Etcetera

Three Scripps Research Professors Elected Fellows of American Academy of Microbiology
Scripps Research Institute Professors Hugh Rosen, J. Lindsay Whitton, and Ben Shen have been elected fellows of the American Academy of Microbiology (AAM). The three will be among 78 new fellows recognized at the 111th American Society for Microbiology general meeting May 24 in New Orleans.

Research in Rosen's lab on the Scripps California campus focuses on chemical and biological approaches to the molecular mechanisms regulating lymphocyte trafficking. The lab serves as the Comprehensive Center for Chemical Probe Discovery and Optimization in the second phase of the National Institutes of Health Molecular Libraries Probe Production Centers Network.

Whitton's lab studies antiviral immunity mediated by the recognition of viral peptides by host cells, the basis of immunization with plasmid DNA vaccines, and the role of the immune system in viral pathogenesis during coxsackievirus infections.

The focus of Shen's research is to identify and produce natural products, especially those produced by bacteria, to investigate their biosynthetic machineries, and to genetically engineer these bacteria to produce novel natural product analogs for use in anticancer and antibacterial drug discovery.

Now numbering 2,000, AAM Fellows represent all subspecialties of microbiology, including basic and applied research, teaching, public health, industry, and government service.

Timothy Reichart Awarded California HIV/AIDS Fellowship
Timothy Reichart, Scripps Research graduate student in the Dawson lab, was awarded a California HIV/AIDS Research Program fellowship to fund his doctoral research project.

The project, "Analysis of gp41 Epitopes in Model Viral Membranes," studies the mechanisms of antibodies that target the HIV/AIDS virus.

Scripps Research Hosts San Diego Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
The San Diego Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation recently spent an evening on campus to hear Lisa Greene, author of Parenting Children with Health Issues, speak about the essential tools, tips, and tactics for parenting children with medical conditions. Greene empowered parents to promote responsibility and to turn burdens into blessings. Greene and her daughter Kasey (a cystic fibrosis patient) also participated in a special tour by Staff Scientist Darren Hutt of the Balch lab and its cystic fibrosis work.