Tuesday, April 11, 2017

By Nicholas Snow

The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry is proud to present its 22nd annual departmental symposium and poster session in conjunction with the Petersheim Academic Exposition on Tuesday evening April 18, 2017.

The symposium will include a lecture in the Rose Mercadante Seminar Series by Dr. Melissa G. Trainer of the Robert Goddard Space Flight Center, National Aeronautics and Space Administration entitled "Chemistry on Mars: The Search for Habitable Environments with Curiosity" at 5:45 PM in the Helen Lerner Amphitheater, McNulty Hall, Science and Technology Center, Seton Hall University.

Following the lecture, a poster session featuring the research of 50 undergraduate and graduate students in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry will be held at 7:00 PM in the Mary Ann and Pat Murray Atrium in McNulty Hall. All members of the University Community and friends of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry are welcome to attend the lecture and poster session.

Following on decades of exploration of Mars, our knowledge of our neighboring planet has advanced well beyond observations of canals to the comprehensive characterization of surface topology and regional mineralogy. There are clear lines of evidence for past liquid water and a complex climate history. Yet some of the fundamental questions remain: Was there ever life on Mars? Could there have been life on Mars? The Curiosity rover carries the most advanced analytical laboratory sent to another planet, and over the past four and half years the mission has performed a detailed in situ investigation of Gale Crater. The Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument suite in particular has quantified geochemical indicators that demonstrate the environment could have supported life, and has achieved detection of the first organic molecules on Mars. Atmospheric measurements by SAM have identified signatures of planetary change over billions of years and monitored modern activity. This presentation will recount the most important findings on the chemistry of Mars to date, and will discuss the implications for our understanding of whether the red planet was ever habitable.

Dr. Trainer is a Research Space Scientist in the Planetary Environments Laboratory at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, with research interests in the composition of planetary atmospheres and the production of organic organic molecules and aerosols via atmospheric synthesis.

Dr. Trainer has spent more than a decade characterizing the properties of Titan and early Earth aerosol analogs. Her publications on this topic include chemical, optical, and isotopic characterizations of these analogs produced via electric discharge and photochemical irradiation, with recent emphasis on the elemental composition, nitrogen activation, and the influence of trace species such as benzene.

Dr. Trainer is a science team member on the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) experiment aboard the Mars Science Laboratory Mission's Curiosity Rover, with a focus on the compositional measurements of the Mars atmosphere. She has led the campaign to conduct the first in situ multi-year study of the seasonal variations of the composition of the Mars atmosphere through surface mass spectrometry measurements. She also worked with the SAM team to make the first measurements of the full suite of xenon isotopes in the Mars atmosphere as well as the inventory of other noble gases.

The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry offers BS, MS and PhD degrees with specializations in all areas of chemistry. Our unique research environment, including traditional full-time students and part-time students is designed to foster collaborations with industry and colleagues in other disciplines. The Rose Mercadante Seminar Series is named for Rose Mercadante, the departmental secretary for over 40 years, in honor of our alumni, her "boys and girls".

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Chemistry and Biochemistry Symposium to Feature NASA Speaker and Poster Session - Seton Hall University News & Events

Job Dekker, PhD

Job Dekker, PhD, has been recognized by the Biochemical Society, based in London, as the inaugural recipient of the International Award. One of 11 eminent scientists honored overall by the Biochemical Society, Dr. Dekker, Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, professor of biochemistry & molecular pharmacology, and co-director of the Program in Systems Biology, was recognized for his distinguished and independent interdisciplinary research that illustrates the importance of the molecular biosciences in the advancement of life sciences research. Recipients of the International Award conduct research outside of the UK and Ireland and may be of any nationality.

I am extremely delighted to have been selected for this award, said Dekker. This really honors the work of my students, postdocs, collaborators and colleagues in this field that was started to uncover how cells fold their chromosomes.

Colin D Bingle, PhD, acting chair of the Biochemical Society award committee, said, The Biochemical Society awards are the perfect way to honor exceptional scientists within the bioscience community. As ever, the entry criteria are tough and the standards high and the awards are a real tribute to the talent within our community.

A pioneer in the study of the three-dimensional structure of the genome, Dekker developed the now widely used chromosome conformation technologies used to map the topography of the genome. Although DNA is comprised of a linear sequence of bases, it doesnt exist inside the cell nucleus in a simple, straight form. More like a ball of cooked spaghetti, the genome folds and loops back on itself so it can fit inside the tight confines of the nucleus. How the genome is packed inside the nucleus is tightly controlled and varies from cell type to cell type. And each unique shape has a profound influence on which genes in a cell are turned on or turned off.

Seeking tools and technology for mapping the three-dimensional structure of the genome in detail, Dekker developed a biochemical technique for determining how DNA segments interact and are linked to one another. The result, akin to a molecular microscope, can be used to detect physical interactions between DNA segments. The more interactions between segments, the more closely associated in space they are, due to chromosome folding. This breakthrough discovery was the genesis of what are now termed 3C, 5C and Hi-C tools, used by researchers worldwide interested in mapping the structure and organization of chromosomes inside cells.

Since joining UMMS, Dekker has refined and enhanced the initial chromosome conformation techniques to visualize whole genomes, combining it with next-generation sequencing to create high through put versions. A member of the UMMS faculty since 2003, Dekker received his doctoral degree in biochemistry from Utrecht University in the Netherlands. He trained as a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University with Nancy Kleckner, PhD, studying chromosome structure and developing the techniques that led to the 3C technology.

Dekker was elected to the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2014. In 2007, he was named a Keck Foundation Distinguished Young Scholar in Biomedical Research, and he received the 2011 Young Investigator Award from the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

The recipient of the International Award, which is new for 2018, will act as an ambassador for the Biochemical Societys international activities. The award aims to recognize the achievements of early to mid-career scientists who are within 20 years of PhD completion. Dekker is invited to deliver a lecture at the 24th International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology/15th Federation of Asian and Oceanian Biochemists and Molecular Biologists Congress in Seoul, Korea, June 4 to 8, 2018, or at a society conference.

Related stories on UMassMedNow: Job Dekker explains DNA organization in New York Times article STAT: UMMS study of 3D genome may reveal hidden world of folding diseases Job Dekker becomes seventh Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator at UMass Medical School Center for 3D Structure and Physics of the Genome established at UMMS

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Job Dekker receives inaugural International Award from British ... - News from the University of Massachusetts

A Dublin-based doctor has offered what he says is a solution to a staffing shortage at the biochemistry department in Cork University Hospital (CUH) which has led to the withdrawal of its clinical advisory service and a decision to voluntarily suspend accreditation.

Bill Tormey, a consultant chemical pathologist at Beaumont Hospital, said he and three colleagues are prepared to offer the clinical advisory service while CUH continues efforts to recruit consultant cover for the lab.

Professor Tormey said he is awaiting a response to his offer from the CEO of CUH. He said four chemical pathologists are willing, pro tem, to provide a comprehensive service to CUH.

His colleagues include Dr Vivion Crowley, biochemistry department, St James Hospital; Dr Gerard Boran of the School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin and Dr Patrick Twomey, consultant chemical pathologist at St Vincents University Hospital.

Prof Tormey said by providing consultant cover, the lab would meet the requirements for accreditation. His offer would give CUH breathing space to continue its hunt for a new consultant following the retirement last year of biochemistry department chief, Dr John OMullane.

When asked about Prof Tormeys offer, a hospital spokesperson said they are looking at a number of options in relation to the provision of the service.

Prof Tormey said he is not offering a free service but would not be looking for agency rates.

Earlier this month, the HSE advertised for a locum consultant chemical pathologist. The hospital has said it is actively recruiting both a locum replacement and a permanent replacement but that as available candidates are not plentiful, it is difficult to put a timeframe on either competition.

A spokesperson said yesterday that a locum post was advertised pending the filling of the post on a permanent basis through the Public Appointments Service.

The hospital has advised GPs that its biochemistry department is currently unable to provide clinical advice and interpretation of lab results due to a lack of consultant cover.

The situation has also prompted the lab to seek voluntary suspension of its accreditation. Accreditation is an external, independent verification of the extent to which an organisation meets a pre-determined set of quality standards.

The hospital has said regardless of the lack of consultant cover, the same scientists will process patient specimens to a high quality standard, as before, and within the same timeframe. And while it cannot directly provide a clinical advisory service at this time, it can advise service users to seek appropriate advice from various other sources.

If a laboratory result appears to be discordant with the clinical situation, initial discussion with senior clinical laboratory personnel in biochemistry and/or with the patients consultant is warranted, it said.

The biochemistry department at CUH processed approximately eight million tests last year, including tests for liver function, renal function, cardiac function, hormones, and general chemistries.

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Doctor offers solution to biochem staff issue - Irish Examiner