Microbial Pathogens: New Problems from Old Foes

2:30 - 4:30 p.m. - Benjamin Banneker Room

Dr. William Bishai, Johns Hopkins University, Title: "Whodunnit, pathogen or host? Inciting immunopathology in tuberculosis"

Dr. Ali I. Fattom, Nabi Biopharmaceuticals, Title: "Can a shot in the arm make you quit smoking? NicVAX, a nicotine conjugate vaccine, may do just that!"

Dr. Lian-Yong Gao, University of Maryland, Title: "From fish tuberculosis to human TB: show me the biomedical relevance."

**Dr. John Robbins, NIH, Title: "Immunity to Anthrax"
**Dr. Robbins is unable to attend and his talk has been canceled.**

Organized and moderated by Dr. Daniel Stein, Cell Biology & Molecular Genetics

WILLIAM BISHAI, PH.D. Professor of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases; Co-Director, Johns Hopkins Center for Tuberculosis Research, Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Bishai received his M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from Harvard Medical School, was a resident at the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, and received infectious diseases fellowship training at Johns Hopkins.   He was a Howard Hughes Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the laboratory of Nobel laureate, Dr. Hamilton Smith. He joined the Johns Hopkins faculty in 1994.   Dr. Bishai's interests involve tuberculosis pathogenesis, bacterial respiratory tract infections, and animal models of pulmonary infections.   He has authored over 100 papers in peer reviewed journals, and receives grant support from the National Institutes of Health, the Global Alliance for TB Drug Development, and the Ellison Foundation.

ALI I. FATTOM, PH.D. Vice President of Research, W. W. Karakawa Microbial Pathogenesis Laboratory, Nabi Biopharmaceuticals, Rockville, Maryland.   Dr. Fattom received his Ph.D. in Microbial Ecology from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1984.   Dr. Fattom held an Assistant Professorship in the Biology and Biochemistry Department at Bir-Zeit University, West Bank, Palestine.   He joined the Laboratory of Developmental and Molecular Immunity at the NIH in Bethesda, Maryland as a Postdoctoral Associate in 1986.   Dr. Fattom joined Univax Biologics in 1991 as a Senior Scientist to further develop and advance his work on S. aureus serology and vaccine development.   Results from a pivotal clinical trial had recently (Q4 2000) showed that StaphVAX was efficacious in preventing S. aureus bacteremia in adult patients. His research area includes preclinical vaccine development and immunochemistry of S. aureus , Coagulase Negative Staphylococci, and enterococci. Currently, Dr. Fattom is heading the Research department.   In addition to the Gram positive programs development of NicVAX, a vaccine for treatment or prevention of nicotine addiction and for use in smoking cessation programs. NicVAX was evaluated in humans for phase I and phase II and shown promising results in helping people quit smoking.

LIAN-YONG GAO, PH.D. Assistant Professor, Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, Graduate Program in Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Maryland.   Dr. Gao teaches classes in Microbial Pathogenesis and advises several Ph.D. and undergraduate students. He researches host-pathogen interactions with a particular interest in infectious diseases caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis and M. marinum . His work utilizes knowledge and tools in the interface of molecular genetics, biochemistry, cell biology, immunology, and microbiology. The research has significance in improving therapeutics and vaccines against Tuberculosis, a leading cause of infectious diseases in the world. Dr. Gao is a member of the American Society for Microbiology and the American Society for Cell Biology.

JOHN B. ROBBINS, M.D. Chief, Laboratory of Developmental and Molecular Immunity, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health. Dr. Robbins received his B.A. from NYU in 1956, and his M.D. from the University of Goteborg in 1959.  Following his internship/residency at Massachusetts General Hospital, he became a research fellow at the University of Florida. He has held a variety of academic appointments, including guest scientist at the Weizmann Institute, Professor of Pediatrics and Microbiology at the University of Florida, and Professor of Pediatrics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He has also attained a variety of appointments within the federal government, serving as the clinical director of the National Institutes of Child Health and Human Development, Chief of Developmental Immunology at the National Institutes of Health, Director of the Bacterial Products Division at the Food and Drug Administration, and Laboratory Chief of Developmental and Molecular Immunity at the National Institutes of Child Health and Human Development. The pioneering research undertaken by Dr. Robbins has focused on developing vaccines for diseases that are prevalent in infants and children. He and a colleague, Rachel Schneerson, M.D., developed a vaccine designed to eradicate bacterial meningitis caused by Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib), a deadly and debilitating infectious agent and the leading cause of acquired mental retardation in children. The vaccine is now used throughout the world. His vaccine development research has also targeted typhoid, pertussis, and other diseases. Among the honors Dr. Robbins has received are the Albert Lasker Award for Clinical Research, the World Health Organization's Pasteur Award, and the Albert B. Sabin Gold Medal. Dr. Robbins is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine.

 

 

 

For more information about the Bioscience Research & Technology Review Day, please contact Gene Ferrick at (301) 405-7016, or gene@umd.edu.