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Congratulations, Med Chem Graduates.

Congratulations to the following students, who were awarded the Doctor of Philosophy in Medicinal Chemistry during the School of Pharmacy's June 12, 2009 commencement exercises:

Larissa M. Balogh
B.S. 2003, California State University, Long Beach.
Dissertation: "Stereochemical Complexities in the Glutathione S-Transferase Catalyzed Detoxification of 4-Hydroxynonenal."
(Dr. Balogh is now working for Pfizer in St. Louis, Missouri.)

Kevin J. Coe
B.S. 2000, Seattle University.
Dissertation: "Metabolism and Cytotoxicity of the Nitroaromatic Drug Flutamide and its Cyano Analog in Hepatocyte Cell Lines."
(Dr. Coe is currently a scientist at Johnson & Johnson in San Diego.)

Abhinav Nath
B.A. 2003, University of Virginia.
Dissertation: "Thermodynamics and Kinetics of Ligand Binding to Cytochrome P450 3A4 in Membrane Nanodiscs."
(Dr. Nath has taken a postdoctoral position in the Department of Biophysics and Molecular Biology at Yale University.)

We are proud of our graduates and wish them the very best in their future endeavors!



Med Chem Staffer Attends Citizens' Academy.

"I like to call it 'Police Academy' but of course it's not," says Caryl Lynch, Med Chem staffer who recently completed the Spring 2009 session of the UW Police Department Citizens' Academy. Caryl is pictured here with Chief of Police John Vinson. The ten-week program, held annually on campus, allows UW students, staff, and faculty to learn first-hand about law enforcement at the University of Washington.

During the weekly sessions, officers and department personnel talked about their work. Subjects ranged from criminal procedure, weapons, and life on patrol to dispatching, evidence collection, and campus safety.

"It was a great introduction to all the ways in which the UWPD serves the University community, said Caryl, who is a Secretary Senior in Med Chem. "The discussions were fascinating. No question or concern was off-limits and the instructors were very open with us."

What was Caryl's favorite session? "I enjoyed meeting Chief Vinson and the officers," she said, "but my fave had to be Kali the K9 bomb dog and her specially modified police car!"



Med Chem Welcomes Jie Xing.

Dr. Jie Xing, our newest visiting scholar, joins Medicinal Chemistry via a 1-year award from the China Scholarship Council to pursue research in America. Jie Xing ("Jessie") is currently an associate professor in the School of Pharmacy at Shandong University, Jinan, China. She received her Ph.D. in Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics from Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, China. Her work at Shandong University primarily involves drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics based on mass spectrometry. She is interested in expanding her research in proteomics, including quantitative description of protein expression and its changes under the influence of biological perturbations such as disease or drug treatments.

During her time at the UW, Jessie will work in Dr. Dave Goodlett's lab, researching protein structure analysis, specifically chemical cross-linking and mass spectrometry of multi-protein complexes followed by informatics analysis.

"I appreciate this opportunity to study and work with the outstanding scientists at the UW," said Jessie. "I believe everything here, including the people, the research atmosphere, and the beautiful campus, will make a deep impression on me. The knowledge and experience I gain will also benefit my future work."

"It is always a pleasure to welcome international scholars to our laboratory and to Medicinal Chemistry," said Dr. Goodlett. "Jessie will initially learn about our protein cross-linking approach and we hope she will help us to better understand metabolism and pharmacokinetics of artemisinin. As a bonus, she brings her experience on the LTQ-Orbitrap, which is a much used instrument for structure studies. We look forward to a fruitful year of study!"

Welcome to Med Chem, Jessie!



Med Chem Welcomes Kelly Lee.

Medicinal Chemistry welcomes Dr. Kelly Lee to the faculty. Dr. Lee comes to us from The Scripps Research Institute in San Diego, where he performed postdoctoral work at the Department of Molecular Biology.

Dr. Lee was awarded an A.B. degree in Physics from Harvard University, and a Ph.D. in Biophysics from Johns Hopkins University. Kelly’s postdoctoral work at Scripps involved biophysical studies of conformational dynamics in viruses. This is a continuing research interest for Kelly, who is conducting studies on several viruses including influenza, hepatitis B, and dsDNA bacteriophages.

Dr. Lee recently received a NIH Pathways to Independence Award from NIGMS for the study of: ‘Influenza hemagglutinin: structure, dynamics, and cooperativity during fusion.' He will continue this work at the UW. “I am excited to be joining this vibrant research and teaching community,” said Kelly. “The people are awesome, and I am eager to explore the possibilities for collaboration with other groups, to learn new things, discover how viruses tick, and find out how we can target them to shut down infections. I am also very interested in the adaptation or re-engineering of viral machines as protein therapeutic delivery devices. The broad research expertise in the School of Pharmacy makes this a great place to take this work forward.”

"Kelly brings a new dimension to research in the department, and we are very pleased to have been able to attract him to our School of Pharmacy," said Dr. Allan Rettie, Med Chem department Chair.

Welcome to Med Chem, Kelly!



Remembering Tom Kalhorn.

The School of Pharmacy mourns the loss of Tom Kalhorn, research scientist in the Department of Medicinal Chemistry's Mass Spectrometry Center. Tom died unexpectedly on March 2, two days after suffering an epileptic seizure.

Tom Kalhorn was born in Independence, Missouri -- a fitting hometown name for Tom if there ever was one. He received his BA in Chemistry and Political Science from Grinnell College in Iowa, and did some graduate work in Chemistry at the University of Kansas.

Tom's career with the UW began in 1983. He worked in Pharmaceutics as a research technician and lecturer until 2003, when he accepted the position of research scientist with Med Chem in the Mass Spectronomy Center. Some of Tom's important contributions to Pharmaceutics and Med Chem pertained to the Drug Interaction program project grant, where he prepared critical metabolite standards for drugs of interest. He introduced a stand-alone course on quantitative analysis methodologies and was a frequent contributor to departmental cumulative exams. He was known throughout and beyond the department for his analytical expertise and intelligence. His colleagues considered him a conscientious and capable teacher who gave selflessly of his time and expertise to benefit graduate students and post-doctoral fellows.

In addition, Tom Kalhorn had a unique personal style that made him beloved as well as respected. Who will forget his dazzling and varied collection of t-shirts: tie-dyed, brightly colored, or sporting pithy statements -- usually worn with shorts whatever the time of year? Tom touched a lot of people in Med Chem, Pharmaceutics, and beyond. He will be greatly missed.



Med Chem Administrator Honored with MLK Award.

Med Chem department administrator Jeanine Kanov, whose volunteer work with MEOW Cat Rescue was featured in a 2008 UWeek article, has received a Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Service Award. Jeanine and other award recipients were honored at a January 15 Health Sciences event, "A Dream Realized: Forward Together with Hope."

Jeanine has volunteered for organizations such as MEOW Cat Rescue, the YWCA, and Northwest Harvest, and served as UW Combined Fund Drive Coordinator for the School of Pharmacy. Her volunteer role typically encompasses a wide range of activities -- organizing fundraising events and food drives, serving as a feline foster parent, and promoting volunteerism in general.

"Jeanine is an outstanding role model to all who know her," said Nancy Murphy, Associate Dean of Academic and Student Programs in the School of Pharmacy. "She motivates us to connect with causes that touch the heart."

“Jeanine inspires us to help make the world a better place. We in Med Chem are very pleased to see her volunteer work acknowledged,” said Med Chem Chair, Dr. Allan Rettie.

Congratulations, Jeanine!



Med Chem welcomes Fulbright Scholar Ivanka Karadzic.

Joining Dr. Dave Goodlett's lab as a visiting scholar, Dr. Ivanka Karadzic comes to us from the University of Belgrade, Serbia, where she received her Ph.D. in chemistry. Ivanka is a professor in the University’s Department of Chemistry, School of Medicine, teaching general chemistry as well as basic and industrial enzymology.

Ivanka did postdoc work in Osaka, Japan through the Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science’s Invitation Fellowship Program. She has also received awards from the Serbian Chemical Society and, of course, the Fulbright Scholarship Program award that brings her to the UW.  Ivanka is one of only two Serbians to receive the Fulbright for natural sciences this year.

During her stay at UW, Ivanka’s research will focus on the newest wet and dry lab methods in proteomics technology. Specifically, she will work to develop novel methods for characterization of protein cross-linking via novel chemical, mass spectrometrometric and computational methods.

“I was attracted to Dr. Goodlett’s research philosophy and the unique work being done at the University of Washington,” she said. “The knowledge and experience I collect here could result in a new proteomics curriculum at the University of Belgrade.”

“Science-based cultural exchange is one of the underlying themes for our lab. Ivanka’s interest in protein structure and our development of novel methods to characterize protein-protein interactions all came together to provide her with training that she can take back to Belgrade, thanks to the Fulbright award,” said Dr. Goodlett.

Ivanka is a published author of academic and other books, including the story of her experiences in Japan and a collection of fairy tales for her nephew, Mihajlo. She practices tai chi and enjoys haiku poetry.

Welcome to Med Chem, Ivanka!



Med Chem welcomes Dale Whittington to the Mass Spectrometry Center.

To become the new Manager and Technical Director of the Mass Spectrometry Center, Dale Whittington only moved a few hundred feet – from the Department of Pharmaceutics. Before coming to the Center, Dale managed Dr. Jashvant Unadkat’s laboratory, handling everything from budgeting to grant proposals to equipment maintenance. Prior to that, Dale worked five years in the Department of Anesthesiology as an Analytical Chemist, where his focus was method development, sample throughput for clinical studies, and equipment maintenance.

In his new position, Dale will provide support, analytical expertise, and hands-on training to enable investigators and students to excel in their research and studies.

“It is important for the facility to continue supporting the excellent research and education provided by the School of Pharmacy and the University as well,” said Dale. “The reputation and dedication of the Mass Spectrometry Center to research and teaching does and should continue to be our focus.”

When Dale can tear himself away from science, he enjoys skiing, snowboarding, hiking and kayaking.

Welcome to Mass Spec, Dale!



Researchers win NIH grant.
Researchers in the Departments of Medicinal Chemistry, Pharmaceutics and Pharmacy-- Drs. Allan Rettie, Ann Wittkowsky, Kent Kunze, Nina Isoherranen, Wendel Nelson, Bill Atkins, Sid Nelson and Ken Thummel-- have been awarded a total of $5 million in direct costs from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences at NIH to continue their study of fundamental mechanisms of drug-drug interactions. This PO1 grant will provide support through 2013 for three projects that that will evaluate: 1) genetic contributions to drug interactions involving warfarin; 2) metabolite-dependent drug interactions involving itraconazole, fluoxetine and diltiazem; and 3) allosterism in drug interactions involving CYP3A4.