Billy W. Day, Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences,
School of Pharmacy
Department
of Chemistry
Director
Proteomics
Core Lab, Schools of the Health Sciences
University
of Pittsburgh
10017 BST3, 3501 Fifth Avenue,
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Telephone: (412) 648-9706, FAX: (412)
383-5298, Internet: bday@pitt.edu
Education
B.S., 1982, Oklahoma City University, Chemistry and Biology
(double major)
Ph.D., 1988, University of Oklahoma, Medicinal
Chemistry
Post-doc, 1988-91, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Chemistry
and Toxicology
Research Interests
My group's major research interest is
the study of the chemical and molecular mechanisms of antitumor agents. We
apply a variety of techniques and approaches to these studies, including
computational chemistry (2D- and 3D-QSAR, macromolecular modeling), synthetic
chemistry (design and preparation of novel agents, their radio- and stable
isotope-labeled forms, photoaffinity probes), analytical chemistry (GC- and
LC-MS, NMR), metabolism studies (microsomal and cells in culture),
bioanalytical methods, and the use of human carcinoma cells and normal human
epithelial cells in culture. One of our major interests is agents that target
microtubules. Lead compounds are the microtubule stabilizers (+)-discodermolide
and (-)-dictyostatin and (E. Hamel, D.P. Curran) and the tubulin assembly
inhibitors pironetin and the tubulysins (S.G. Nelson, A. Doemling, P. Wipf).
Other molecular targets for which we are pursuing small molecule inhibitors and
more mechanistic information include the molecular motor dynein (D.P. Curran,
P. Wipf, K. Brummond, D. DeFranco, R.B. Vallee), the estrogen receptors (P.
Wipf, M. Nichols, W. Xie), chaperone proteins (P. Wipf, J.L. Brodsky) and
topoisomerase II (J.C. Yalowich, V.E. Kagan, B. Hasinoff).
We also have a major interest in the
molecular dosimetry of carcinogens. We are particularly interested in defining
the chemistry of protein adducts made by the electrophilic forms of these
agents. Ongoing projects in this area include one aimed at determining the
relative contributions of reactive nitrogen and oxygen species in cell injury
(V.E. Kagan, J.C. Yalowich, N. Gorbunov, J. Atkins, M.P. Fink). We have
developed isotope dilution GC- and LC-MS methods for quantitation of protein
alterations, and have studied the interactions of nitric oxide with
hemoproteins by ESR and LC-MS. The second is use of isotope dilution MS methods
for quantitation of protein adducts of metabolically activated aromatic amines.
We also provide the home for the Proteomics
Core Lab of the Schools of the Health Sciences. Difference 2D gels,
solution-phase isoelectric focusing, MALDI-TOF-MS, MALDI-TOF/TOF-MS/MS, micro-
and nano-MDLC separations for LC-MALDI, LC-ESI-TOF-MS, MDLC-ESI-ion trap-MS^n,
LC-ESI-QqTOF-MS/MS and LC-ESI/MALDI-hQh-ICR FT-MS analyses are available on a
cost-recovery or collaborative basis (cf. core
labs website)
Selected Recent Publications
Thomas, C.
A., Grant, S. G.,
Pflug, B. R.,
Getzenberg, R. H., Day, B. W. Z-1,1-Dichloro-2-(4-methoxyphenyl)-3-phenylcyclopropane
induces concentration-dependent growth inhibition, apoptosis and upregulation
of apoptotic genes in TRAMP cells. Urologic Oncology 2008,
25, in press.
Wright, C. M.,
Chovatiya, R. J., Jameson, N.E., Turner, D. M., Zhu, G., Werner, S., Huryn,
D.M., Pipas, J. M., Day, B. W., Wipf, P., Brodsky, J. L. Pyrimidinone-peptoid hybrid molecules with distinct effects on
molecular chaperone function and cell proliferation. Bioorganic &
Medicinal Chemistry 2008, 16,
3291-3301.
Raccor,
B. S., Vogt, A.,
Sikorski, R. P., Madiraju, C., Balachandran, R., Montgomery, K., Shin, Y.,
Fukui, Y., Jung, W.-H., Curran, D. P.,
Day, B. W. Cell-based and
biochemical structure-activity analyses of analogues of the microtubule
stabilizer dictyostatin. Molecular Pharmacology 2008, 73, 718-726.
Balachandran, R., Hopkins, T. D., Thomas, C.A., Wipf, P., Day, B.
W. Tubulin-perturbing naphthoquinone spiroketals. Chemical Biology &
Drug Design 2008, 71, 117-124.
Kangani, C. O., Day, B.
W., Kelley, D. E. Controlled conversion of phenylacetic acids to phenylacetonitriles
or benzonitriles using bis(2-methoxyethyl)aminosulfur trifluoride. Tetrahedron
Letters 2008, 49,
914-918.
Shin, Y.,
Fournier, J.-H., Brückner, A., Madiraju, C., Balachandran, R., Raccor, B. S.,
Edler, M. C., Hamel, E., Sikorski, R. P., Vogt, A., Day, B. W., Curran, D.P. Synthesis and biological evaluation of
(–)-dictyostatin and stereoisomers. Tetrahedron 2007, 63, 8537-8562.
Wang, Z., McPherson, P.
A., Raccor, B. S., Balachandran, R., Zhu, G., Day, B. W., Vogt, A., Wipf, P.
Structure-activity and high-content imaging analyses of novel tubulysins. Chemical
Biology & Drug Design 2007, 70,
75-86.
Jung, W.-H., Harrison, C., Shin, Y.,
Fournier, J.-H., Balachandran, R., Raccor, B. S., Sikorski, R. P., Vogt, A.,
Curran D. P., Day, B. W. Total
synthesis and biological evaluation of C16 analogs of (-)-dictyostatin. Journal
of Medicinal Chemistry
2007, 50, 2951-2966.
Wipf, P., Gong, H., Janjic, J. M., Li, S.,
Day, B. W., Xie, W.
New opportunities for pregnane X receptor (PXR) targeting in drug development.
Lessons from enantio- and species-specific PXR ligands Identified from a
discovery library of amino acid analogues. Mini-Reviews in
Medicinal Chemistry 2007, 7, 617-625.
Heussner, A. H., Moeller, I., Day, B. W., Dietrich,
D. R., O'Brien, E. Production and characterization of monoclonal antibodies
against ochratoxin B. Food and Chemical Toxicology 2007,
45, 827-833.
Escobar, P. A., Olivero, O. A., Wade, N.
A., Abrams, E. J., Nesel, C. J., Ness, R. B., Day, R. D., Day, B. W., Meng, Q.,
O'Neill, J. P., Walker, D. M., Poirier, M. C., Walker, V. E., Bigbee, W. L.
Genotoxicity assessed by the comet and GPA assays following in vitro exposure
of human lymphoblastoid cells (H9) or perinatal exposure of mother-child pairs
to AZT or AZT-3TC. Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis 2007,
48, 330-343.
Buey, R. M., Calvo, E., Barasoain, I.,
Pineda, O., Edler, M. C., Matesanz, R., Cerezo, G., Vanderwal, C. D., Day, B.
W., Sorensen, E. J., Lopez, J. A., Andreu, J. M., Hamel, E., Diaz, J. F.
Cyclostreptin binds covalently to microtubule pores and lumenal taxoid binding
sites. Nature Chemical Biology 2007, 3 117-125.
Hamel, E., Day, B. W., Miller, J. J.,
Jung, M. K., Northcote, P. T., Ghosh, A. K., Curran, D. P., Cushman, M.,
Nicolaou, K. C., Paterson, I., Sorensen, E. J. Synergistic effects of
peloruside and laulimalide with taxoid site drugs, but not with each other, on
tubulin assembly. Molecular Pharmacology 2006, 70,
1555-1564.
Beckner, M.E., Zhang, Z., Agostino, N.
R., Day, B. W., Pollack, I. F. Albumin marks pseudopodia of astrocytoma cells responding
to hepatocyte growth factor or serum. Laboratory Investigation 2006, 86,
1103-1114.
Kangani, C. O., Kelley, D. E., Day, B.
W. One-pot direct synthesis of oxazolines, benzoxazoles, and oxadiazoles from
carboxylic acids using the Deoxo-Fluor reagent. Tetrahedron Letters 2006, 47,
6497-6499.
Kangani, C. O., Kelley, D. E., Day, B.
W. One-pot synthesis of aldehydes or ketones from carboxylic acids via in
situ generation of
Weinreb amides using the Deoxo-Fluor reagent. Tetrahedron Letters 2006, 47, 6289-6292.
Fan, Y., Schreiber, E. M., Giorgianni,
A., Yalowich,
J. C., Day, B. W. Myeloperoxidase-catalyzed metabolism of etoposide to its
quinone and glutathione adduct forms in HL60 cells. Chemical Research in
Toxicology 2006, 19, 937-943.
Atkins, J. L., Day, B. W., Handrigan,
M. T., Zhang, Z., Pamnani, M. B., Gorbunov, N. V. Brisk production of nitric
oxide and associated formation of S-nitrosothiols in early hemorrhage. Journal of
Applied Physiology 2006, 100, 1267-1277.
Zhu, G., Yang, F., Balachandran, R.,
Hook, P., Vallee,
R. B., Curran, D. P., Day, B. W. Synthesis and biological evaluation of
purealin and analogues as cytoplasmic dynein heavy chain inhibitors. Journal
of Medicinal Chemistry 2006, 49, 2063-2076.
Gong, H., Singh, S. V., Singh, S. P.,
Mu, Y., Saini, S. P. S., Toma, D. Ren, S., Kagan,
V. E., Day, B. W. Zimniak, P., Xie, W. Orphan nuclear receptor PXR
sensitizes oxidative stress responses in transgenic mice and cancerous cells. Molecular
Endocrinology 2006, 20, 279-290.
Balasubramani, M., Day, B. W., Schoen,
R. E., Getzenberg, R. H. Altered expression and localization of creatine kinase
B, heterogenous nuclear ribonucleoprotein F and high mobility group box 1
protein in the nuclear matrix associated with colon cancer. Cancer Research, 66, 763-769.
Fukui, Y., Bruckner, A.M., Shin, Y.,
Balachandran, R., Day, B.W., Curran, D.P. Fluorous mixture synthesis of
(-)-dictyostatin and three stereoisomers. Organic Letters 2006, 301-304.
Khanday, F. A., Yamamori, T.,
Mattagajasingh, I., Zhang, Z., Bugayenko, A., Naqvi, A., Santhanam, L., Nabi,
N., Kasuno, K., Day, B. W., Irani, K. Rac1 leads to phosphorylation-dependent
increase in stability of the p66shc adaptor protein: role in Rac1-induced
oxidative stress. Molecular Biology of the Cell 2006, 17, 122-129.
Giuliano, K. A., Cheung, W. S.,
Curran, D. P., Day, B. W., Kassick, A. J., Lazo, J. S., Nelson, S. G.
Brisson, M., Nguyen, T., Wipf, P.,
Joo, B., Day, B. W., Skoko, J. S., Schreiber, E. M., Foster, C., Bansal, P.,
Lazo, J. S. Redox regulation of Cdc25B by cell active quinolinediones. Molecular
Pharmacology 2005, 68, 1810-1820.
Madiraju, C., Edler, M.C., Hamel, E.,
Raccor, B. S., Balachandran, R., Zhu, G.,Giuliano, K. A., Vogt, A., Shin, Y.,
Fournier, J.-H., Fukui, Y., Bruckner, A. M., Curran, D. P., Day, B.W. Tubulin
assembly, taxoid site binding and cellular effects of the
microtubule-stabilizing agent dictyostatin. Biochemistry 2005, 44,
15053-15063.
Nguyen, T. L., McGrath, C., Hermone,
A. R., Burnett, J. C., Zaharevitz, D. W., Day, B. W., Wipf, P., Hamel, E.,
Gussio, R. A common pharmacophore for a diverse set of colchicine site
inhibitors using a structure-based approach. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 2005, 48,
6107-6116 [correction p. 7917].
Shin, Y., Fournier, J. H.,
Balachandran, R., Madiraju, C., Raccor, B. S., Zhu, G., Edler, M. C., Hamel,
E., Day, B. W., Curran, D. P. Synthesis and biological evaluation of
(-)-16-normethyldictyostatin: a potent analog of (-)-dictyostatin. Organic
Letters 2005, 7, 2873-2876.
Mu, Y., Stephenson, C. R. J., Kendall,
C., Saini, S. P. S., Toma, D., Ren, S., Cai, H., Strom, S. C., Day, B. W.,
Wipf, P., Xie, W. A pregnane X receptor agonist with unique species-dependent
stereoselectivity and its implications in drug development. Molecular
Pharmacology 2005, 68, 403-413.
Keohavong,
P., Xi, L., Day, R. D., Zhang, L., Grant, S. G., Day, B. W., Ness, R. B.,
Bigbee, W. L. HPRT
gene alterations in umbilical cord blood T-lymphocytes in newborns of mothers
exposed to tobacco smoke during pregnancy. Mutation Research 2005, 572, 156-166.
Wipf,
P., Coleman, C. M. Iyer, P. S., Fodor, M. D., Shafer, Y. A., Janjic, J. M.,
Stephenson, C. R. J., Kendall, C., Day, B. W. Microwave-assisted
'libraries from libraries' approach toward the synthesis of allyl- and C-cyclopropylalkylamides. Journal of
Combinatorial Chemistry 2005, 7, 322-330.
Beckner,
M.E., Chen, X., An, J., Day, B.W., Pollack, I.F. Proteomic characterization of
harvested pseudopodia with differential gel electrophoresis and specific
antibodies. Laboratory Investigation 2005, 85, 316-327.
Cunningham,
S. L., Cunningham, A. R., Day, B. W. CoMFA, HQSAR and molecular docking studies
of butitaxel analogues with beta-tubulin. Journal of Molecular Modeling 2005, 11, 157-164.
Janjic,
J. M., Mu, Y., Kendall, C., Stephenson,
C. R. J., Balachandran, R., Raccor, B. S., Lu, Y., Zhu, G., Xie, W., Wipf, P.,
Day, B. W. New antiestrogens from a library screen of homoallylic amides,
allylic amides and C-cyclopropylalkylamides.
Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry 2005, 13, 157-164.
Fewell, S. W., Smith, C. M., Lyon, M.
A., Dumitrescu T. P., Wipf, P., Day, B. W., Brodsky, J. L. Small molecule modulators of
endogenous and co-chaperone-stimulated Hsp70 ATPase activity. Journal of
Biological Chemistry 2004, 279, 1131-1140.
Cheng, P., Kanterewicz, B., Hershberger, P. A., McCarty, K. S.,
Jr., Day, B. W., Nichols,
M. Inhibition of estrogen receptor
{alpha}-mediated transcription by antiestrogenic 1,1-dichloro-2,2,3-triarylcyclopropanes. Molecular Pharmacology 2004, 66, 972-977.
Wipf, P., Reeves, J. T., Day, B. W.
Chemistry and biology of curacin A.Current Pharmaceutical Design 2004, 10,
1417-1437.
Cunningham,
A. R., Cunningham, S. L., Day, B. W. Identification of structural components
associated with cytostatic activity in MCF-7 but not in MDA-MB231 cells. Bioorganic
& Medicinal Chemistry 2003, 11, 5249-5258.
Balachandran, R.,
Welsh, M. J., Day, B. W. Altered levels and regulation of stathmin in
paclitaxel-resistant ovarian cancer cells. Oncogene 2003, 22, 8924-8930.
Minguez, J. M., Kim,
S.-Y., Giuliano, K. G., Balachandran, R., Madiraju, C., Day, B. W., Curran, D.
P. Synthesis and biological assessment of simplified analogs of the potent
microtubule stabilizer (+)-discodermolide. Bioorganic & Medicinal
Chemistry
2003,
11,
3335-3357.
Choy, N., Shin, Y.,
Nguyen, P.-Q., Curran, D. P., Balachandran, R., Madiraju, C., Day, B. W.
Simplified discodermolide analogs: synthesis and biological evaluation of
4-epi-7-dehydroxy-14,16-didemethyl-(+)-discodermolides as
microtubule-stabilizing agents. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 2003, 46, 2846-2864.
Minguez, J. M.,
Giuliano, K. A., Balachandran, R., Curran, D. P., Day, B. W. Synthesis and high
content cell-based profiling of simplified analogues of the microtubule
stabilizer (+)-discodermolide. Molecular Cancer Therapeutics 2002, 1, 1305-1313.
Shin, Y., Choy, N.,
Turner, T. R., Balachandran, R., Madiraju, C., Day, B. W., Curran, D. P.
Discodermolide/Dictyostatin hybrids: synthesis and biological evaluation. Organic
Letters 2002, 4, 4443-4446.
Vogt, A., Pestell, K.
E., Day, B. W., Lazo, J. S., Wipf, P. The antisignaling agent
SC-{alpha,alpha,delta}9,
4-(benzyl-(2-[(2,5-diphenyloxazole-4-carbonyl)amino]ethyl)carbamoyl)-2-decanoylaminobutyric
acid, is a structurally unique phospholipid analogue with Phospholipase C inhibitory
activity. Molecular Cancer Therapeutics 2002, 1, 885-892.
Day, B. W., Kangani,
C. O., Avor, K. S. Convenient syntheses of (2R,3S,4R)-3-(tert-butyldimethylsilanyloxy)-2,4-dimethyl-5-oxopentanoic
acid methoxymethylamide from methacrolein. Preparation of C1-C7 and C17-C24
fragments of (+)-discodermolide. Tetrahedron: Asymmetry 2002, 13, 1161-1165.
Wipf, P., Reeves, J.
T., Balachandran, R., Day, B. W. Synthesis and biological evaluation of
structurally highly modified analogues of the antimitotic natural product
curacin A. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 2002, 45, 1901-1917.
Razzaghi, H., Day, B.
W., McClure, R. J., Kamboh, M. I. Structure-function analysis of D9N and N291S
mutations in human lipoprotein lipase using molecular modeling. Journal of
Molecular Graphics and Modeling 2001, 19, 487-494.
Hasinoff, B. B.,
Chee, G.-L., Day, B. W., Avor, K. S., Barnabe', N., Thampatty, P., Yalowich, J.
C. Synthesis and biological evaluation of a photoaffinity etoposide probe. Bioorganic
& Medicinal Chemistry 2001, 9, 1765-1771.
Fewell, S. W., Day,
B. W., Brodsky, J. L. Identification of an inhibitor of hsc70-mediated protein
translocation and ATP hydrolysis. Journal of Biological Chemistry 2001, 276, 910-914.
Zayas-Rivera, B.,
Zhang, L., Grant, S. G., Keohavong, P., Day, B. W. Mutational spectrum of N-hydroxy-N-acetyl-4-aminobiphenyl at exon 3
of the HPRT
gene. Biomarkers 2001, 6, 262-273.
Kozusko, F., Chen,
P.-H., Grant, S. G., Day, B. W., Panetta, J. C. A mathematical model of in
vitro cancer cell growth and treatment with the antimitotic agent curacin A. Mathematical
Biosciences
2001,
170,
1-16.
Lazo, J. S., Tamura,
K., Vogt, A., Jung, J. K., Rodriguez, S., Balachandran, R., Day, B. W., Wipf,
P. Antimitotic actions of a novel analog of the fungal metabolite palmarumycin
CP1. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics 2001, 296, 364-371.
Balachandran, R.,
Grant, S. G., Welsh, M. J., Day, B. W. Z-1,1-Dichloro-2,3-diphenylcyclopropanes
block human prostate carcinoma cell proliferation, inhibit prostate-specific
antigen expression, and initiate apoptosis. Prostate 2000, 45, 277-288.
Wipf, P., Reeves, J.
T., Balachandran, R., Giuliano, K. A., Hamel, E., Day, B. W. Synthesis and
biological evaluation of a focused mixture library of analogs of the potent
antimitotic marine natural product curacin A. Journal of the American
Chemical Society 2000, 122, 9391-9395.
Day, B. W. Mutants
yield a pharmacophore model for the tubulin paclitaxel site. Trends in
Pharmacological Sciences 2000, 21, 321-323.
Goldman, R., Day, B.
W., Carver, T. A., Mauthe, R. J., Turtletaub, K. W., Shields, P. G.
Quantitation of benzo[a]pyrene-DNA adducts by postlabeling with 14C-acetic anhydride
and accelerator mass spectrometry. Chemico-Biological Interactions 2000, 126, 171-183.
Gorbunov, N. V.,
Pogue-Geile, K. L., Epperly, M. W., Bigbee, W. L., Draviam, R., Day, B. W.,
Wald, N., Watkins, S. L., Greenberger, J. S. Activation of the nitric oxide
synthase 2 pathway in the response of bone marrow stromal cells to high doses
of ionizing radiation. Radiation Research 2000, 154, 73-86.
Research and Core
Lab Personnel
Research
Associates/Staff Scientists:
Raghavan
Balachandran, Ph.D., cell and molecular biology
Vasiliy Korotchenko,
Ph.D., synthetic chemistry
Bibin Hu, Ph.D.,
analytical chemistry
Emanuel M. Schreiber,
Ph.D., proteomics
Manimalha
Balasubramani, Ph.D., manager of the proteomics core lab
Tamanna Sultana,
Ph.D., proteomics
Guy Uechi, Ph.D.,
proteomics
Technical Specialists:
Mirunalni Thangavelu,
M.S., proteomics
Christopher Bolcato,
M.S., proteomics
John Cardamone, B.S.,
proteomics
Ph.D. Students:
Brianne Raccor
(working on synthesis, interaction site definition and biological evaluation of
microtubule perturbing agents)
Miranda Sarachine
(working on proteomics of estrogen receptor agonists/antagonists and ductal
carcinoma in situ - recipient of a DOD Breast Cancer Predoctoral Fellowship)
Hikmat Daghestani
(working on interfacing dual polarization interferometry with mass spectrometry
– recipient of a Marie Curie Predoctoral Fellowship)
Yumin Song (working
on proteomics of microtubule stabilizer resistant cells)
Yuanyuan Duan
(working on phosphoproteomics - co-supervised with Charles Sfeir)
Undergraduates:
Kristina Greene (synthetic chem)
Former Students:
Guangyu Zhu, Ph.D.,
Chemistry - graduated 2007
Present Position: Postodoctoral Fellow, Dept. Chemistry, Massachusetts
Institute of Technology
Dissertation: Cell-based
and biochemical screens for small-molecule inhibitors of dynein and HSP70
Zhe (Jenny) Zhang,
Ph.D., Pharm. Sci. - graduated 2007
Present Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Dept. Biochemistry, Univ.
Missouri-Columbia
Dissertation: Targeted
functional proteomics to study protein post-translational modification and
protein-protein interactions
Yun Fan, Ph.D.,
Pharm. Sci. - graduated 2007
Present Position: Research Scientist, EMD-Serono
Dissertation: In vitro
metabolism of three anticancer agents
Jelena Janjic, Ph.D., Pharm. Sci. - graduated
2005
Present Position: Research Assistant Professor, Carnegie Mellon University
(formerly, Postdoctoral Fellow, The Scripps Research Institute)
Dissertation: Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of new
agents targeting estrogen receptor-alpha and -beta
Charitha Madiraju, Ph.D., Pharm. Sci. - graduated
2005
Present Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Burnham Institute (formerly,
Postdoctoral Fellow, Ordway Research Institute)
Dissertation: Pharmacological and structure-activity relationship
evaluation of microtubule stabilizing agents
Catherine A. Thomas, Ph.D., Environ. Occup. Health -
graduated 2004
Present Position: Staff Scientist, Dept. Immunology and Center for Vaccine
Research, University of Pittsburgh (formerly, Postdoctoral
Fellow, Dept. Urology, University of Pittsburgh)
Dissertation: Multiple screening techniques: a way to develop
chemical-animal models
Susana Felix-Delano,
Ph.D., Environ. Occup. Health - graduated 2002
Present Position: Staff Scientist, Los Alamos National Laboratory
Honors: DOE Environmental Research Fellow, Los Alamos National Laboratory
Dissertation: High resolution genotyping of Clostridium
botulinum strains using amplified fragment linked polymorphism (AFLP)
analysis
Pao-Hsiu (Tracy)
Chen, Ph.D., Environ. Occup. Health - graduated 2001
Present Position: Program
Analyst, Anticonvulsant Screening Program, Technology Development Cluster, NIH/NINDS (formerly, Research
Associate, Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, then Manager and
Scientist, Toxicogenomics, Gene Logic, Inc.)
Honors: DOD Breast Cancer Biology & Therapy Predoctoral Fellow
Dissertation: Mechanisms of curacin A-induced cell toxicity
Beatriz Zayas-Rivera,
Ph.D., Environ. Occup. Health - graduated 1998
Present
Position: Assistant Professor, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto
Rico (formerly, Postdoctoral Fellow, Dept. Obstetrics and Gynecology,
Magee-Womens Research Institute, then Postdoctoral Fellow, Division of
Bioengineering and Environmental Health, MIT)
Honors: NIH NRSA Predoctoral Scholar
Dissertation: Elucidation of cellular and mutational effects of
4-aminobiphenyl and metabolites
Judy Facey, M.S.,
Environ. Occup. Health - graduated 1998
Present Position: Scientist, U.S. EPA
Honors: 1997 EPA Summer Research Fellowship in Risk Assessment
Thesis: Profiles of tamoxifen metabolite adduction at exon 3 of the HPRT
gene
Bryon Petersen,
Ph.D., Environ. Occup. Health (joint supervision with G. Michalopoulos) -
graduated 1996
Present Position:
Associate Professor, Dept. Pathology, Immunology & Laboratory Medicine,
Univ. Florida (formerly Res. Asst. Prof., Dept. Radiation Oncology, Univ.
Pittsburgh)
Honors: 1997 Outstanding Dissertation Award - Dept. Environ. Occup. Hlth.;
1997 Outstanding Dissertation Award in the Sciences, Univ. Pittsburgh
Dissertation: Hepatic stem cells and growth factor regulation in
regenerating liver following toxin injury
Ernst ter Haar, Ph.D.
Environ. Occup. Health - graduated 1995
Present position: Research
Fellow I, Vertex
Pharmaceuticals, Cambridge, MA (formerly: Postdoctoral Fellow, Dept. Cell
Biology, Harvard Medical School)
Honors: Predoctoral Scholar, W. M. Keck Foundation Computational Biology
Training Program; 1996 Outstanding Student Award - Dept. Environ. Occup. Hlth.;
1996 Outstanding Dissertation Award - Grad. School of Public Health
Dissertation: Computational and biochemical analysis of three novel
anti-cancer drugs: Z-1,1-dichloro-2,3-diphenylcyclopropane, Z-chlorochalcone
and (+)-discodermolide
Donna L. Wilson, M.S.
Environ. Occup. Health - graduated 1993
Present position: Ph.D. student, Dept. Environmental and Occupational
Health, Univ. Pittsburgh
Thesis: Studies to characterize the binding site(s) of toluene diisocyanate
with human serum albumin
Charles F. Brehm,
M.S. Environ. Occup. Health - graduated 1993
Present position: Safety Manager, Michael Baker Jr, Inc.
Thesis: A proposed method to assess worker exposure to creosote: passive
dermal dosimetry and biological monitoring
Lisa K. Ryan, Ph.D.
Environ. Occup. Health - graduated 1992
Present
position: Assistant Professor, Dept. Oral Biology, UMDNJ (formerly,
Postdoctoral Fellow, Pulmonary Division, Harvard Medical School, then Senior
Scientist and ORD Regional Scientist (Region II) for the Environmental
Protection Agency)
Honors: Allegheny/Erie SOT Graduate Student Research Award, 1992;
Outstanding Student Award - 1993 Dept. Environ. Occup. Hlth
Dissertation: The role of endotoxin and tumor necrosis factor in acute
pulmonary inflammation to inhaled cotton dust
Former Postdocs:
Sastry S.
Jonnalagadda, Ph.D. (1994-1995), synthetic chemistry
Present Position: unknown
Clara E. Mota-Nelson,
Ph.D. (1996-1997), synthetic chemistry
Present Position: Senior Scientist, PPG Industries, Inc.
Kwasi S. Avor, Ph.D.
(1998-2000), synthetic chemistry
Unfortunately, we lost this good friend and scientist when he passed away in
2004; he was at that time Senior Scientist at TransTech Pharmaceuticals,
Inc.
Cyrous O. Kangani,
Ph.D. (2000-2002), synthetic chemistry
Present Position: Dept. Medicine/Div. Endocrinology, University of
Pittsburgh
Elisa Bellei, Ph.D.
(2004-2005), proteomics
Present Position: Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche, Facolti di
Medicina e Chirurgia, Universiti di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
Soumitra Basu,
Ph.D. (2004-2005), proteomics (core lab manager)
Present Position: Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, Kent
State University
Ashraf Elamin, Ph.D.
(2004-2006), proteomics
Present Position: Dept. Chemistry and Biochemistry, California State
University Long Beach
Weixiang Dai, Ph.D.
(2006-2007), synthetic chemistry
Present Position: Mylan Pharmaceuticals, Inc.