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., Shin, Y., Taylor, D. L. Systems cell biology knowledge created from high content screening. Assay and Drug Development Technologies 2005, 3, 501-514.

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.

Banni, S., Petroni, A., Blasevich, M., Carta, G., Angioni, E., Murru, E., Day, B. W., Melis, M.P., Spada, S., Ip, C. Detection of conjugated C16 PUFAs in rat tissues as possible partial beta-oxidation products of naturally occurring conjugated linoleic acid and its metabolites. Biochimica Biophysica Acta 2004, 1682, 120-127.

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.

 


bday@pitt.edu