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November 22, 2017

AAAS names 8 UW researchers as fellows in 2017

Eight University of Washington researchers are among the 396 new fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, announced this week. Election as a fellow of AAAS is an honor bestowed upon members by their peers. Fellows are recognized for meritorious efforts to advance science or its applications.

The 2017 fellows are:

James J. Champoux, professor and chair of microbiology, was chosen for his seminal work on topological problems in DNA replication, repair and related activities. His research helps explain how the DNA double helix overcomes mechanical obstacles posed by its twisted structure. Resembling a wound-up rope-ladder, DNA becomes entangled when its rungs split to allow itself to replicate. Champoux studied an enzyme called DNA topoisomerase that provides swivels to remove these tangles. His lab has explored many other structural and mechanical aspects of nucleic acid structure and synthesis, such as DNA coiling and relaxation. In addition, Champoux researches replication in retroviruses, and the effects of anticancer drugs on the DNA topoisomerase. This is his 45^th year as a UW School of Medicine faculty member.

Lisa M. Frenkel, professor of both pediatrics and laboratory medicine, was selected for her distinguished research on HIV infections in newborns, children and adults. She is noted for her U.S. and global health efforts to prevent transmission of HIV from mothers to their infants, particularly in places lacking adequate healthcare and economic resources. Her research encompasses: why HIV infections persist despite effective antiviral therapy; why people treated for HIV continue to have higher cancer rates; and how drug-resistant HIV becomes established in children and adults. Frenkel is collaborating with bioengineers on a quick, affordable test for detecting HIV drug resistance. She practices at the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Virology Clinic at Seattle Children’s and co-directs the Seattle Children’s Center for Global Infectious Diseases.

Stanley C. Froehner, professor and chair of physiology & biophysics, was recognized for his distinguished work on the molecular mechanisms of muscular dystrophies, a category of diseases that cause muscle wasting. His hope is to repurpose existing drugs and find new drugs to slow muscle degeneration and heart failure in Duchenne muscular dystrophy as well as other muscle diseases. His lab studies the structure and signaling activity of the dystrophin complex, which is important in skeletal muscle and the heart.  In 1987 his team discovered the syntrophins, a family of proteins that associate with dystrophin and recruit signaling proteins, channels, transporters and receptors to the cell membrane. These proteins also play important roles at the junction between nerve cells and muscle fibers and at the blood-brain barrier. Froehner’s investigation of the dystrophin complex is also relevant to other medical conditions, including stroke, brain swelling, epilepsy, and heart and blood vessel disorders.

Adam Geballe, professor of medicine and a Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center investigator, was chosen for elucidating some of the molecular features of the evolutionary arms race between cytomegalovirus and its human hosts. Most people who carry cytomegalovirus have no symptoms. However, for newborns, transplant recipients, AIDS patients and others with weak immune systems, the virus can cause health problems. Geballe’s lab has discovered genes on the human cytomegalovirus that can block the body’s antiviral response. Geballe is a physician at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, where he specializes in treating infectious diseases.

Gail Jarvik, professor of medicine and genome sciences, and head of the Division of Medical Genetics, was selected for her contributions to the field of human genetics. She was recognized for work on the genetics of common, complex diseases, including cancer, dementia, stroke and immune disorders. She is a collaborator in the eMERGE (Electronic Medical Records and Genomics) network.  This consortium combines DNA biorepositories with data from clinical records to conduct large-scale genomic studies for a variety of conditions. Jarvik also studies the implementation of genomic medicine in clinical practice. She is a physician at the UW Medicine Genomics Clinic.

Matt Kaeberlein, professor of pathology, is noted for his contributions to the understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms of aging and longevity. He studies how some mechanisms were conserved during evolution across species, from yeast and worms and to mice and humans. He has looked at several factors proposed to slow down aging, such as caloric restriction and the drug rapamycin. His lab focuses on developing therapies to delay the onset of age-related diseases in people by targeting biological pathways associated with aging. In other endeavors, his Dog Aging Project is looking to extend the active lifespan of pets. Kaeberlein was the founding director of the Healthy Aging and Longevity Institute at the UW.  He also has served as co-director of the UW’s Nathan Shock Center of Excellence in the Basic Biology of Aging.

James Riley, professor of mechanical engineering, was honored for contributions in fluid mechanics. His research focuses on modeling and numerical simulation of various transitioning and turbulent flows, which play an important role in many natural and technological processes ranging from the fate of ozone in the atmosphere, to the properties of gas turbine engines, to the efficient and clean use of energy. Riley has made advancements in the understanding of turbulent, multi-phase flows; turbulent density-stratified flows; turbulent shear flows and turbulent reacting flows. He teaches courses in fluid mechanics at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, and is an adjunct professor in applied mathematics and in aeronautics and astronautics. Riley is also a member the National Academy of Engineering and of the Washington State Academy of Sciences, and is a fellow of both the American Physical Society and American Society of Mechanical Engineers, among other honors. He has been at the UW since 1983 and holds the PACCAR Professorship in Engineering.

Usha Varanasi, an affiliate professor of aquatic and fishery sciences, chemistry and law, was elected for her contributions to environmental chemistry and toxicology. She is particularly noted for establishing and communicating the impact of environmental contaminants — especially hydrocarbons — on marine organisms and ecosystems. Her research on how marine organisms process contaminants led to the development of techniques used by NOAA to inform the impacts of oil-related pollution on fisheries resources and ensure that seafood is safe for human consumption. Based on their widely recognized expertise in oil spill detection and rapid analysis, Varanasi and her team were at the forefront of the agency’s seafood safety response after environmental catastrophes, including the Exxon Valdez oil spill, the Persian Gulf War and Hurricane Katrina. Varanasi retired at the end of 2010 as the science and research director of NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center, a position she held since 1994 when she became the first woman to lead a fisheries field office. A UW doctoral alumna, Varanasi is now a Distinguished Scholar in Residence with the UW’s College of the Environment and the Center for Urban Waters.

Richard Feely, a senior scientist at NOAA/Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory and an affiliate professor of oceanography at the UW, was also named a AAAS fellow this year for leading research efforts on ocean acidification and shifting public policy to address the growing environmental issue.

 

 

Tag(s): Adam Geballe • Gail Jarvik • James J. Champoux • James Riley • Lisa M. Frenkel • Matt Kaeberlein • Stanley C. Froehner • Usha Varanasi

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