New technique takes a big step in examination of small structures
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - A team led by a Purdue University researcher has achieved images of a virus in detail two times greater than had previously been achieved. Wen Jiang, an assistant professor of biological sciences at Purdue, led a research team that used the emerging technique of single-particle electron cryomicroscopy to capture a three-dimensional image of a virus at a resolution of 4.5 angstroms. Approximately 1 million angstroms would equal the diameter of a human hair.
"This is one of the first projects to refine the technique to the point of near atomic-level resolution," said Jiang, who also is a member of Purdue's structural biology group. "This breaks a threshold and allows us to now see a whole new level of detail in the structure. This is the highest resolution ever achieved for a living organism of this size."
Details of the structure of a virus provide valuable information for development of disease treatments, he said.
"If we understand the system - how the virus particles assemble and how they infect a host cell - it will greatly improve our ability to design a treatment," Jiang said. "Structural biologists perform the basic science and provide information to help those working on the clinical aspects."
Seed for Success Awards
The Seed for Success Awards were established by the Office of the Provost and the Office of the Vice President for Research to recognize faculty members who have attracted an individual sponsored research grant to Purdue University in excess of one million dollars.
Daoguo "Joe" Zhou received an award this year for his research grant, Host actin Cytoskeleton Rearrangements Induced by Salmonella.
Discovery Park Seed Grants Awarded
The Discovery Park Seed Grant competition, initiated this year to support interdisciplinary faculty projects involving one or more centers of Discovery Park, has awarded six $50,000 grants for 2008. Dorothea Thompson from the Department of Biological Sciences, along with V. Jo Davisson, Ching-Jer Chang, Steve Hallet, Tony Hazbun, J.Paul Robinson, and Gene Wickham, received an award for their proposal entitled Consortium for Classification of Microbial Biodiversity in the Caucasus Region. Partnering in this project are the Center of the Environment and the Bindley Bioscience Center.
Purdue awards first scholarships through federal Homeland Security STEM program
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Seven Purdue graduate students will receive research scholarships through the university's Homeland Security Science, Engineering, Technology and Mathematics Career Development program.
The scholarship winners are David Blunck of Canby, Ore., who is studying mechanical engineering; Karla Ann Combs of Rock Island, Ill., who is studying biological sciences; Laura Hughes of Buford, Ga., who is studying biological sciences; Samuel Liles of Porter, Ind., who is studying technology; Ross Maciejewski of Owensville, Mo., who is studying electrical and computer engineering; Shawn McKay of Mesa, Ariz., who is studying mechanical engineering; and Bryan Sims of Martinsville, Ind., who is studying nuclear engineering.
"This program will open new career opportunities, exposing me to biological sciences research that has crucial applications in homeland security," said Combs, who hopes to research better detection methods and countermeasures for bioweapons. "Demand continues to grow in this field, and this scholarship will allow me to work with a mentor to explore careers and get me on the path to a great government career." More
Purdue researchers obtain a snapshot clarifying how materials enter cells
A group of Purdue University researchers has captured a key step in the metabolic process that allows materials, such as nutrients and drug treatments, to move in and out of cells. A research team led by Jue Chen, an associate professor of biological sciences, obtained a snapshot of the tiny protein gate complex that opens and closes pathways through the protective cellular membrane. The gates, operated by small protein machines that push them open and closed, bring nutrients into the cell and flush out waste.
The Purdue-led team was the first to achieve an image of the middle step of the process, capturing the molecular interactions as material passes through the membrane.
Purdue announces director for Discovery Park's Bindley Bioscience Center
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Discovery Park is turning to a leading Purdue University researcher and administrator in biological sciences to lead the Bindley Bioscience Center, officials announced Monday (Nov. 5).
Richard Kuhn, who also is the head of Purdue's Department of Biological Sciences, will become the first director of the Bindley Bioscience Center, said Alan H. Rebar, executive director of Discovery Park. His appointment was effective Nov. 1.
Kuhn, who succeeds interim co-directors Mark Hermodson and George Wodicka, said he will build Bindley's research focus around Purdue's strengths in cancer, infectious diseases, and functional and translational genomics. He said he will support future development of technologies in genomics, proteomics and advanced analytical chemistry.
He received his doctorate in molecular biology from State University of New York at Stony Brook in 1986, joined the Purdue faculty in 1991 and became a Purdue Faculty Scholar in 2004. His research, based at the Markey Center for Structural Biology, focuses on understanding the biology of viruses that infect humans such as yellow fever, dengue virus, West Nile virus and hepatitis C.
Since opening in October 2005, the $15 million Bindley Bioscience Center has focused on developing miniaturized technologies for drug delivery, creating sensor implants for diagnosing, and harnessing genes and proteins from plants and animals to create new medicines and materials.
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