Senior Medicinal Chemistry graduate student Jinghan Liu was awarded the Department's Outstanding Research Award at the annual retreat held this year at Eagle Crest Resort. This nomination was based on her phenomenal research progress--three structures of human membrane cytochrome P450 enzymes, including the first two structures of CYP8B1, a target for diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. A well deserved honor for Jinghan!

Just a goofy lab pic on an October Friday, starring lab decor and great people that keep things cheery!

Biological Chemistry graduate student Cara Loomis was select to give a talk at the 42nd Midwest Enzyme Chemistry Conference at Loyola University on October 15, 2022.  The title of her talk was "Redox partner adrenodoxin allosterically alters the function of the human steroidogenic cytochrome P450 11B enzymes".  An audience member said "Cara crushed her talk."

Pharmacology graduate student Ellie Frydendall gave a great talk titled "Using Functional Studies to Characterize the Cytochrome P450 2W1 Active Site" in her Departmental Seminar Series.  In addition to great content describing her screening strategy to identify CYP2W1 ligands, the seminar was presented very well, yielding lots of good questions.  Ellie subsequently presented her work in poster form at the Pharmacology Department Annual Retreat at Maumee Bay State Park.

Scott lab celebrates our two wonderful postdoctoral fellows, Nicole Motl and Kurt Harris. Nicole works on CYP2J2 and 17ß-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase and is a fantastic baker and lab decorator. Kurt works on the structural biology of CYP4s and drug-metabolizing CYPs.  He is our resident authority on all things Australian and enjoys traveling with friends.  Both bring fun and perspective to our journey.

The Biological Chemistry Department Trainee Awards Committee selected graduate student Cara Loomis as the 2022 Halvor and Mary M. Christensen Award. This award is presented to an outstanding Ph.D. student who has demonstrated excellence in academic scholarship and research.  This honor carries a cash award of $1000 and invitation to present a talk at the Departmental Retreat.  Cara's title was "Redox partner adrenodoxin allosterically alters the function of all three human steroidogenic CYP11 enzymes apart from its redox effects".  Congratulations Cara!

Medicinal Chemistry graduate students Sarah Burris-Hiday and Jinghan Liu gave talks at the joint meeting of the International Society for the Study of Xenobiotics and Microsomes and Drug Oxidations: Diversity in DMPK - the Science and the Scientists.  Sarah's talk was titled "Protein/Protein Interaction in the Human Cytochrome P450 System".  Jinghan's talk was titled "Structure of CYP8B1 with a rationally designed CYP8B1 inhibitor: providing directions for inhibitor optimizations".

Biological Chemistry graduate student Cara Loomis has just been awarded a 3-year NRSA fellowship from the Eunice Kennedy Shiver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development. The title is "Defining Structural and Functional Differences Between Cytochrome P450 11B1 and 11B2 Interactions with Redox Partner Adrenodoxin for Developing Cushing’s Disease and Primary Aldosteronism Treatments". Congratulations Cara!

Biological Chemistry second year graduate student Alexi Chabez passed her prelims this summer! Her topic was "Structural and functional characterization of human cytochrome P450 7B1 and its variants in spastic paraplegia type 5 patients". Congratulations Alexi!

Rising 4th year Biological Chemistry graduate student Cara Loomis presented her work on adrenodoxin modulation of CYP11B1 function at the 22nd International Conference on Cytochrome P450 at the Hyatt Regency in Washington D.C. The meeting included lots of great talks, opportunities to network, and even a walking tour of the National Mall. I'm also bragging because two of my former trainees gave great talks: Fernando Estrada and Simone Brixius-Anderko .

From a recent painting evening, you can see that we have a range of artistic styles. As Jimmy Buffet once said “It’s important to have as much fun as possible while we’re here. It balances out the times when the minefield of life [science] explodes.”

Former graduate student Aaron Bart (Biophysics, University of Michigan) just joined a new startup company named Triana Biomedicines. He's working in the structural biology area on their molecular glue approach to formerly undruggable disease targets. Check them out here to see a familiar face in their group photo and under the Join Us section.

Exciting research projects were presented by (left to right):  postdoc Nicole Motl, Medicinal Chemistry graduate students Jinghan Liu and Sarah Burris-Hiday, and Chemical Biology graduate student Alaina Richard.

The Scott lab is excited to be attending the 2022 Experimental Biology meeting in Philadelphia.  Below we have current graduate students Alaina Richard, Sarah Burris-Hiday, and Jinhan Liu, postdoctoral fellow Nicole Motl, and former postdocs Simone Brixius-Anderko and Fernando Estrada just before the opening ASPET reception.  If you are at EB, check out Scott lab posters tomorrow 10 am - noon (B117, B121, B123) and Monday 12:30-1:45 pm (A75).

Data collection at SSRL is always fun, but even more so when you have lots of fun crystals.  Remember, beauty is only skin deep and it's the internal things that count the most--in people and in X-ray diffraction!

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The Scott lab welcomes new rotation students Alexi Chabez (below left) and Jackline Onyango (below right).  Both are in the PIBS graduate program .  We're so glad to have you and looking forward to sharing our enthusiasm about P450 enzymes.

Medicinal Chemistry graduate student Jinghan Liu presented her CYP8B1 structure/function work at the UM Structure Seminar series, hosted by the Life Science Institute.

A reception honored all of the College of Pharmacy graduate students who achieved candidacy during the last two year.  Our very own Jinghan Liu (pictured below immediately above the M) was one of those who well deserved the recognition.

Chemical Biology graduate student Alaina Richard was accepted into the Preparing Future Faculty Program. Sponsored by Rackham and the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching, this certificate program will prepare her for a desired career teaching at a primarily undergraduate institution.

Medicinal Chemistry graduate students Jinghan Liu and Sarah Burris-Hiday and Chemical Biology graduate student Alaina Richard have been awarded Rackham Conference Travel Grants to help support their attendance at Experimental Biology 2022 in Philadelphia this April. Congratulations!

 

Scott Lab graduate student Ellie Frydendall also plays a leadership role in miLead. She recently appeared on a webinar for startups discussing how miLEAD works with clients on market and customer discovery. Check out the episode and professional training that this experience provides to UM graduate students with career ambitions in industry.

Postdoctoral fellow Kurt Harris has been accepted to participate in a Rapidata 2022 . This two-week practical course in macromolecular X-ray data collection and solving structures is provided by the Stanford Synchroton Radiation Lightsource. Congrats Kurt!

Pharmacology graduate student Ellie Frydendall presented her work on cytochrome P450 2W1 in the departmental seminar series. Nicely done, Ellie!

Biological Chemistry graduate student Cara Loomis and Medicinal Chemistry graduate student Jinghan Liu presented their work at the College of Pharmacy Research Day.  Cara presented her work on CYP11B1 interactions with adrenodoxin, while Jinghan presented her research on CYP8B1.

PIBS rotation student Michael Cadigan (right) and Pharm.D. student Lily Kim (left) are new to the Scott lab for winter 2022. Michael will be learning X-ray crystallography with Jinghan Liu, while Lily will be learning UV-vis ligand binding assays from Sarah Burris-Hiday.

UM Professor Professor Rich Auchus, M.D./Ph.D , is visiting the Scott lab to do a sabbatical learning X-ray crystallography during the winter 2022 semester. He and postdoctoral fellow Nicole Motl are using this opportunity to ramp up our structural collaboration on 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase.  Welcome Rich!

Tsuneo Omura and Ryo Satos's 1964 paper in JBC titled "The Carbon Monoxide-binding Pigment of Liver Microsomes" announced the discovery of cytochrome P450 enzymes.

Read about his life-long involvement in cytochrome P450 research here.

At right is an image of the speakers at the 2014 Microsomes and Drug Oxidations Meeting in Germany celebrating the 50th anniversary of P450s. Tsuneo Omura is in the front in the tan suit.

You can see his slides from a talk he gave about P450 enzymes at the 2018 Microsomes and Drug Oxidations meeting at Kyushu University in Japan.