Category Archives: Biochemistry

Biochemistry

Steering committee of pulmonary and primary care experts aims to reduce time to diagnose complex lung diseases – Yahoo Finance

American College of Chest Physicians

William Lago, MD

Family Medicine Physician, Wooster Family Health Center, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Wooster, OH.

Andrew H. Limper, MD

Annenberg Professor of Pulmonary Medicine, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Director Thoracic Disease Research Unit, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN.

Bridging Specialties: Timely Diagnosis for ILD Patients

Composed of pulmonologists, primary care physicians, and a nursing professional, the steering committee will work to create materials that will aid in reducing the time it takes to reach a diagnosis for interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) like pulmonary fibrosis (PF).

GLENVIEW, Ill., May 17, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) and Three Lakes Foundation are announcing a steering committee of experts in the fields of pulmonary medicine and primary care medicine to lead an initiative called Bridging Specialties: Timely Diagnosis for ILD Patients. Composed of pulmonologists, primary care physicians, and a nursing professional, the steering committee will work to create materials that will aid in reducing the time it takes to reach a diagnosis for interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) like pulmonary fibrosis (PF).

Affecting about 400,000 people in the United States, ILDs comprise a group of diseases that cause lung inflammation and/or permanent scars and are frequently misdiagnosed as more common lung diseases. Some studies show that reaching an appropriate diagnosis for rarer lung diseases can take upwards of several years.

Members of the Bridging Specialties: Timely Diagnosis for ILD Patients steering committee include individuals from leading medical institutions, health systems and organizations across the country:

Daniel F. Dilling, MD, FCCP, Professor of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, Loyola University Chicago, Stritch School of Medicine, Maywood, IL.

Andrew Duggan, MPH, Patient Engagement and Innovation Leader, Boston, MA.

Jessica Glennie, APRN, MSN, Nurse practitioner, Interstitial Lung Disease Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH.

Timothy Hernandez, MD, Family Medicine Physician, Chief Executive Officer of Entira Family Clinics, San Antonio, TX.

Corey D. Kershaw, MD, FCCP, Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX.

Tejaswini Kulkarni, MD, MPH, FCCP, Assistant Professor, Director, Interstitial Lung Disease Program, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL.

William Lago, MD, Family Medicine Physician, Wooster Family Health Center, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Wooster, OH.

Andrew H. Limper, MD, FCCP, Annenberg Professor of Pulmonary Medicine, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Director Thoracic Disease Research Unit, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN.

Anoop M. Nambiar, MD, MS, FCCP, Professor of Medicine, Founding Director of the UT Health San Antonio Center for Interstitial Lung Diseases, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and South Texas Veterans Health Care System, San Antonio, TX.

Mary Beth Scholand, MD, Associate Professor of Internal Medicine, Division of Pulmonary Diseases, Director, Interstitial Lung Program, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT

Story continues

While interstitial lung diseases do not affect a substantial amount of the population, those touched by the disease are impacted tremendously, says steering committee member and pulmonologist, Dr. Andrew H. Limper. Any delay in receiving a diagnosis is time that could be dedicated to finding a treatment therapy that can improve their quality of life. I look forward to the work of this committee helping to shape how patients with ILDs are diagnosed and treated in the future.

Starting with data-gathering surveys sent to both primary care physicians and pulmonologists, the committee will evaluate the findings to develop tools that can be used to aid in diagnosing complex lung diseases.

Having experts from both pulmonary and primary care medicine as members of the steering committee is critical, says steering committee member and Family Medicine physician, Dr. William Lago. Patients first see their family medicine or primary care clinicians and, all too often, the most complex lung diseases present in ways that are indistinguishable from more common conditions like asthma and COPD. Bringing together experts in both fields will yield the best results in creating a path to diagnosis.

Select members of the steering committee and representatives from CHEST and Three Lakes Foundation will be on-site (booth 2003) at the 2022 American Thoracic Society International Conference in San Francisco to provide additional details on the steering committee and the joint collaboration. To learn more about the initiative, visit the Three Lakes Foundation website or the CHEST website.

About the American College of Chest Physicians The American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) is the global leader in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of chest diseases. Its mission is to champion advanced clinical practice, education, communication and research in chest medicine. It serves as an essential connection to clinical knowledge and resources for its 19,000+ members from around the world who provide patient care in pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine. For information about the American College of Chest Physicians, and its flagship journal CHEST, visit chestnet.org.

About Three Lakes Foundation Three Lakes Foundation is a nonprofit dedicated to serving as a catalyst for uniting research, industries and philanthropy in pulmonary fibrosis. We connect entrepreneurs, advocates and institutions to an innovation ecosystem that will transform our approach to improve time to diagnosis and accelerate new therapies. To learn more, visit threelakesfoundation.org.

Contact:CHESTLaura DiMasildimasi@chestnet.org224-521-9482

Three Lakes FoundationMarita Gomezmaritagomez@crispsolution.net630-936-9105

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ea95a17f-2ab7-4c31-9c40-7a14b3415411

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/39c028ad-14dc-477d-bd7a-212ef5451dc9

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Steering committee of pulmonary and primary care experts aims to reduce time to diagnose complex lung diseases - Yahoo Finance

Biochemistry

Biology Professor Greg Pask Receives Perkins Award for Excellence in Teaching – Middlebury College News and Events

MIDDLEBURY, Vt. Faculty, staff, and students honored Greg Pask, assistant professor of biology, with the Perkins Award for Excellence in Teaching at a ceremony in Bicentennial Hall on May 4. The annual award is presented alternately to a faculty member from mathematics or thesciences.

Earlier this year, student majors and minors in the science departments were asked for nominations for the award. The winner was chosen by a selectioncommittee.

The selection committee reviewed the letters and members were deeply impressed by the level of detail students provided to describe the myriad impacts our faculty have on students in the classroom, the research lab, and beyond, said Associate Dean of Sciences Rick Bunt, who introduced Pask. While all those nominated this year were worthy of recognition, this years awardee truly stoodout.

Pask, an insect neurobiologist, studies the powerful sense of smell insects use to locate food, find mates, and communicate with others. His research focuses on the chemical language of ants and the specific genes involved in detecting socialcues.

He earned his bachelors degree in chemistry from Muhlenberg College, his PhD in biochemistry from Vanderbilt University, and completed postdoctoral work in entomology at the University of California, Riverside. Bunt noted that Pask combines all of his academic skills in his study of chemical signaling in insectswork that has earned support from the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, and the Charles E. Kaufman Foundation. His research has resulted in 11 peer-reviewedpublications.

Bunt pointed out that Pask, who arrived at Middlebury in 2020, wasted no time diving into the campus community. Greg has already made quite a mark on students through his commitment and dedication to teaching excellence in the spirit of Professor LlewellynPerkins.

Students Benjamin Morris, Daphne Halley, and Aiden Masters each offered glowing remarks at the ceremony in support of Pask. The Perkins family was represented by Catherine Harris and Andrew Perkins onZoom.

Created in 1993, the Perkins Award is provided by the Professor Llewellyn R. Perkins and Dr. Ruth M.H. Perkins Memorial Research Fund, and it was made possible by a gift from Ruth Perkins, Middlebury Class of 1932, in memory of her husband, Llewellyn, who taught at Middlebury from 1914 through1941.

Their children, Marion Perkins Harris 57, a science teacher, and David Perkins, a physician, augmented the fund and expanded the scope of the award to honor their mother, Ruth, as well as their father. The award supports the recipients faculty development. It is presented in even-numbered years to a member of the mathematics or computer science department, and in odd-numbered years to a faculty member who teaches in the naturalsciences.

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Biology Professor Greg Pask Receives Perkins Award for Excellence in Teaching - Middlebury College News and Events

Biochemistry

Teaching during COVID-19 pandemic in practical laboratory classes of applied biochemistry and pharmacology: A validated fast and simple protocol for…

This article was originally published here

PLoS One. 2022 Apr 6;17(4):e0266419. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0266419. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

The pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus (COVID-19) is still a major health issue. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the university teaching to consider in high priority the switch from in-presence teaching to remote teaching, including laboratory teaching. While excellent virtual-laboratory teaching has been proposed and turned out to be very useful, the need of a real-laboratory in-presence teaching is still a major need. This study was aimed at presenting a laboratory exercise focusing (a) on a very challenging therapeutic strategy, i.e. SARS-CoV-2 diagnostics, and (b) on technologies that are playing a central role in applied biochemistry and molecular biology, i.e. PCR and RT-PCR. The aims of the practical laboratory were to determine: (a) the possibility to identify SARS-CoV-2 sequences starting from a recombinant plasmid and (b) the possibility to discriminate cells with respect to the expression of SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein. This activity is simple (cell culture, RNA extraction, RT-qPCR are all well-established technologies), fast (starting from isolated and characterized RNA, few hours are just necessary), highly reproducible (therefore easily employed by even untrained students). We suggest that this laboratory practical exercises should be considered for face-to-face teaching especially if the emergency related to the COVID-19 pandemic is maintained. The teaching protocol here described might be considered in order to perform fast but meaningful in-presence teaching, making feasible the division of crowded classes in low-number cohorts of students, allowing the maintenance of the required social distance.

PMID:35385518 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0266419

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Teaching during COVID-19 pandemic in practical laboratory classes of applied biochemistry and pharmacology: A validated fast and simple protocol for...

Biochemistry

Calendar of events, awards and opportunities – ASBMB Today

Every week, we update this list with new meetings, awards, scholarships and events to help you advance your career.If youd like us to feature something that youre offering to the bioscience community, email us with the subject line For calendar. ASBMB members offerings take priority, and we do not promote products/services. Learn how to advertise in ASBMB Today.

The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology is offering $500 to graduate students and postdocs displaced from their labs as a result of natural disaster, war or "other events beyond their control that interrupt their training." The money is for travel and settling in. Learn more and spread the word to those who could use assistance.

Empowering Female Minds in STEM (EFeMS) is a nonprofit organization that supports African women in STEM. On April 9, it is hosting the inaugural EFeMS Research Conference. The virtual conference will present research from academic and industrial scientists in the form of presentations, posters and networking. The deadline for abstract submissions is March 25. Learn more.

For scientists, information literacy skills are more important now than ever before. Students have many possible avenues to look for information, and navigating effectively to the best source can be overwhelming if they dont know where to start. For scientists and instructors to help students with this navigation, it is a great idea to work with a librarian. On April 14, from 14 p.m. Eastern, this workshop will cover forming collaborations between scientists and librarians. Register.

This in-person meeting will be held in Madison, Wisconsin. It'll bea unique, open, inclusive and interactive forum for the international and domestic research community working on ESCRT biology and be an effective learning environment for all participants, especially graduate students, postdocs and other researchers from diverse backgrounds.This meeting will bring together experts in disciplines as diverse as biophysics, plant biology, cell biology, biochemistry and structural biology from around the world to cover key aspects of ESCRT biology.Submit an abstract.Learn more in in this Q&A with with organizer Wes Sundquist.

The Department of Neuroscience and Center for Foundational Neuroscience Research & Education at West Virginia University will offer up to 10 summer internships of research-intensive training to diverse, competitive undergraduate students who are currently enrolled at a U.S. college or institution and have completed their second or third year. Interns participate in nine weeks of research, weekly journal clubs, a poster symposium, and activities. Benefits: research stipend of $4,000, plus a round-trip travel stipend of up to $500; a double-room in a residential hall; and access to state-of-the-art laboratories, libraries, and recreational facilities. Learn more and apply.

The ASBMB Annual Awards are given to outstanding professionals who have been recognized by their peers for contributions to their fields, education and diversity. The recipients will give talks about their work at the 2023 ASBMB Annual Meeting in Seattle.See eligibility criteria here.

This conference, to be held in person in Athens, Ga., will address the multitude of roles that the O-GlcNAc protein modification has in regulating nuclear and cytosolic proteins. It will bring together researchers from diverse fields to share their research, tools and experience in O-GlcNAc biology. The abstract deadline is April 26, and the early registration deadline is May 9. Submit an abstract.Learn more in this Q&A with organizers Gerald Hart and Lance Wells.

ASBMB Lipid Research Division Seminar Series

The ASBMB Lipid Research Division features the work of young investigators at noon Eastern on Wednesdays. If you are interested in presenting, please contactJohn Burke. Registeronce to access the whole series.

The next seminar on April 27 will feature Nirmalya Bag of the Indian Institute of Technology and Federico Gulluni of the University of Turin in Italy.

We were contacted by Caroline Mueller, assistant professor at Ohio University, about a survey for early-career medical educators. She wrote: "We hope that through this survey, we will identify the needs of early-career medical educators and develop appropriate resources for new faculty." Learn more and complete the survey by April 30.

The U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science Graduate Student Research program is accepting applications until May 4. The program supports U.S. graduate students seeking to conduct part of their thesis research at a DOE national lab or host site with a DOE scientist. The program is open to Ph.D. students who are conducting their thesis research in targeted areas of importance to the DOE Office of Science. Learn more.

The 2020 documentary Coded Bias explores biases embedded into technology. These biases affect the behaviors, outputs and consequences of countless devices, tools and digital spaces and often lead to or perpetuate inequity. Self-driving cars, facial recognition software, motion-activated appliances, job applicant screens and algorithms used for medical decision making theyre only as good as the code that defines their functions. The film describes in chilling fashion numerous prejudicial and even dangerous outcomes caused by biases hard-wired into data-centric technologies, and it makes the case for systemic changes needed to safeguard users and hold the tech industry accountable. Interested? The ASBMB Women in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Committee is hosting a screening and virtual panel discussion at 4 p.m. EDT on May 4. Committee member Meghna Gupta will moderate, and Jeff Kapler and Marina Holz will be panelists. The link to access the film will be sent to all registered attendees two weeks prior to the event. (The film also can be streamed on Netflix.) Register.

This in-person meetingin Kansas City, Mo., will showcasethe most recent insights into the cis-regulatory code, how cis-regulatory information is read out by transcription factors, signaling pathways and other proteins, how cellular diversity is created during development and how we can study this problem using cutting-edge genomics technology and computational methods.The meeting will simultaneously examine the problem from an evolutionary perspective: how cis-regulatory elements evolve, how regulatory variation affects gene expression and phenotypes, how these changes have shaped development and parallel evolution, and how noise affects regulatory circuits and their evolution. The abstract deadline for those who'd like to be considered for talks is May 6. The abstract deadline for poster presenters and the registration deadline is May 25.Submit an abstract.Learn more in this Q&A with two of the organizers.

This five-day conference will be held Aug. 1418 in person in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and online. It will be an international forum for discussion of the remarkable advances in cell and human protein biology revealed by ever-more-innovative and powerful mass spectrometric technologies. The conference will juxtapose sessions about methodological advances with sessions about the roles those advances play in solving problems and seizing opportunities to understand the composition, dynamics and function of cellular machinery in numerous biological contexts. In addition to celebrating these successes, we also intend to articulate urgent, unmet needs and unsolved problems that will drive the field in the future. Registration and abstract submission begins Nov. 1. Abstracts are due May 16. Learn more.

The Marion B. Sewer Distinguished Scholarship for Undergraduates offers financial support to students who demonstrate an interest in the fields of biochemistry and molecular biology and enhance the diversity of science. Students whose social, educational or economic background adds to the diversity of the biomedical workforce or who show commitment to enhancing academic success of underrepresented students are eligible. The scholarship provides up to $2,000 toward undergraduate tuition costs for one academic year and can be applied to fall or spring tuition of the year following scholarship award notification. Up to ten scholarships will be awarded each academic year. Applications by individuals from underrepresented groups are encouraged, although all qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, gender, color, ethnicity or national origin. Apply.

The Oklahoma Cobre in Structural Biology at the University of Oklahoma is hosting its 10th annual structural biology symposium on June 16. Confirmed speakers include Hao Wu of Harvard University, Breann Brown of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Lorena Saelices of University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Satish Nair of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Erica Ollman Saphire of the La Jolla Institute for Immunology. Check here for details and to register.

The Journal of Science Policy & Governance, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the Major Group for Children and Youth announced in February a call for papers for a special issue on "open science policies as an accelerator for achieving the sustainable development goals." The deadline for submissions is July 10. To help authors prepare their submissions, the group will be hosting a series of webinars (April 8 & 29, May 20, and June 10) and a science policy paper-writing workshop (March 2627). Read the call for submissions and learn more about the events.

Head to beautiful Denver, Colorado, for a summer experience as a PRIDE (Programs to Increase Diversity Among Individuals Engaged in Health-Related Research) scholar. PRIDE is an initiative of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute that trains junior faculty from underrepresented backgrounds and/or with disabilities to advance their scientific careers and make them more competitive for external research funding. The University of Colorado PRIDE (led by Sonia C. Flores, who also leads the ASBMB Minority Affairs Committee) is one of nine national PRIDE sites. Its focus is on the "impact of ancestry and gender on omics of lung and cardiovascular diseases" (which is why it's called PRIDEAGOLD). The program consists of two consecutive summer institutes (two and one week, respectively) that offer comprehensive formal instruction on multi-omics, data sciences and bioinformatics, with an emphasis on interpretations based on ancestry and/or gender; career development and grant-writing tools; pairing with expert mentors; and pilot funds to develop a small research project. Learn more.

This in-person meeting will be held Sept. 29 through Oct. 2 in Snowbird, Utah. Sessionswill cover recent advances and new technologies in RNA polymerase II regulation, including the contributions of non-coding RNAs, enhancers and promoters, chromatin structure and post-translational modifications, molecular condensates, and other factors that regulate gene expression. Patrick Cramer of the Max Planck Institute will present the keynote address on the structure and function of transcription regulatory complexes. The deadline for oral presentation abstracts is July 14. The deadline for poster presentation abstracts is Aug. 18.Learn more.

Most meetings on epigenetics and chromatin focus on transcription, while most meetings on genome integrity include little attention to epigenetics and chromatin. This conference in Seattle will bridge this gap to link researchers who are interested in epigenetic regulations and chromatin with those who are interested in genome integrity. The oral and poster abstract deadline and early registration deadline is Aug. 2. The regular registration deadline is Aug. 29.Learn more..

The ASBMB provides members with a virtual platform to share scientific research and accomplishments and to discuss emerging topics and technologies with the BMB community.

The ASBMB will manage the technical aspects, market the event to tens of thousands of contacts and present the digital event live to a remote audience. Additional tools such as polling, Q&A, breakout rooms and post event Twitter chats may be used to facilitate maximum engagement.

Seminars are typically one to two hours long. A workshop or conference might be longer and even span several days.

Prospective organizers may submit proposals at any time. Decisions are usually made within four to sixweeks.

Propose an event.

If you are a graduate student, postdoc or early-career investigator interested in hosting a #LipidTakeover, fill out this application. You can spend a day tweeting from the Journal of Lipid Research's account (@JLipidRes) about your favorite lipids and your work.

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Calendar of events, awards and opportunities - ASBMB Today

Biochemistry

Northern Arizona University – Chemistry Dept – Assistant Professor of Practice in Brewing and Fermentation Science – Brewbound.com Craft Beer Job…

The Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry at Northern Arizona University invites applications for an Assistant Professor of Practice in Brewing and Fermentation Science. This position is an academic-year appointment beginning in mid-August 2022. This position is not eligible for tenure. The salary range is $62,000 to $71,000.

Minimum qualifications include (1) an earned Bachelors degree in brewing science, food science, or a related field, or a bachelors degree in a non-related field and completion of a professional or university-affiliated brewing program; (2) at least three years of work experience in a commercial brewing (or similar) facility with at least one year in a supervisorial role (brewmaster, head brewer, brewing supervisor, packaging manager, quality manager, tap room operations manager, or other documented work experience).

Preferred qualifications include (1) Masters degree or higher in a brewing science or related field (chemistry, biochemistry, microbiology, biological sciences, engineering, food science, etc.); (2) Prior teaching experience and evidence of teaching effectiveness in higher education in chemistry or other brewing science related fields; (3) Experience in differentiated instruction for diverse student populations; (4) Research experience and a publication record in brewing science related disciplines; (5) Proven knowledge of brewing process operations including raw materials, fermentation process technology, and packaging operations. Five years or more work experience in a commercial brewing facility; (6) Certified Cicerone or BJCP Judge and prior beer judging experience and prior beer judging experience; (7) Demonstrated knowledge or experience in tap room operations, beer sales, or marketing.

The successful candidate will serve as the primary point of contact for the curriculum in the newly launched Brewing and Fermentation Science certificate program at NAU. This program integrates coursework from Chemistry and Biological Sciences with offerings in NAUs School of Hotel and Restaurant Management in the form of unique emphases in Brewing Quality Assurance and Brewing Management and Hospitality (https://nau.edu/cefns/brewing-and-fermentation-science). The successful candidate will provide excellent instruction in brewing science lectures and labs, including Principles of Brewing Science (CHM 310), Brewing Process Technology (CHM 311), Sensory and Quality Aspects of Beer/Lab (CHM 312/312L), and Beer Basics (HA 372), and the candidate may also be required to instruct courses in brewing science relevant fields as needed.A critical part of this roll will be coordinating internships for undergraduate students in the craft beer and brewing industry and bringing and developing strategic relationships is key. This person will represent NAU in engagement efforts with statewide and national industry trade groups in brewing as well as community partners.

To apply, go to Faculty and Administrator Openings at https://in.nau.edu/human-resources/current-job-openings/ and select job ID 606157. Your application must be submitted online to be reviewed and should include a single attachment that contains (1) a cover letter addressing the job description and preferred qualifications, 2) a current CV, (3) a statement of teaching interests and philosophy, (4) a statement of research interests and plans of scholarly activity, (5) a one-page DEIJ statement that addresses your values and/or philosophy, accomplishments, experiences, education and training in DEIJ, and (6) the names of three references. Save all items, in the order stated, and attach them in a single PDF or Word Document. You will also need to arrange for three letters of reference to be sent separately as an attachment to chemistry@nau.edu. Address questions to Dr. Brandon Cruickshank, Chair, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, PO Box 5698, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, 86011-5698, brandon.cruickshank@nau.edu, (928) 523-9602. Review of applications will begin 30 days after posting (April 21, 2022) and continue until the position is filled or closed.

Northern Arizona University is a 29,569-student institution with its main campus in Flagstaff, a four-season community of about 72,000 at the base of the majestic San Francisco Peaks. NAUs emphasis on undergraduate education is enhanced by its graduate programs and research as well as distance learning. All faculty members are expected to promote student learning and help students achieve academic outcomes. The university is committed to a diverse and civil working and learning environment. The Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry has 18 faculty committed to excellence in teaching and research. The department currently has over 250 undergraduate majors and offers a number of Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in chemistry including two ACS certified degrees. A 120,000 square foot Science and Health Building, opened in 2015, houses chemistry teaching and research activities. The department also operates laboratories in the 95,000 square foot Science Lab Facility which was completed in 2007.

Northern Arizona University requires satisfactory results for the following: a criminal background investigation, an employment history verification, and a degree verification (in some cases) prior to employment. You may also be required to complete a fingerprint background check. Additionally, NAU is required to participate in the federal E-Verify program that assists employers with verifying new employees right to work in the United States.

Northern Arizona University is a committee Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Institution. Women, minorities, veterans, and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply. NAU is responsive to the needs of dual career couples.

NAU affirms the importance and critical need for justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (DEIJ) in higher education, and we seek to hire people with a strong track record of engagement with DEIJ in their professional endeavors. We require as part of your application a one-page DEIJ statement that addresses your values and/or philosophy, accomplishments, experiences, education, and training with DEIJ.

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Northern Arizona University - Chemistry Dept - Assistant Professor of Practice in Brewing and Fermentation Science - Brewbound.com Craft Beer Job...

Biochemistry

A study of old flies offers new insight into retinal degeneration – ASBMB Today

While bright light helps us see better, our eyes need darkness for better vision. Light breaks down the sensitive machinery of our eyes every day, and during the darkness of night, key pieces are rebuilt. The clock of our circadian rhythms runs this process, and researchers have found that if the clock is disrupted, our eyes may be at greater risk of retinal degeneration as we age.

Purdue University photo/Tom Campbell

Fruit flies give insight into age-related changes in human vision. A team of researchers discovered the circadian clock plays a significant role in protecting eyes from retinal degeneration. The team studied fruit flies, which serve as a good model for the human retina. Vikki Weake, associate professor of biochemistry in Purdue's College of Agriculture, led the team.

Imagine if we could slow or prevent vision loss from retinal degeneration, said Vikki Weake, associate professor of biochemistry in Purdue Universitys College of Agriculture, who led the study. To do this, we need to understand the molecular mechanisms that drive age-associated changes and the external and internal factors that influence them. In this study, we discovered the circadian clock plays a surprisingly significant role in age-related changes in the retina. This internal clock may be critical in advanced age to prevent retinal degeneration and maintain eye health.

The team studied the eyes of Drosophila flies, a common model for the human eye. However, the study was uncommon in its use of multiple time points during aging, focus on photoreceptor neurons and new data analysis approaches. The findings are detailed in a paper in PLOS Genetics.

In our earlier studies, just focusing on gene expression, we were missing part of the story, Weake said. By looking at changes in chromatin that alter access to the underlying DNA during aging, we were able to identify some of the transcription factors that drive these gene expression changes in the aging eye.

Weake acknowledges doctoral student Juan Jupa Jauregui-Lozano for the idea for and application of the bioinformatics technique used.

I came across a powerful bioinformatics technique that can identify changes in transcription factor activity, helping us to understand gene regulation, Jauregui-Lozano said. The results revealed that the transcription factors Clock and Cycle - known for their role in circadian rhythm showed progressive changes in activity with age. This fits with what we know about eye biology, and this unbiased approach led us to identify Clock and Cycle as interesting targets to study.

Purdue University photo/Tom Campbell

Vikki Weake, associate professor of biochemistry in Purdue's College of Agriculture, sits at a microscope in her lab.

The technique, called diffTF, looks at changes in DNA accessibility in chromatin between different conditions. It generates a panel of potential candidates to pursue, as opposed to a research team beginning with a target gene in mind.

Clock and Cycle were known for being master regulators of circadian rhythms, but we saw they also regulate nearly all of the genes involved in sensing light in the retina, Jauregui-Lozano said. When the Clock:Cycle complex is disrupted, flies are susceptible to light-dependent retinal degeneration, and light-independent increase of oxidative stress. In humans, disruption of circadian rhythms has been associated with the onset of several age-related eye diseases. This is another piece of the puzzle.

Regulating the time at which these proteins are made is important to protect the light-sensing neurons and retain vision, Weake said.

The proteins involved in sensing light are delicate and degrade during the day when they are exposed to light, she said. If the circadian clock is off and these proteins arent made at the right time, its a problem.

The study found this complex controlled gene expression of nearly 20% of the active genes in Drosophila photoreceptors. The study also found the complex was responsible for maintaining global levels of chromatin accessibility in photoreceptors, a critical step in transcription of genes.

Co-author Hana Hall, research assistant professor of biochemistry at Purdue, performed light and dark experiments to see the effect on gene transcription when she was a researcher in Weakes lab.

Unlike most cells in the human body, neurons dont divide and replicate. The death of neurons lead to degenerative disease, Hall said. Because of this the cellular processes involved in repairing and regulating them are especially important. Proteins achieve this, and genes control which proteins are produced.

Aging is the main risk factor for neurodegenerative disease, Hall said. If we can understand the mechanics of how things get off track or become misregulated in our later years, we may be able to prevent or slow down the progression of these diseases. Vision loss affects a persons lifespan, independence and quality of life. Even delaying onset by five years could make a tremendous difference. We have ideas, and we are going to seek the answers.

The research team also included doctoral student Sarah Stanhope and undergraduate students Kimaya Bakhle and Makayla M. Marlin.

The National Eye Institute of the NIH (R01EY024905) and the Bird Stair Research Fellowship and Ross Lynn Research Scholar funded this work.

This article originally appeared in Purdue Universitys Agriculture News and has been republished with permission.

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A study of old flies offers new insight into retinal degeneration - ASBMB Today

Biochemistry

How tumor hypoxia suppresses the immune response – ASBMB Today

A team of researchers at the New England Inflammation and Tissue Protection Institute at Northeastern University have made headway in determining how the upregulation of adenosine in the hypoxic tumor microenvironment influences cell responses to immunotherapy.

Cells constantly are regulating every aspect of cell growth with complex signaling pathways and checkpoints to ensure everything is working normally. When cells notice something foreign or harmful, such as cancer cells, they activate their immune response to eliminate the harm. Cancer, however, has adapted to override this response, which allows cancer cells to grow into lethal tumors.

Kai Beattie is an undergraduate working under the direction of Michail Sitkovsky and Stephen Hatfield at the New England Inflammation and Tissue Protection Institute.

Courtesy of Nuria Roxana Romero Navarrete

T cells (pink) infiltrate an orthotopically injected murine breast tumor with differential expression of the adenosine-generating ectoenzyme CD73 (yellow).DAPI (blue).

Beattie and colleagues are working to elucidate evolutionary conserved mechanisms of immune evasion and metastatic dissemination exploited by cancerous cells. He will discuss his teams findings today during a poster presentation at the 2022 American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Annual Meeting held in conjunction with the Experimental Biology conference in Philadelphia.

Studying cancers molecular underpinnings is especially intriguing to me because it represents an impossibly difficult biological puzzle that is the ultimate product of Darwinian evolution, Beattie said. When we study biochemical pathways enriched in tumors, we are actually beginning to understand ancient mechanisms of survival. Such is the case for hypoxiaadenosinergic signaling and the epithelialmesenchymal transition.

Cancer cells override the immune response by changing their surroundings to make the ideal environment for tumor growth.

Tumor hypoxia is when cancer cells have low oxygen levels because they are consuming oxygen to grow faster than the body can make more oxygen. Just as when we work out, we breathe faster to get more oxygen, when cells grow faster, they need more oxygen.

Kai Beattie did the work hell present at the ASBMB annual meeting while he was an undergraduate at Northeastern University. He credited research technician Nuria Roxana Romero Navarette for her excellent mentorship and scientific intellect and Anushka Dongre, an assistant professor, for collaborating with the New England Inflammation and Tissue Protection Institute on the project.

Beattie and colleagues are studying the A2AR signaling pathway and how this pathway could be harnessed to enable antitumor responses. Beatties research specifically focuses on understanding the mechanism with which HIF-1 increases adenosine levels. Better understanding the link between HIF-1 and adenosine levels will add another potential regulation mechanism for programming the anti-tumor response.

While studying HIF-1s mechanism, Beattie discovered adenosine-generating enzymes and changes in adenosine metabolism when hypoxic conditions are induced. Using epithelial murine breast cancer and quasi-mesenchymal carcinoma cells, he and his team found a remarkable difference in adenosinergic enzymes and epithelialmesenchymal transition transcription factors during hypoxia.

Future work by Beattie and colleagues will focus on validating his findings in 3D cell aggregates that can mimic tissues (spheroids) and in preclinical mouse models, potentially using gene editing methods to establish key proteins involved in anti-hypoxia-HIF-1-A2AR treatment.

Beattie said the take-home message of his work so far is this: Hypoxia-dependent signaling within neoplastic contexts represents one of many pathophysiological hallmarks of cancer that are integral to carcinogenesis and development of therapeutic resistance. Our knowledge of these biological capabilities is directly translatable to the development of treatments that, in the case of hypoxiaadenosinergic signaling, enhance anticancer immunity through the liberation of tumor-reactive cytotoxic lymphocytes from immunosuppression.

Kai Beattie will present this research between 12:45 and 2 p.m. Sunday, April 3, in Exhibit/Poster Hall AB, Pennsylvania Convention Center (Poster Board Number A346) (abstract).

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How tumor hypoxia suppresses the immune response - ASBMB Today

Biochemistry

Biochemistry – Definition, Careers and Major | Biology Dictionary

Biochemistry Definition

Biochemistry is the study of the chemical reactions that take place inside organisms. It combines elements from both biology and chemistry. Biochemistry became a separate discipline in the early 20th Century. Biochemists study relatively large molecules like proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates, which are important in metabolism and other cellular activities; they also study molecules like enzymes and DNA.

Biochemistry research has been done for around the past 400 years, although the term biochemistry itself was only coined in 1903 by the German chemist Carl Neuberg. The study of biochemistry essentially began with the invention of the microscope in 1665 by Robert Hooke. He was the first person to observe cells under a microscope, but they were dead cells; later on in 1674, Anton van Leeuwenhoek saw live plant cells under a microscope. Now that scientists had seen cells for the first time, they were eager to study them and discover more about the processes that occurred inside them. In the 18th Century, the French scientist Antoine Lavoisier proposed a reaction mechanism for photosynthesis, which is the process by which plants make their own food out of carbon dioxide, water, and sunlight, releasing oxygen in the process. He also was the first person to investigate the process of cell respiration, the process of making the energy molecule adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in the mitochondria of the cell.

In the 19th Century, a prevailing belief was that protoplasm, the jelly-like inside of the cell, carried out all of the processes involved with breaking down food molecules. It was believed that the chemistry of living organisms was inherently different from that of non-living ones. In 1897, Eduard Buchner performed an experiment that would change this view. He prepared an extract from yeast that he called zymase. Although zymase did not contain any living yeast cells, it could still ferment glucose to produce carbon dioxide and ethanol. Following Buchners convention, enzymes began to be named for the reaction they carried out; for example, DNA polymerase polymerizes DNA. (Zymase was later found to be multiple enzymes.)

In the 20th Century, further advancements were made. Hans Krebs discovered the citric acid cycle (which would also become known as the Krebs cycle), a series of chemical reactions during cellular respiration where glucose and oxygen are converted to ATP, carbon dioxide, and water. Also, DNA became known as the genetic material of the cell and its structure was identified by James Watson and Francis Crick from previous research done by Rosalind Franklin. Presently, newer technology such as recombinant DNA, gene splicing, radioisotopic labelling, and electron microscopy are advancing scientific knowledge further than ever before.

Topics in biochemistry research include enzyme mechanisms and kinetics, the making of proteins from DNA, RNA, and amino acids through the processes of transcription and translation, and the metabolic processes of cells. Biochemistry is closely related to molecular biology, which is the study of biological molecules such as DNA, proteins, and other macromolecules. Molecular biology techniques are often used to study biochemistry, along with techniques from other fields like immunology and physics. Since all life can be broken down into small molecules and chemical reactions, biochemistry is a broad science that is used in studying all types of biology, from botany to molecular genetics to pharmacology. Chemical reactions in cells are emphasized, but specific research topics can vary widely. For example, biochemists may be interested in researching the chemical reactions that occur in the brain (thereby connecting biochemistry with neurochemistry), how cells divide and differentiate, cell communication, the chemical basis of genetic inheritance, or how diseases such as cancer spread.

This is an image of a biochemist working in a laboratory.

Biochemistry is a laboratory science. To work in the field of biochemistry, an individual must be interested in conducting research, and should obtain at least a bachelors degree. Many biochemists teach and are principal investigators of research laboratories at universities; these positions require PhDs. While most biochemists with PhDs conduct research, some are academic lecturers and solely teach at universities. However, these biochemists also had to do research throughout graduate school in order to complete their PhD thesis. Other biochemists are lab managers, which requires a masters degree. With a bachelors degree, one may become a scientific research technician. The more education an individual has, generally the more independence they will have in a lab. Technicians carry out bench work and help perform experiments that a principal investigator designs. A lab manager has more responsibilities than a technician and may do independent research projects under the guidance of a principal investigator. Aside from academia, biochemists also work in industry positions. They may work in government laboratories or for a variety of companies including agricultural, pharmaceutical, public health, or biotechnology companies. Others provide specific services such as toxicology or forensics.

In order to be a competent biochemist, one must be interested in biology or chemistry research and learn proper laboratory skills and safety procedures. It is also important to have an aptitude for mathematics and statistics, and be able to analyze the data generated from experiments. The ability to think outside the box and brainstorm new ideas is important for designing experiments. Biochemists must also keep up with the scientific literature by reading recent publications in scientific journals and attending conferences. Although it takes a lot of hard work, training, and study, biochemists are able to uncover new information about the chemistry of living things and contribute to advancing scientific knowledge.

Students interested in becoming biochemists need to take many science courses during their time as an undergraduate. General knowledge of both biology and chemistry is essential. Many schools offer biochemistry as a specific major. It is also possible to become a biochemist after obtaining a biology or chemistry bachelors degree, but one needs to make sure that they have a good background in the subject they are not majoring in; i.e., an undergraduate majoring in biology needs to take chemistry courses (this is usually a requirement of all undergraduate biology majors), and an undergraduate majoring in chemistry should also take biology courses. Of course, there are also specifically biochemistry courses that students should take. Additionally, it is important to be well versed in mathematics and physics.

As students advance in their undergraduate career, they will take more specific science courses based on their specific interests. For example, they could take classes in botany, molecular biology, biophysics, biomedical sciences, or structural biology (how molecules are organized into cells and tissues), depending on where their research interests lie.

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Biochemistry - Definition, Careers and Major | Biology Dictionary

Biochemistry

Biochemistry | UC San Diego Extension

Saborio, Jose

Jose has conducted research in Academic Institutions in the USA, Mexico, and Sweden, focused on viral gene expression in cells infected with Poliovirus, Adenovirus, and of cytoskeletal and contractile proteins in cultures cells and in skeletal and smooth muscle tissues. While at the University of California, Irvine, Jose discovered and characterized two paraflagellar proteins, and the corresponding genes, of Trypanosoma cruzi , the causative agent of Chagas Disease, a parasitosis endemic in several South American countries. In the Biotechnology industry, for ten years, Jose worked as a scientist and as quality assurance manager for the Molecular Biology product line.

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Biochemistry | UC San Diego Extension

Biochemistry

Researchers discover antibodies that neutralize omicron and other SARS-CoV-2 variants – News-Medical.Net

An international team of scientists have identified antibodies that neutralize omicron and other SARS-CoV-2 variants. These antibodies target areas of the virus spike protein that remain essentially unchanged as the viruses mutate.

By identifying the targets of these "broadly neutralizing" antibodies on the spike protein, it might be possible to design vaccines and antibody treatments that will be effective against not only the omicron variant but other variants that may emerge in the future, said David Veesler, investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and associate professor of biochemistry at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle. "This finding tells us that by focusing on antibodies that target these highly conserved sites on the spike protein, there is a way to overcome the virus' continual evolution," Veesler said.

Veesler led the research project with Davide Corti of Humabs Biomed SA, Vir Biotechnology, in Switzerland. The study's findings were published Dec. 23 in the journal Nature. The lead authors of the study were Elisabetta Cameroni and Christian Saliba (Humabs), John E. Bowen (UW Biochesmistry) and Laura Rosen (Vir).

The omicron variant has 37 mutations in the spike protein, which it uses to latch onto and invade cells. This is an unusually high number of mutations. It is thought that these changes explain in part why the variant has been able to spread so rapidly, to infect people who have been vaccinated and to reinfect those who have previously been infected.

The main questions we were trying to answer were: how has this constellation of mutations in the spike protein of the omicron variant affected its ability to bind to cells and to evade the immune system's antibody responses."

David Veesler, Study Investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Associate Professor of Biochemistry, School of Medicine in Seattle, University of Washington

[Veesler and his colleagues speculate that omicron's large number of mutations might have accumulated during a prolonged infection in someone with a weakened immune system or by the virus jumping from humans to an animal species and back again.]

To assess the effect of these mutations, the researchers engineered a disabled, nonreplicating virus, called a pseudovirus, to produce spike proteins on its surface, as coronaviruses do. They then created pseudoviruses that had spike proteins with the omicron mutations and those found on the earliest variants identified in the pandemic.

The researchers first looked to see how well the different versions of the spike protein were able to bind to protein on the surface of cells, that the virus uses to latch onto and enter the cell. This protein is called the angiotensin converting enzyme-2 (ACE2) receptor.

They found the omicron variant spike protein was able to bind 2.4 times better than spike protein found in the virus isolated at the very beginning of the pandemic. "That's not a huge increase," Veesler noted, "but in the SARS outbreak in 2002-2003, mutations in the spike protein that increased affinity were associated with higher transmissibility and infectivity." They also found that the omicron version was able to bind to mouse ACE2 receptors efficiently, suggesting omicron might be able to "ping-pong" between humans and other mammals.

The researchers then looked at how well antibodies against earlier isolates of the virus protected against the omicron variant. They did this by using antibodies from patients who had previously been infected with earlier versions of the virus, vaccinated against earlier strains of the virus, or had been infected and then vaccinated.

They found that antibodies from people who had been infected by earlier strains and from those who had received one of the six most-used vaccines currently available all had reduced ability to block infection.

Antibodies from people who had previously been infected and those who had received the Sputnik V or Sinopharm vaccines as well as a single dose of Johnson & Johnson had little or no ability to block or "neutralize" the omicron variant's entry into cells. Antibodies from people who had received two doses of the Moderna, Pfizer/BioNTech, and AstraZeneca vaccines retained some neutralizing activity, albeit reduced by 20- to 40-fold, much more than any other variants.

Antibodies from people who had been infected, recovered, and then had two doses of vaccine also had reduced activity, but the reduction was less, about fivefold, clearly demonstrating that vaccination after infection is useful.

Antibodies from people, in this case a group of renal dialysis patients, who had received a booster with a third dose of the mRNA vaccines produced by Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech showed only a 4-fold reduction in neutralizing activity. "This shows that a third dose is really, really helpful against omicron," Veesler said.

All but one antibody treatments currently authorized or approved to be used with patients exposed to the virus, had no or had markedly reduced activity against omicron in the laboratory. The exception was an antibody called sotrovimab, which had a two- to three-fold reduction of neutralizing activity, the study finds.

But when they tested a larger panel of antibodies that have been generated against earlier versions of the virus, the researchers identified four classes of antibodies that retained their ability to neutralize omicron. Members of each of these classes target one of four specific areas of the spike protein present in not only SARS-CoV-2 variants but also a group of related coronaviruses, called sarbecoviruses. These sites on the protein may persist because they play an essential function that the protein would lose if they mutated. Such areas are called "conserved."

The finding that antibodies are able to neutralize via recognition of conserved areas in so many different variants of the virus suggests that designing vaccines and antibody treatments that target these regions could be effective against a broad spectrum of variants that emerge through mutation, Veesler said.

Source:

Journal reference:

Cameroni, E., et al. (2021) Broadly neutralizing antibodies overcome SARS-CoV-2 Omicron antigenic shift. Nature. doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-03825-4.

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Researchers discover antibodies that neutralize omicron and other SARS-CoV-2 variants - News-Medical.Net