BS In Chemistry Research Articles

In Memoriam: Edward W. Bermes, Jr., PhD, FAACC (1932-2021).

Dr. Edward W. Bermes, Jr., PhD, FAACC, passed away peacefully at home on February 16, 2021, following a long-term illness. He was born in Chicago, Illinois on August 20, 1932. He received his BS in Chemistry from St. Mary’s College in Winona, MN, followed by a MS and Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Loyola University of Chicago (LUC). In 1958, he was appointed Chief Biochemist at Cook County Hospital. On receiving his doctoral degree in 1959, he was appointed Assistant Professor of Biochemistry in LUC’s Stritch School of Medicine (SSOM). During the 1960s, he served as Director of Biochemistry at St. Francis and West Suburban hospitals. In 1969, he was promoted to Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Pathology. Also at that time, he led the creation of a laboratory for a hospital opening on LUC’s new medical center campus (LUMC) in Maywood, IL. By then, Dr. Bermes had become an excellent teacher and welcomed more teaching opportunities. At St. Francis Hospital, he had developed a predoctoral clinical biochemistry program. He codirected it with Dr. Hugh McDonald, Chair of LUC’s Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics. Dr. McDonald was also a charter member and Past-President of AACC (1954). It was challenging to find sites to provide clinical experience for predoctoral trainees until the opening of LUMC, which also became the location for creation of a postdoctoral fellowship program in clinical chemistry. Initially funded through a NIH grant, the postdoctoral program was approved by the American Board of Clinical Chemistry in 1972. Dr. Bermes’ devotion to postdoctoral training led to his serving on the Commission on the Accreditation of Clinical Chemistry Training Programs Board of Directors, and as its president for 8 years. During his career, he trained thousands of students of medicine, graduate schools, medical technology, and clinical laboratory science as well as residents and fellows in pathology, clinical chemistry, and other disciplines. In 1983, his dedication to teaching was recognized with his receiving AACC’s Award for Outstanding Contributions in Education and Training.

Troubleshooting quality assurance for AAV raw & starting materials

David McCall, Editor, Cell and Gene Therapy Insights speaks to Biswarup DasGupta, Quality Professional.Biswarup DasGupta (Bis) is a Quality and Compliance leader with experience in QA, QC including contamination control over 20 years in the Biotech Industry. Recently, Bis worked as QA Director for Sarepta’s Gene Therapy program, since July 2019. Before Sarepta, Bis assumed different roles in Quality organization with increasing responsibilities at Sanofi, GSK Biologics, and Altana Pharma. In these roles, he has developed effective contamination control programs, led successful CD verification, implemented phase-appropriate GMPs, provided strategic leadership, and built a culture of quality and continuous improvement. Bis has a master’s in Microbiology and BS in Chemistry, Biology, and Microbiology. Bis has co-authored TR13-2 and currently co-leading the new TR on Contamination Control Strategy. Bis is also a member of the current revision of TR-56.

Nancy B. Jackson dies at 65

Nancy B. Jackson, former president of the American Chemical Society, died Jan. 3 at age 65 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Jackson served as ACS president in 2011. Jackson earned a BS in chemistry from George Washington University in 1979. After college, she worked in the ACS education department before leaving to pursue chemical engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. She earned an MS in 1986 and a PhD in 1990. In 1991, she started a decades-long career at Sandia National Laboratories, first as an energy researcher, then as manager of the Chemical and Biological Sensing, Imaging, and Analysis Department, and later as deputy director of the International Security Center. She retired from Sandia in 2017 as a Distinguished Member of Technical Staff. Jackson had Seneca heritage and served for 2 years as Sandia’s tribal government liaison. She worked with tribal colleges to expand their science programs and helped

Thomas R. Beattie dies at 81

Thomas R. Beattie, founding chair of the American Chemical Society Committee on Senior Chemists, has died at age 81. He is remembered for his legacy of service to ACS and as a dedicated friend, leader, and mentor to members of the ACS San Diego Section. Beattie earned a BS in chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania, later completing a PhD at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in physical organic chemistry. After a stint as a postdoctoral fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he began a 27-year career at Merck Research Laboratories in Rahway, New Jersey, working in early-stage drug discovery. In 1993, Beattie retired early from Merck and moved to San Diego, where he worked as a biopharmaceutical consultant. Beattie was a councilor for the ACS San Diego Section for more than 20 years. He served as the section’s chair in 1999; that year, the section took home a ChemLuminary

Industrializing viral vector manufacture

Daniel Teasley has worked at Merck for over 6 years, serving in product management and product strategy roles across multiple portfolios including custom cell line engineering services, regenerative medicine products for research, cell therapy manufacturing, and viral gene therapy manufacturing. For the past three years, he has been a Senior Product Manager responsible for the development, launch, and marketing of products and services that enable at-scale viral vector manufacturing. He also supports cross-business strategic initiatives in novel modality manufacturing. Dr. Teasley holds a PhD in Molecular Genetics and Genomics from Washington University in St. Louis and a BS in Biology from the College of William and Mary.Katherine (Katie) Schewe has worked at Merck for over 4 years in various roles from product management in Viral & Gene Therapy to quality assurance of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient manufacturing. Katie holds a MS in Chemistry from Indiana University Purdue University – Indianapolis and a BS in Chemistry from Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville.

Accurate photovoltaic measurement of organic cells for indoor applications

Yong Cui received his PhD in polymer chemistry and physics from University of Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2019. He then worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (ICCAS). His research interests include the study of materials and device engineering toward high-performance organic photovoltaic cells for indoor applications. Ling Hong has been a PhD student at University of Chinese Academy of Sciences since 2016. She received her BS in chemistry from Lanzhou University in 2016. Her research focuses on eco-compatible solvent-processed organic photovoltaic cells. Tao Zhang received her MS in materials chemical engineering from Anhui University of Science and Technology in 2020. Currently, she is a research assistant in ICCAS. Her research interest focuses on investigation and development of high-performance organic photovoltaic cells. Haifeng Meng received her PhD in physical chemistry from the National Center for Nanoscience and Technology in 2010. She then worked in National Institute of Metrology, China. Her research interests focus on photodetector- and photovoltaic-related metrology. He Yan is a professor at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). Prof Yan got his BS from Peking University in 2000, followed by a PhD from Northwestern University in 2004. His group focuses on the design and synthesis, device fabrication, and characterization of organic semiconductors that can be applied in organic solar cells, organic transistors, and detectors. Feng Gao is a professor and Wallenberg Academy Fellow at Linköping University in Sweden. He received his PhD from the University of Cambridge (UK) in 2011, followed by a Marie Skłodowska-Curie postdoc fellowship at Linköping University. His group currently focuses on research into solution-processed energy materials and devices, mainly based on organic semiconductors and metal halide perovskites. Jianhui Hou has been a professor at ICCAS since 2010 and an adjunct professor at USTB since 2012. He received his PhD in physical chemistry from ICCAS in 2006. Then he worked as a postdoctoral researcher in University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) from 2006 to 2008 and then Director of Research of Solarmer Energy, Inc. from 2008 to 2010. His group focuses on the design, synthesis, and application of photoelectric materials.

Engineering the interface between electroactive bacteria and electrodes

Chelsea Catania is a Postdoctoral Associate in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She received a BS in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Florida. She was an NSF graduate research fellow and obtained her PhD in Materials Science from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her research interests are in the modification of biotic-abiotic interfaces for microbial electrochemical technologies and human health. Amruta A. Karbelkar is a Postdoctoral Associate in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She obtained her MS in Chemistry from the Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai, India. She obtained her PhD in Chemistry from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles. Her research focuses on developing electrochemical platforms to study microbial electron transfer and diagnostics for infectious diseases. Ariel L. Furst is an Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She obtained her BS in Chemistry from the University of Chicago and her PhD in Chemistry from the California Institute of Technology. She was then an Arnold O. Beckman Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of California, Berkeley. Her lab combines electrochemical methods with biomolecular and materials engineering to address challenges in human health and clean energy.

Get in line: developing in-process analytical tools for gene therapy applications

<div class="authors authors-lg"><div class="author"><div class="author-img"><img src="https://cdn.insights.bio/uploads/7e5b1831f3db4118af08131cb11c856b.png" data-image="1"></div><div class="author-det"><h3 class="author-name">René Gantier</h3><h5 class="author-title">Director of Technology for Gene Therapy, Repligen</h5> René Gantier is the Director of Technology for Gene Therapy at Repligen. He has almost 20 years of experience developing production and purification processes for biotherapies. René holds a MSc in Cell Biology from the University of Nantes (France) and a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Rouen (France). He started his career in the biotechnology industry as a scientist developing long-lasting therapeutic cytokines at Nautilus Biotech (France), before joining Pall Life Sciences as a downstream processing field application specialist, and then expanded his role to lead the Biotech Process R&amp;D team developing end-to-end upstream-downstream continuous bioprocessing solutions for mAbs and cell/gene therapies. In his current role at Repligen, he provides technology guidance to develop high productivity next generation gene therapy manufacturing processes. </div></div></div><div class="authors authors-lg"><div class="author"><div class="author-img"><img src="https://cdn.insights.bio/uploads/293d59b48641407ab2c636baca03ea7c.png" data-image="1"></div><div class="author-det"><h3 class="author-name">Ramsey Shanbaky</h3><h5 class="author-title focus-visible" data-focus-visible-added="">Bioprocess Applications Manager, C Technologies Inc. - a Repligen Company</h5> Ramsey Shanbaky is the Bioprocess Applications Manger for C Technologies, Inc. He spent the first 8 years of his career working in R&amp;D, Manufacturing and Product Management designing and building fiber optic products for high powered laser delivery in the medical device industry. In the first part of his tenure at C Technologies, he worked alongside his customers to implement the SoloVPE product with biopharmaceutical accounts primarily in the western region. For the last 5 years, he has been partnering with customers to implement the FlowVPE system for inline concentration measurements both in the process development areas and GMP manufacturing areas for bioprocessing. He holds an BSEE from Purdue University and multiple patents and applications. </div></div></div><div class="authors authors-lg"><div class="author"><div class="author-img"><img src="https://cdn.insights.bio/uploads/Jay Headshot_200x200.png" data-image="1"></div><div class="author-det"><h3 class="author-name">Jay West</h3><h5 class="author-title">Principal Scientist at Bristol Myers Squibb</h5> Jay West is Principal Scientist at Bristol Myers Squibb in the Process Development Analytics group in Devens, MA. He obtained his BS in Chemistry from Rensselaer, MS in Chemistry from University at Albany, PhD in Biochemistry from Boston College, and performed postdoctoral research at Northeastern University. He has 8 years pharmaceutical industry experience, having worked at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals precious to BMS. His focus the past three years has been on Process Analytical Technology, particularly in downstream process development. </div></div></div>

Improving Photocatalytic Energy Conversion via NAD(P)H

Wilm Jones received his PhD from Cardiff University; his research concerned photocatalytic hydrogen production using supported gold and gold alloy nanoparticles. He then worked at the UK Catalysis Hub on CO2 hydrogenation, followed by a research fellowship at the University of Aberdeen, working on photocatalytic NADH regeneration. Currently Wilm works as a research associate for UCL at the Research Complex at Harwell on a project developing photocatalytic materials for the depollution of air. Joseph Burnett is a final year PhD student at the University of Aberdeen, where his research is focused on heterogeneous systems, utilizing both supported metal catalysts and photocatalysts for the regeneration of the biocofactor NADH. He obtained his BS in chemistry from Manchester Metropolitan University, where his initial curiosity for catalysis was sparked, and later went on to study an MS in catalysis at Cardiff University. Jiafu Shi is an associate professor at School of Environmental Science and Engineering of Tianjin University. He obtained his PhD in chemical technology from Tianjin University. After graduation, he joined the faculty of Tianjin University and started working at the School of Environmental Science and Engineering. He was a visiting scholar at the University of California at Berkeley from 2016 to 2017. His research interests include biocatalysis, photo-biocatalysis, and hierarchically structured materials, which are related to energy and the environment. Russell Howe is a professor in materials chemistry at the University of Aberdeen. His research focuses on the use of spectroscopic methods to investigate catalysts and catalytic reaction mechanisms. Xiaodong Wang is a senior lecturer in chemical engineering at Lancaster University. Prior to this, he was a lecturer in chemical engineering at the University of Aberdeen. He obtained his PhD at Heriot-Watt University and completed both MS and BE studies at Tianjin University. Xiaodong’s research interests are heterogeneous catalysis and reaction engineering; his recent work focuses on the innovative use of heterogeneous catalysts (e.g., supported metals) in enzymatic transformations via cofactor regeneration.

Toward Controlled Thermal Energy Storage and Release in Organic Phase Change Materials

Download : Download high-res image (105KB) Download : Download full-size image Grace Han was born in South Korea and graduated from POSTECH with a BS in Chemistry. She obtained her PhD in Chemistry at MIT in 2015 and joined the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at MIT as a postdoctoral associate. Grace started her independent career as an assistant professor at the Department of Chemistry at Brandeis University in 2018. Her research interests span energy conversion and storage, molecular switch chemistry, phase transition of materials, and atomic-resolution molecular imaging. Download : Download high-res image (79KB) Download : Download full-size image Mihael Gerkman received his BS in Chemistry from SUNY Potsdam in 2016. Currently, he is pursuing his PhD at Brandies University in the Han group. His research is focused on the synthesis of novel molecular switches and the study of their reversible isomerization dynamics in condensed phases for thermal energy storage applications.

Editorial introductions

Current Opinion in Ophthalmology was launched in 1990. It is one of a successful series of review journals whose unique format is designed to provide a systematic and critical assessment of the literature as presented in the many primary journals. The field of Ophthalmology is divided into nine sections that are reviewed once a year. Each section is assigned a Section Editor, a leading authority in the area, who identifies the most important topics at that time. Here we are pleased to introduce the Journal's Section Editors for this issue. SECTION EDITORS Cynthia AlleyCynthia AlleyDr Cynthia Alley specializes in pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus. She has a special interest in treating adult strabismus. Dr Alley earned her medical degree from the Temple University School of Medicine, and then completed her training in ophthalmology at Temple University Hospital. She went on to complete a fellowship in Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, DC. Dr Alley is a fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, a member of the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and the Costenbader Society, where she serves on the board. Dr Alley is the former Director of Pediatric Ophthalmology at Temple University Hospital, where she also served as Residency Program Director. Currently, she is on staff at Wills Eye Hospital, where she trains ophthalmology residents and medical students. She is also an Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at The Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr Alley is actively involved with World Blindness Outreach, a non-profit humanitarian organization dedicated to treating preventable causes of blindness around the world. She has participated in multiple missions in India, Brazil, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, and Ecuador, and serves on the board of directors. Richard C. AllenRichard C. AllenRichard C. Allen, MD, PhD, FACS is a Professor in the Dept. of Ophthalmology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX. Dr Allen attended Duke University and graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a BS in chemistry where he received the Departmental Award in Chemistry. He was accepted into the Medical Scientist Training Program at Baylor College of Medicine where he received his MD and PhD Degrees. His dissertation “Molecular Genetics of X-linked Immunodeficiencies Affecting B Lymphocyte Function” was awarded the Sigma Xi Thesis Excellence Award. Dr Allen completed a residency in ophthalmology at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Under the mentorship of Edwin M. Stone, MD, PhD, and Thomas A. Oetting, MD, MS, he completed a fellowship in molecular ophthalmology and comprehensive ophthalmology at the University of Iowa. In 2000, Dr Allen joined the faculty in the Dept. of Ophthalmology at Baylor College of Medicine where he was Chief of the Ophthalmology Service at Ben Taub General Hospital. In 2002, he joined the faculty in the Division of Ophthalmology, Dept. of Surgery at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine. From 2004 to 2006, he completed additional fellowship training in oculoplastic surgery at the University of Iowa under the direction of Jeffrey A. Nerad MD and Keith D. Carter MD, sponsored by the American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (ASOPRS). In 2006, Dr Allen returned to New Mexico where he rejoined the faculty at the University of New Mexico. In 2009, Dr Allen returned to the University of Iowa as an Associate Professor with tenure in the Dept. of Ophthalmology. From 2013–2014, he was a visiting physician at St. Erik's Eye Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden. In 2015, Dr Allen joined the faculty at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, USA; in 2018, he moved his primary appointment to Baylor College of Medicine where his is a Professor with tenure. Dr Allen is a member of ASOPRS, the Orbital Society, the European Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the North American Skull Base Society, and the American Eye Study Club. His research interests include oncologic and genetic diseases of the eyelids, orbit, and lacrimal system. He sees patients at Alkek Eye Center, Texas Children's Hospital, MD Anderson Cancer Center, and Ben Taub General Hospital. He resides in Houston, TX with his wife Missy, son Augustus, and daughter Astrid.

Perspectives on Gender Parity in Bioanalysis: An Interview with Stephanie Cape

Stephanie Cape, is the Director of Bioanalytical Science at Covance, Madison, WI, USA. She received her BS in Chemistry from University of IL- Urbana/Champaign in 2003 and her PhD in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin - Madison in 2007. Dr Cape's graduate research was focused on developing high-resolution mass spectrometric methods to enable discovery, characterization, imaging and quantitation of neuropeptides. Stephanie joined the field of regulated bioanalysis as a method development/validation chemist initially at PPD and subsequently at Covance. Within the Covance Bioanalytical team, she has held a variety of leadership roles including oversight of bioanalytical study direction, validation and method development. Additionally, Dr Cape is an active member of the broader scientific community through involvement in multiple industry groups focused on global best practices and innovation in the field of bioanalysis.

Catalyst: How Cryo-EM Shapes the Development of Next-Generation Batteries

Yi Cui received his BS in chemistry (1998) from the University of Science and Technology of China and PhD in chemistry (2002) from Harvard University. He is now a professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Stanford University with a joint appointment in the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. Prof. Cui is an authority in the design of nanoscale materials and their implementation in a wide variety of existing and novel technologies. His group studies the fundamental properties of nanomaterials and develops innovative methods and technologies to create and use them to address real-world challenges. Yuzhang Li received his BS in chemical engineering (2013) from the University of California, Berkeley. He is now a PhD student working with Prof. Cui. Yanbin Li received his BA in physics (2013) from the University of Science and Technology of China. He is now a PhD student working with Prof. Cui.

Editorial introductions

Editorial introductions

Richard Whyte: who should be doing advanced bronchoscopy?

Richard Whyte, MD, MBA, is the vice chair of surgery at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and a professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School. Richard received his BS in chemistry, his MD from the University of Pittsburgh, and MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. His main clinical interests focus on thoracic malignancies such as lung cancer, esophageal cancer, and mediastinal tumors such as thymoma).

Chemical safety education for the 21st century — Fostering safety information competency in chemists

During the education process, each person strives to acquire the necessary skill set or set of competencies needed to be successful in their selected career. For example, a job listing for a bench chemist might state that the successful applicant should have a BS in chemistry, (knowledge), be familiar with common laboratory operations (skills), and be a contributing member of a team (attitude). It is our job as curriculum designers and educators to give our students the competencies they will need to be successful. The chemistry curriculum must include those competencies needed for working safely in a chemistry research laboratory. This can be accomplished by weaving the knowledge component of competencies spirally into the chemistry major’s curriculum. We cannot assume that a student who has successfully completed a bachelor’s degree in chemistry has acquired the necessary competencies to perform a risk assessment or read a safety data sheet (SDS). Skill-based laboratory activity is valuable and can be specifically transferred to the next task, but knowledge and attitudes assist future learning in a nonspecific transfer and must be taught as ideas and principles. This work looks at the competencies required to be a chemist from an historical point and suggests ways that chemical safety information can be infused into the twenty-first century chemistry curriculum using embedded safety professionals, risk assessment, and SDSs to broaden and deepen safety knowledge.

Editorial introductions

Editorial introductions

Reaction: Broad-Spectrum Antibiotics, a Call for Chemists

Michelle F. Richter received her BS in biochemistry from Union College in 2011. She is now a National Science Foundation graduate fellow and member of the NIH Chemistry-Biology Interface Training Program in the Hergenrother laboratory at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), where she is working toward a PhD in chemistry. Paul J. Hergenrother received his BS in chemistry from the University of Notre Dame in 1994 and his PhD in chemistry at the University of Texas at Austin in 1999. After an American Cancer Society postdoctoral fellowship in the laboratory of Prof. Stuart Schreiber at Harvard University, in 2001 he joined the faculty at UIUC, where he is now the Kenneth L. Rinehart Jr. Endowed Chair in Natural Products Chemistry.

Reaction: Systematic Hope for Life’s Origins

Niles Lehman received his BS in chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1984 and his PhD in evolutionary biology from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1990. He is currently a professor of chemistry at Portland State University and is the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Molecular Evolution . His research focuses on the evolutionary processes leading from chemistry to biology, especially the ability of informational polymers such as RNA to create cooperative networks.

Introduction of Francis S. Collins.

Francis Sellers Collins was born in Staunton, Virginia, on April 14, 1950, with his family pedigree shown in Figure 1A. His parents, Margaret and Fletcher, met as graduate students at Yale — his mother in English and his father in drama. They settled in Staunton, Virginia, in 1946, where Fletcher taught theater at Mary Baldwin College and Margaret wrote plays. They spent the rest of their very full lives in Staunton, both living to the age of 98 and married for 73 years. Fletcher and Margaret’s home was a center for music and theater culture in Staunton, including serving as the site for their Annual Twelfth Night Music party, which was attended by major folk music figures each year and in which Francis would also reliably participate. Francis is the youngest of four brothers (Figure 1B) and was home-schooled until he was 10. He then attended Robert E. Lee High School, graduating at the age of 16 (Figure 2) and moving on to the University of Virginia, where he graduated in 1970 with a BS in Chemistry. Figure 3 shows Francis with his college band, the last known picture of him without a mustache.