Ohio State SYNERGY

NewsMakers

A Sampling of the Simply Outstanding

Microbiologist Develops New DNA-Based Vaccine to Protect Against Anthrax

Darrell Galloway with undergrad students

Darrell Galloway, center, with undergrad students

Darrell Galloway's phone has been ringing off the hook, triggered by his study, recently published in the journal, Infection and Immunity, using anthrax DNA to produce a viable vaccine. A microbiologist, specializing in immunology, Galloway finds himself suddenly in the spotlight as speculation about bioterrorism becomes an unwelcome reality. Anthrax is a lethal disease if not detected quickly after exposure to its spores. Antibiotics are effective only if given before any symptoms develop. Work headed by Galloway showing that mice can be immunized against anthrax by receiving injections of DNA fragments from anthrax bacteria, has Newsweek and most of the major networks calling. Galloway's research takes earlier work, suggesting DNA-based vaccines might be effective, several steps further. Traditionally, researchers have used live, weakened or dead pathogens to produce an immune response. But this new approach may herald a safer and more effective way to produce vaccines against highly contagious and/or lethal diseases. Obviously, this could be welcome news for both military and civilian personnel scrambling to protect populations.

Always in the News! Microbiologist Receives $2.1 Million Consortium Grant

F. Robert Tabita, Ohio Eminent Scholar in Microbiology and Director of the Plant-Microbe Genetics Facility (PMGF) successfully competed for a $2.1 million consortium grant from the Department of Energy (DOE). Tabita will lead researchers from the University of Iowa, UCLA, the University of British Columbia, and Ohio State, along with three separate national DOE labs. Most of the work, which began September 1, will be done in Tabita's lab and in the PMGF. It is part of DOE's Microbial Cell Project, an initiative to examine how key aspects of metabolism are integrated and controlled in a single microbial cell for which a genomic sequence is available.

Older Than Dirt

The most famous tick in the world!

Acarologists rarely find themselves in the middle of a media feeding frenzy, but when Hans Klompen described a 90-million-year-old tick found in a clump of amber where it should not have been found, that's exactly what happened. The tick, the oldest representative of the order Parasitiformes, was found in the mid 1990's in New Jersey-a long, long way from South America where it supposedly originated. It was found by workers from the American Museum of Natural History in New York City; the museum then asked Klompen to describe it. He found that not only is it a very old tick, bumping up the order's age by some 50 million years, but a very unusual one, with lots of bristle-like hairs aligned on its back. Klompen believes it rode to New Jersey 90 million years ago on the back of a sea bird. When Klompen and David Grimaldi of the Museum co-authored a paper that appeared in the journal, Annals of the Entomological Society of America, everybody wanted a piece of the story, a photo, something. The story ran in New Scientist; Science; the French online science magazine, Fabrice Demarthon; Scientific American online and Der Spiegel online; Nature; the National Geographic Channel, Discovery online and the Canberra Times, among others. Who knew ticks could be so hot!

Undergrad Receives Goldwater Award

Gabriel T. Chong with Roy Tassava

Molecular Genetics major Gabriel T. Chong received a 2001 Goldwater Award, one of about 300 Goldwater Scholars nationwide. Chong's goal is to continue his studies in human cancer genetics in a combined M.D./Ph.D. program. He hopes that research into the mechanisms involved in cancer will allow development of gene-based cancer treatments. Chong did his undergraduate research in the lab of Gustavo Leone. Chong was also a first-place winner in the College of Biological Sciences Annual Undergraduate Research Colloquium.

Swoager Chosen Outstanding University Staff Member

Bill Swoager

Bill Swoager, microbiology research associate, was a recipient of the 2001 University Distinguished Staff Award. In 2000, Swoager was the winner of the College's first distinguished staff award.

Stetson Wins Service Award

Dave Stetson

Dave Stetson, EEOB, was the recipient of the 2001 E. Rosalene Sedgwick Faculty Service Award. The award, given by the Colleges of the Arts and Sciences, honors faculty members for distinguished service to students. Stetson, who studies cellular adaptation, has been at Ohio State since 1985. In addition to research and teaching, he spends much of his time in his role as student adviser. He dishes out career advice, helps with scheduling and generally guides his students through the ups and downs of university life. He does it all with equal amounts of dedication and good humor!

A Tie That Could Not be Broken-Second Annual College Outstanding Staff Award Yields Two Winners

Jessie Siegman with the Dean

George Keeney with Dean Hall

Jessie Siegman, administrative manager, Department of Molecular Genetics, AND George Keeney, manager of the Insectary, co-winners of 2001 CBS Distinguished Staff Awards

In the best of all possible worlds, people would be so exemplary, it would be difficult to choose "the best." Welcome to our world! Jessie Siegman and George Keeney are wonderful role models, serving the College with enthusiasm and dedication. Both are noted for their willingness to go that extra mile, whether it is to intoduce young children to the fascinating world of insects, in the case of Keeney, or to take care of mounds of intricate paper work for an Eminent Scholar, in the case of Siegman. Congratulations to two deserving staff members!

A Winning Experience

CBS undergraduate researchers and faculty

The annual CBS Undergraduate Research Colloquium is a win-win situation. This annual event showcases and rewards undergraduate research in the biological sciences. This year, first prize winners were: Gabriel Chong, Jennifer Frey, Matthew Scantland, and Erica Stein, all of whom receive cash awards. Faculty judges had a difficult time choosing the best of the best-as all posters were of impressive quality. Every student comes out a winner; the college gives each student a gift certificate just for entering and each student gains a wealth of experience from the process.

Three Faculty Win Prestigious NSF CAREER Awards

This past year, Mark Foster and Michael Chan, biochemistry; and Helen Chamberlin, molecular genetics, received NSF Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Awards, which support promising research by outstanding junior faculty nationally.

Gustavo Leone Named Pew Scholar

Gustavo Leone

Gustavo Leone, molecular genetics, has been named a Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences, one of only 20 researchers nationally. This prestigious award carries a cash grant, which will help support his research on breast cancer.

A Flutter of Hope

On September 13, when good omens never seemed more necessary, a large, non-migratory moth native to the tropics made a 3,000 mile trip to the one place in Ohio where it would be recognized and offered sanctuary, the Museum of Biological Diversity. The moth, a member of the species, Asalapha odorata, sometimes called a "black witch," can reach a wingspan of 6 inches. It can, and does, fly long distances, but its itinerary does not include the "Heart of Ohio." That it made it here, with only slightly battered wings, boggles the mind. It has rewarded its saviors at the museum with eggs and the promise of caterpillars for their collection. Even better, it allows us to gratefully contemplate the many wonders of the world.

The Virtual Museum

The Museum of Biological Diversity is a multi-departmental archival resource of biological specimens that both serves the scientific community and educates the general public. Increasing awareness of the importance of biodiversity reinforces the museum's central role as a guardian of these specimens and related data. With a grant from the Kellogg Foundation through University Outreach and Engagement and support from the departments of Entomology and EEOB, John Wenzel (Entomology) and John Freudenstein (EEOB) are creating a virtual window into the museum, making their resources available, via the Internet, to secondary school students. Using the collections, they are designing a series of interactive computer exercises that will help students better understand biotic environments. Currently, these exercises are being tested with the cooperation of local public school teachers and ultimately will be available to the public.

Selected Grants 2001

Helen Chamberlin, Molecular Genetics

$1,212,750, NIH, "Regulation of gene expression during organogenesis"

$500,000, NSF CAREER Award, "Evolutionary changes in gene regulation"

$150,165, NSF, "Evolutionary change in gene regulation"

Michael Chan, Biochemistry

$1,022,000, NIH, "Probing the mechanisms of Me-transfer and acetyl-CoA synthesis"- co-recipient, Joe Krzycki, microbiology

$400,000, NSF Career Award, "Developing the chemistry of metallobisbenzimidazoles"

$20,000, Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship

Peter S. Curtis, EEOB

$1,058,102, DOE, "Mass and energy exchange in a northern hardwood ecosystem"

Fred D. Sack, Plant Biology

$145,641, NASA, "Development of gravity sensitive plant cells"

D.P.S. Verma, Molecular Genetics

$400,000, NSF, "Mechanisms of cell plate formation in plants"

Venkat Gopalan, Biochemistry

$370,026, NSF, "Bacterial Rnase P"

Iris Meier, Plant Biology

$145,000, NSF, "Investigating the role of novel nuclear envelope-associated plant proteins in nuclear dynamics"

Randall Scholl, Plant Biology

$717,853, NSF, "The Arabidopsis Biological Resource Center at Ohio State University"

Andrea Wolfe, EEOB

$250,000, NSF, "A systematic investigation of the South African holoparastic genus Hyobanche L. (Orobanchaceae)"

David Culver, Elizabeth Marschall and Roy Stein, EEOB; Konrad Dabrowski, School of Natural Resources

$759,000, Ohio Division of Wildlife, "Fish Management in Ohio: Aquatic Ecology Laboratory basic services"

John Reeve, Microbiology

$205,851, NAT IN GEN MED SCI, "Histones and nucleosomes in Archaea"

Richard P. Swenson, Biochemistry

$204,472, NAT IN GEN MED SCI, "Redox properties of flavonoids and related flavoproteins"

Brian M. Ahmer, Microbiology

$198,450, NAT IN ALGRY INF DIS, "Detection of mixed microbial communities by Salmonella"

Donald Dean, Biochemistry

$396,436, NAT IN ALGRY INF DIS, "Function domains of Bacillus thuringiensis endotoxin"

Richard Sayre, Plant Biology

$600,000, National Starch & Chemical Company, "Investigation into the feasibility of developing novel starch compositions via transformation of cassava"

Stephen Osmani, Molecular Genetics

$316,050, NAT IN GEN MED SCI, "The NIMA protein kinase in mitotic regulation"

Robert F. Tabita, Microbiology

$299,920, NAT IN GEN MED SCI, "Molecular basis and enzymology of microbial biosynthesis"

Tina Henkin, Microbiology

$257,323, NAT IN GEN MED SCI, "Regulation of methionine metabolism in Bacillus subtilus"

Brian Smith, Entomology

$283,649, Nat Center for Research Resources, "Behavioral and physiological mechanisms of olfaction"

Bruce S. Zwilling, Microbiology, and William P. Lafuse, Molecular Vir, Imm & Med Gen

$255,500, Nat Heart Lung Blood, "Nramp: Mycobacterial resistance, mRNA stability and iron"

2001-2002 Synergy

College of Biological Sciences