Congratulations to the 2012 Bindley Bioscience Center Research Fellows and Scholars

07-27-2012

Bindley Bioscience Center Research Fellows and Scholars Initiative

Program Overview

The Bindley Research Fellows and Scholars Initiative (BRFSI) seeks to engage the campus in the development, expansion and application of new science and engineering technologies, with an emphasis on creating new life science approaches. The program is directed at faculty on the West Lafayette campus (tenure-track/tenured and clinical) at all academic ranks who feel their research will benefit from access to the interdisciplinary environment and resources at the Bindley Bioscience Center. Fellows and Scholars are chosen on a competitive basis following nomination by their department/unit head/chair with approval of the college dean. Appointment to the Fellows program is for one calendar year, while appointment to the Scholars program is for two calendar years. Departments/units receive $25,000/year for each fellow and scholar as compensation for the partial release from academic responsibilities of faculty serving as Bindley Research Fellows or Scholars. Each fellow and scholar may receive up to $10,000/year for use in Bindley Core Research Facilities during their appointment.

The Selected 2012 BBC Research Fellows and Scholars

BBC SCHOLAR: Andrew Mesecar, Walther Professor in Cancer Structural Biology, Department of Biological Sciences

PROJECT TITLE: "Establishment of a Campus-Wide Resource for Drug Discovery and Chemical Genomics"

Dr. Mesecar's research focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms that drive therapeutic enzyme function and his expertise in chemical genomics is an excellent fit to expand the screening capacity of the Bindley Bioscience Center. Dr. Mesecar's use of small molecule compound screening is key to identify new therapeutic drugs and explore protein structure/function relationships. By establishing a campus-wide drug discovery and chemical genomics resource, Dr. Mesecar will create cross-disciplinary interactions that include target-based and cellular-based assays, high-throughput screening of chemical libraries, cheminformatics & computational drug design, synthetic medicinal chemistry, biophysical analysis, X-ray crystallography, mass spectrometry, and cellular & animal imaging. His project will develop new synergies across Purdue and beyond, further solidifying the Bindley's commitment to be leaders in drug discovery. Congratulations to Andrew Mesecar as the 2012 BBC Research Scholar.

 

BBC FELLOW: W. Andy Tao, Associate Professor, Department of Biochemistry

PROJECT TITLE: "Molecular Classification of Disease Subtypes Based on Multiplexed Arrays and Mass Spectrometry"

Dr. Tao's research on the development of technologies based on the state-of-the-art mass spectrometry that pushes the boundaries of proteomics with a specific focus on protein post-translational modification bring significant value to the BBC. Dr. Tao's project aims to develop a novel hybrid proteomic platform for unmet needs in classifying disease subtypes at the molecular level through determining key molecules' phosphorylation status and kinase activities in individual cells. Relying on phosphoproteomic tools that he has developed, his project will establish the platform to classify acute lymphoblastic leukemia subtypes, which will find application in profiling multiple cancer markers and other biological studies. Congratulations to W. Andy Tao as the 2012 BBC Research Fellow.

 

BBC FELLOW: Stanton Gelvin, Edwin Umbarger Distinguished Professor, Department of Biological Sciences

PROJECT TITLE: "Peptide Aptamer "mutagenesis" for Inhibiting Protein Function and Generating Novel Phenotypes"

The Bindley Bioscience Center provides an optimal setting for Dr. Gelvin to bring to fruition a novel mutagenesis approach using small peptide aptamers that can bind proteins to interfere with their function. Such technology has broad application and a high potential to be used routinely in functional genomics studies without the necessity of having to genetically mutate target proteins. Dr. Gelvin's research investigates how a soil bacterium, Agrobacterium tumefaciens, genetically engineers plants by probing the role of plant genes and proteins in this natural genetic engineering process. The peptide aptamer technology that his group is developing transcends the plant and animal kingdoms, making it ideal to spur many new collaborations. Congratulations to Stanton Gelvin as the 2012 BBC Research Fellow.

 

BBC FELLOW: You-Yeon Won, Associate Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering

PROJECT TITLE: "A Photo-Degradable Gene Delivery System for Enhanced Nuclear Transport"

Dr. Won's work holds great promise for new drug delivery technologies that will yield safer therapies for genetic and other devastating diseases. The Bindley Bioscience Center together with the Birck Nanotechnology Center at Purdue University's Discovery Park provide a one-of-a-kind setting to foster Dr. Won's project that relies on the emerging multidisciplinary field of bionanotechnolgy. Dr. Won's group will use state-of-the-art polymer synthesis and biological imaging techniques to create a UV-degradable polycation(micelle)-based DNA carrier system to precisely control the timing and subcellular location of DNA release. This research reinforces, once again, our commitment for leadership in drug discovery and delivery. Congratulations to You-Yeon Won as the 2012 BBC Research Fellow.

 

(This article originally appeared on the Bindley Bioscience website.)