Biochemistry Professor Dean Della Penna and Plant Biology Associate Professor Robin Buell are part of a $6 million NIH Grand Opportunities grant to understand exactly which genes are involved in the synthesis of medicinal chemicals in several plants — clearing the way for cheaper and more effective ways to produce drugs. Read more>>
New technology is changing the way scientists ask questions about gene expression in order to battle disease. Helping keep MSU on the forefront is the Gene Expression in Disease and Development group, a community of scholars focused on the mechanisms of gene regulation. The group is marking its 10th anniversary with a ceremony at 2:00 pm on Sept. 18 [...]
Biochemistry Professor Pam Fraker is examining the relationship between gastric bypass surgery and immune systems as bodies adjust to the decrease in food consumption. Fraker along with other scientists in MSU’s Metabolic Disease Group are conducting the NIH-funded research with Sparrow Hospital. Read more about Fraker’s NIH research project.
Beronda Montgomery, assistant professor in the Plant Research Lab and the Dept. of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, has received a $765,249 NSF grant as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The grant will assist research into how plant tissues differ at the molecular and biochemical levels in responses to light. Read more about [...]
Anthony Schilmiller and Rob Last were part of a research team that has found that tomato plants use a different compound, neryl diphosphate, as the substrate for making monoterpenes. The difference is subtle but the discovery will change the way terpene research is done. The research, published in the May 25 issue of the Proceedings of [...]
Chemistry professor Kevin Walker and his lab have found a method using natural enzymes to manufacture novel paclitaxels. This ‘green chemistry’ process paves the way for potentially cleaner, more efficient production of the cancer-fighting drug Taxol. Read more… Or watch the video of Kevin Walker.
Several faculty members are presenting papers at the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting in Chicago, including:
Rob Last
Dean Della Penna
Jon Miller
Thomas Dietz
See the MSU Special Report on AAAS 2009.
If you want to follow all the action at AAAS, check out ESPP’s Green Board blog as Andy McGlashen and Andy Balaskovitz blog from the conference.
Biochemistry professor Dean Della Penna and plant biology professor C. Robin Buell have been named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Della Penna was named for contributions in plant biochemical genetics and vitamin biosynthesis, and for leadership in altering crops to address micronutrient deficiencies in developing countries. Buell was named for contributions to plant and microbial [...]
MSU scientists are unlocking the secrets of the chloroplast by taking a new approach to genetics in the Chloroplast 2010 Initiative. This new method examines the relationships between thousands of different genes and almost 100 different measurable physical characteristics, called phenotypes, in the chloroplast. The method has already led to new discoveries about gene function [...]
A team of scientists in biochemistry, physiology and zoology have established a research center to link mitochondrial function to global cellular processes and pathological changes that lead to aging and disease. The Center for Mitochondrial Science and Medicine aligns investigators with the National Institutes of Health initiative on Mitochondrial Medicine in Human Health.
The scientists at the [...]
