.

In 2021, Vagelos and his wife, Diana, contributed $15 million to DBBS to fund graduate fellowships and bolster undergraduate programs. Theirgift honors the late Chancellor Emeritus William H. Danforth, who recruited Vagelos to WashU, supported his visionary ideas and became a longtime friend. The university renamed DBBS the Roy and Diana Vagelos Division of Biology & Biomedical Sciences in recognition of the couples generosity.

After I graduated from medical school in 1954, I was assigned to the National Institutes of Health to complete two years of required service to the federal government. There, I met Earl Stadtman, a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley, who was one of the outstanding biochemists of the world. Although he had never worked with an MD and I had never worked in a laboratory, he agreed to take me on. For two years, he led me through biochemistry. With his encouragement, I stayed at the NIH eight more years, conducting research independently and starting my career as a scientist.

Every successful scientist has had a mentor like Earl, who turned him or her on to science. Colleagues at the medical school and I introduced the idea of giving training and research opportunities to undergraduates through DBBS for this reason. Getting these students into laboratories so that they can participate in real experiments, not just learn from a textbook, is so important. This access sparks an interest in the sciences early on in a young persons life and helps build the pipeline of future scientists.

Nearly every improvement in health care in the last 50 years began with a basic science breakthrough. When a scientist makes a discovery at a molecular level, others leverage that knowledge to learn even more, as we recently saw with messenger RNA and the development of COVID vaccines. Answering fundamental questions about the body and disease is key to identifying therapeutic approaches.

The critical importance of basic science to medicine underlies the role of the physician-scientist, who is both investigator and clinician. Physician-scientists are aware of the potential applications of the science. At the same time, clues from studying disease can open new avenues for research. The two realms are stronger together than alone, which was the impetus for establishing the Medical Scientist Training Program.

We had the worlds greatest faculty people who were terrific scientists themselves and worked well with students.

In the case of MSTP, WashU was not the first to offer the combined degree program. But we were able to take the lead very quickly because few medical schools had the level of basic science expertise in their clinical departments that we did.

When I arrived at WashU, the six basic science departments recruited their own graduate students with varying degrees of success and did their own teaching. I was confident that we would be more effective together and that undergraduates would benefit greatly from taking courses led by basic science faculty from the med school. Within one year of its creation, DBBS greatly enhanced the quality of the undergraduate and graduate programs in the life sciences. The division also gave grad students the chance to complete their first year before choosing a discipline. To my astonishment, this structure became known as the WashU model, and it remains the standard for biomedical education today.

I come from a very humble background. My parents were immigrants from the small Greek island of Lesbos who only completed sixth grade. I learned everything along the way, beginning with English as a second language so I could go to elementary school.

At WashU, I gained the confidence to implement new ideas and lead an organization. I was able to continue building the strong biochemistry department and to start several programs that were new and different. Although I didnt know it then, what I learned and accomplished at WashU prepared me for leadership

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Lasting leadership - The Source - Washington University in St. Louis - Washington University in St. Louis

Biochemistry

Amy Keating named head of the Department of Biology – MIT News

Amy E. Keating, the Jay A. Stein Professor of Biology and a professor of biological engineering, has been named head of the Department of Biology, effective today. She succeeds Alan Grossman, the Praecis Professor of Biology at MIT, who led the department since 2014.

Professor Keating is a leading researcher in her field, employing computational techniques to understand how malfunction of proteins leads to disease, says Nergis Mavalvala, the Curtis and Kathleen Marble Professor of Astrophysics and the dean of the MIT School of Science.

In addition to leadership in her research among other roles, she was recently the President of the Protein Society she has served in key department leadership roles, including her most recent positions as associate department head and graduate officer. In addition to her world-class research, Amy's teaching and service to the department, MIT, and the broader scientific community are exemplary, Mavalvala says.

Keating served on the search committee for the director of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research as well as the selection committee for the dean of the School of Science. With Associate Professor Mary Gehring, Keating is co-director of the biology graduate program, and since 2012 she has been the co-PI with Professor Stephen Bell on the departments National Institutes of General Medical Sciences doctoral training grant.

I look forward to continuing to work with the members of our department students, faculty, and staff to create a rich and diverse environment in which all our community members feel they belong and can thrive, says Keating, who is also a member of the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research. I hope to create additional opportunities for MIT biology to maintain and grow our excellence in research, teaching, mentorship, and service.

Keatings research focuses on interaction properties of proteins encoded in their sequences and structures. She investigates proteinprotein interactions by integrating data from high throughput assays, structural modeling, and bioinformatics with biochemical and biophysical experiments.

Her research group studies proteins that regulate critical processes, such as cell death regulated by the Bcl-2 family of proteins. Keating has developed methods to reprogram the interaction between proteins, and applying these methods to Bcl-2 proteins has generated peptides that inhibit processes that keep cancer cells alive. Other areas of research include -helical coiled-coil proteins and protein domains that bind to short linear motifs. For her research, Keating received a NIH Transformative R01 grant designed to support innovative, high-risk and unconventional research projects with the potential to transform a field of science.

Amys research has opened the door to using computational biology to address fundamental questions in proteinprotein interactions, and to design peptide inhibitors with therapeutic impact, says Grossman. Amy's interests and research fit well with the growing area of computational biology and are at the interface of several areas, including computation, biophysics, biochemistry, biological engineering, synthetic biology, and of course the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing. This is an area of strength that continues to increase in the department and at MIT.

Keating helped institute the departments professional development requirement for graduate students and she is deeply committed to providing opportunities for MIT graduate students outside of the Institute.

The brainchild of two bioengineering students, the graduate course7.930J (Research Experience in Biopharma) exposes graduate students to industrial science and helps them develop the skills required to succeed in industry. In this subject, sponsored by Keating and Doug Lauffenburger, the Ford Professor of Biological Engineering, Chemical Engineering, and Biology and co-taught by Keating and Sean Clarke, a communications instructor and manager of biotech outreach within the Department of Biological Engineering, students participate in on-site research at local biopharmaceutical companies, where they both observe and participate in industrial science.

Its really designed to demystify doing research in industry, says Keating. The feedback we get suggests its quite eye-opening in terms of changing some assumptions about what that life is like.

Keating has also played a significant role in the Department of Biologys diversity and outreach initiatives for graduate students, including providing research opportunities in her own lab through the Bernard S. and Sophie G. Gould MIT Summer Research Program (MSRP) in Biology.

She is a terrific teacher and mentor, and works tirelessly to recruit and support diverse and outstanding graduate students in the department, says Grossman.

Keating earned her doctorate from the University of California at Los Angeles and was introduced to protein biochemistry as a Helen Hay Whitney Postdoctoral Fellow working with Professors Peter S. Kim of the Department of Biology and the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and Bruce Tidor of MITs Department of Biological Engineering. She joined the MIT Department of Biology as an assistant professor in 2002. Among her various awards, Keating received the NIH Transformative R01 grant designed to support innovative, high-risk and unconventional research projects with the potential to transform a field of science. She recently received the Georgina Sweet Award for Women in Quantitative Biomedical Science as part of the Australian Research Council Laureate Fellowship program.

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Amy Keating named head of the Department of Biology - MIT News

Biochemistry

$1 million is music to the ears of Wake Forest’s Chamber Choir | Wake Forest News – Wake Forest News

During the pandemic, practicing in-person as a group and traveling to perform were on hold. Junior communication major Elsa Maurizi joined the choir her first year at Wake Forest and participated in the May Southeastern tour.

We were all familiar with one another as singers, but not really as friends until we went on tour. We bonded through the music, through the jokes and bus rides and conversations and just all the different personalities being put together for a week, Maurizi said. Going on tour was a big step for us, and I now feel very connected to the music and the people and the beauty of what we are trying to accomplish as a group.

Students accepted to the Chamber Choir enroll in a semester-long, one-credit course that meets four days a week. From the moment they step foot in the class, they are listening, creating synergy, and engaging with new ideas and perspectives. If these sound like skills necessary for classrooms and careers, that is because they are.

A big thing we learn in our communication classes is how to understand the ways people express themselves. We learn to listen, said Maurizi. In choir, we have to listen closely to the voices around us in order to blend and lean into dissonance and harmony. The choir is very group-oriented, but each minor detail is created by individuals,

Director of Choral Activities and Assistant Professor of Music Chris Gilliam describes choir as engaging with words and language, poetry, and concepts and ideas that must be processed by the brain and expressed in music. It is a whole body experience where singers step outside their comfort zones.

Kgosi (pronounced Kho-see) Hughes began singing at the age of 10 when he joined the Drakensberg Boys Choir School in South Africa. As a biochemistry and molecular biology major and music minor, he plans to pursue a career in medicine after graduation in 2023. Like Maurizi, he joined the Chamber Choir during his first year at Wake Forest.

Music has undoubtedly shaped who I am as a person and offers a break away from the intense academic workload that comes with being a pre-med student, said Hughes. I have been able to learn many new techniques and life perspectives from other students. Singing with the choir has also helped me confront criticism by learning how to process constructive feedback.

Gilliam describes the choir singers work as more than reading the note and singing it in key.

In studying the music and its place in time, students learn empathy and sensitivity to other cultures, and how to work together. They learn how to communicate transparently, honestly and without pretext skills that will serve them a lifetime.

Thane McDonald Wake Forest Choir Tour Fund The gift from Frank and Kathy Bragg initiates the Thane McDonald choir tour fund. The fund grows as alumni and friends come together to make it possible for choir singers to travel together without concern for cost. More information on how to support the endowment is available here.

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$1 million is music to the ears of Wake Forest's Chamber Choir | Wake Forest News - Wake Forest News