Category Archives: Biochemistry

Biochemistry Department Makes Strides in Diagnostic Testing

This month the Journal of the American Chemical Society published findings by chemistry and biochemistry professor Kevin W. Plaxco and his team of researchers that have led to the design of quick and inexpensive medical tests used for the detection of human disease.

The diagnostic tests are based on models in nature and can easily detect antibodies found in a number of human diseases such as autoimmune diseases, sexually transmitted diseases and allergies through a microscopic DNA part. The tests are more convenient and affordable than current ones and can therefore potentially allow for earlier treatment. Treatments administered earlier on in disease development may significantly reduce effects or terminate the pathogen itself.

Plaxco said current tests are not necessary faulty in their accuracy but fail to reveal the presence of diseases soon enough, particularly in the case of sexually transmitted diseases.

Patients typically must wait for days or even weeks to receive the results of most STD tests The blood sample has to be transported to the lab, its content analyzed by trained personnel, and the results sent back to the doctors office, Plaxco said in a press release. If we can move testing to the point of care, it eliminates the lag between testing and treatment, which would enhance the effectiveness of medical interventions and for infectious diseases like STDs reduce transmission.

Co-author and post-doctoral scholar Alexis Valle-Blisle said the tests use of natural occurrences and bioengineering is what gives them their revolutionary efficiency and speed.

All creatures, from bacteria to humans, monitor their environments using amazing molecular nanoswitches that signal the presence of a specific target by changing their structure, Valle-Blisle said in a press release. For example, on the surface of our cells, there are millions of receptor proteins that detect various molecules by switching from an off state to an on state. The beauty of these switches is that they are able to work directly in very complex environments such as whole blood.

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WASHINGTON (AP) Abbott Laboratories said Friday it repeatedly misstated the college education of senior executive Robert Gonzalez, who is soon slated to become CEO of its $18 billion-pharmaceutical spinoff.

Company regulatory filings between 2002 and 2007 list Gonzalez as holding a bachelor's degree in biochemistry from the University of Miami and a master's degree in biochemistry from the University of Houston. The North Chicago, Ill., company's current website states that Gonzalez only attended those schools. The change was first reported by Crain's Chicago Business.

"There was an error made when the bio was written many years ago," said Abbott spokeswoman Melissa Brotz. "When we became aware of it we corrected it." Brotz said Abbott doesn't know when the incorrect information was first introduced or corrected.

Abbott announced last October that Gonzalez would lead its spinoff AbbVie, which will market the company's major prescription medicines, including the blockbuster anti-inflammatory drug Humira.

The split-up, schedule to take effect before 2013, is designed to free Abbott from the risks and uncertainty of developing innovative pharmaceutical drugs. Abbott CEO Miles White will lead a trimmed down version of the company built around medical devices, generic drugs and nutritional formula.

Gonzalez joined Abbott in 1977 and held various leadership positions until 2007, when he briefly retired from the company. He returned in 2009 and has been executive vice president for pharmaceuticals since 2010.

Brotz said the company still expects Gonzalez to assume leadership of the spinoff.

"There is no issue with respect to Gonzalez's educational background and his ability to lead AbbVie," she said. "He has had a distinguished 30-year career with the company and a demonstrated track record."

CEOs of public companies who have not graduated college are a rarity, especially in the science and technology industries.

Earlier this year Yahoo dumped CEO Scott Thompson after just four months on the job. His departure was triggered by the revelation that his resume included a college degree in computer science that he never received.

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Abbott says rising exec did not graduate college

September 27, 2012 5:02PM

Updated: September 28, 2012 12:05AM

Abbott Laboratories is shrugging off the fact that the company overstated the education level of the man chosen to helm its pharmaceutical spinoff, which is expected to make $18 billion in sales next year. Longtime Abbott exec Richard Gonzalez didnt receive either a bachelors degree in biochemistry from the University of Houston or a masters in biochemistry from the University of Miami contrary to biographical information filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2007 and several years prior while he was a director at the company. There was an administrative error many years ago when the bio was written, said Abbott spokesman Melissa Brotz. When we became aware of it a while back we corrected it promptly I dont have an exact date. Theres absolutely no issues with his educational background or ability to lead. Hes had a distinguished career reaching the highest levels in the company with a proven track record, said Brotz. Gonzalez will take the reigns of the pharmaceutical spinoff AbbVie when the nascent company completes its separation Jan. 1. AbbVie (pronounced Abb-vee) will be the new research-based pharmaceutical firm expected to be launched by Abbott Laboratories by the end of the year. In October 2011, North Chicago-based Abbott said it would separate into two publicly traded firms one in diversified medical products, the other in research-based pharmaceuticals. AbbVie will include Abbotts current portfolio of proprietary pharmaceuticals and biologics. The name is derived from a combination of Abbott and vie, which references the Latin root vi meaning life. The AbbVie logo and graphic identity will be unveiled when the new company is launched. The diversified medical products company, which will retain the Abbott name, will consist of Abbotts existing products portfolio, including its branded generic pharmaceutical, devices, diagnostics and nutritional businesses. AbbVie has nearly $18 billion in annual revenue and will have a portfolio of market-leading brands, including Humira, Lupron, Synagis, Kaletra, Creon and Synthroid. Gonzalez joined Abbott in 1977 and retired briefly in 2007 as the companys No. 2 man before returning in 2009 to head its investment arm and is currently executive vice president of the pharmaceutical products group. A spokesman for the University of Houston confirmed Gonzalez took classes at the school in 1972 and 1973, but did not earn a degree. School administrators from the University of Miami were not immediately available Thursday. Crains Chicago Business first broke the story.

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CEO of Abbott’s spinoff didn’t receive college degrees claimed in filings

SUN-TIMES MEDIA September 27, 2012 6:58PM

Abbott Laboratories gave incorrect education credentials for the executive chosen to lead its pharmaceutical spinoff in regulatory filings between 2002 and 2007, Crains Chicago Business is reporting.

Richard A. Gonzalez, named CEO of AbbVie, did not receive a biochemistry bachelors degree nor a biochemistry masters degree from the universities Abbott filings listed, Crains reported.

According to Crains, Gonzalez did not receive a bachelors degree in biochemistry from the University of Houston, nor a masters degree in biochemistry from the University of Miami, contrary to claims in Abbotts filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission when the longtime company executive was a director.

He started at the company in 1977 and retired from Abbott as president and chief operating officer in 2007, but returned two years later.

Gonzalez, 58, currently executive vice president, Global Pharmaceuticals at Abbott, was chosen to be chairman and CEO of AbbVie (pronounced Abb-vee), the new research-based pharmaceutical firm, which is projected to have $18 billion in annual sales after it is spun off later this year.

Abbott external communications Vice President Melissa Brotz confirmed to Crains that Gonzalez did not receive degrees from either university.

The inaccurate information about his education was included in SEC filings as a result of an internal administrative error. She told Crains that Abbott learned about the errors some time ago. The company corrected the information on its Web site immediately after the errors were discovered, she said.

According to the companys Web site, Gonzalez is listed as a research biochemist at the University of Miami School of Medicine and attended the University of Houston, majoring in biochemistry,

Theres really no issue here with respect to his educational background and his ability to lead AbbVie, Brotz told Crains. His ability to lead AbbVie is evidenced by his distinguished career over 30 years, culminating in his reaching the highest levels of the company.

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CEO of Abbott spinoff lacks degrees claimed in filings

Researchers at McNeese State University believe alligators could hold thekey to healing humans.

At the helm of the study is Dr. Mark Merchant, professor of biochemistry.

Merchant saidhis interest with gators began at an early age.

"I grew up in the marshes of Southwest Louisiana and Southeast Texas hunting and fishing and I am still in the marsh a lot pursuing those activities. I've been around alligators most of my life," Merchant said.

Merchant said he realized a long time ago that there was something special about the immune systems of theseprehistoric animals.

"Alligators and crocodiles are very territorial and they fight andat times, inflict great injury on one another butthe fact is it seems they heal rather rapidly despite the fact they live in an environment wherethere are lots of potentially infectious microbes such asbacteria and fungi and things that can infect these massive wounds," Merchant said.

When his research began 11 years ago, Merchantwas able to prove the blood of alligators could kill pathogens. Since then, he has learned more howalligator blood kills bacteria, fungi and viruses, specifically white blood cells.

"What we have found in the last four or five years is that the white blood cells from alligators can and other crocodilians around the world make these tiny peptides that have tremendous antibacterial and antifungal activity," explained Merchant. "We have just recently isolated the small peptides or proteins and are working to determine the exact structure. So we think we potentially may have not only a new antibiotic, but a whole new class of antibiotics for human and veterinary use."

Merchantsaid there is still a lot of researchbeforethe antibioticcan be produced inlabs.

"It could be tomorrow. It could be next month or it could be in 10 years. I hope it is sooner rather than later," he said.

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Research of alligator blood could one day help humans

PHILADELPHIA Rahul M. Kohli, MD, PhD, an assistant professor of Medicine and Biochemistry & Biophysics, is one of the recipients of a New Innovator Award from National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The NIH Directors New Innovator Award, totaling $1.5 million over five years, supports highly innovative research and creative, new investigators who exhibit strong potential to make great advances on a critical biomedical or behavioral research problem.

Kohlis lab will use the grant to study the enzymes that drive bacterial evolution, aiming to devise new methods to combat the emergence of drug-resistant bacteria.

The ability of pathogens to quickly build up resistance to the best available antibiotics leads to potentially devastating consequences to human health. Past responses to this concern have largely focused on modifying existing drugs, which can offer a brief reprieve, but eventually fosters more drug resistance. Kohlis research seeks to change the paradigm of attacking drug resistance, by targeting the very pathways that allow the pathogen to mutate.

Rather than focusing on drugs that kill bacteria, understanding and targeting bacterias ability to adapt could be an effective new approach to drug resistance, said Kohli. Given the clinical importance of the problem, Im excited about the opportunities we can pursue with this award.

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Penn Medicine is one of the world's leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and excellence in patient care. Penn Medicine consists of the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (founded in 1765 as the nation's first medical school) and the University of Pennsylvania Health System, which together form a $4.3 billion enterprise.

The Perelman School of Medicine is currently ranked #2 in U.S. News & World Report's survey of research-oriented medical schools. The School is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $479.3 million awarded in the 2011 fiscal year.

The University of Pennsylvania Health System's patient care facilities include: The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania -- recognized as one of the nation's top "Honor Roll" hospitals by U.S. News & World Report; Penn Presbyterian Medical Center; and Pennsylvania Hospital the nation's first hospital, founded in 1751. Penn Medicine also includes additional patient care facilities and services throughout the Philadelphia region.

Penn Medicine is committed to improving lives and health through a variety of community-based programs and activities. In fiscal year 2011, Penn Medicine provided $854 million to benefit our community.

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Penn Medicine Researcher Receives New Innovator Award from National Institutes of Health