NYSTAR was proud to see that you were awarded an NSF CAREER award. What did winning this prestigious award mean for you?
I was extremely honored to have been selected by the NSF for this award, especially given how competitive these awards are each year. It represents one of the most significant milestones of my career to date. I am particularly excited by the fact that this award will not only support research in my laboratory but will also support the development of outreach efforts that will help educate and train future scientists from diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. These efforts will ensure that the discoveries made in my laboratory will impact a far greater community than might otherwise be reached.
Why did you pick molecular biotechnology as a focus of interest?
I was enthralled by the opportunity to utilize my educational training in chemical and biological systems to impact human health.
Describe an average day for you at Cornell.
I think the best thing about being an assistant professor is that there are no average days. Every day is filled with new challenges and responsibilities, both in the classroom and in the laboratory.
Please describe your top three scientific accomplishments.
First would have to be the two awards that I received since arriving at Cornell - the NSF CAREER award and the NYSTAR Watson Investigator Award. Second is the body of work that I completed during my 2.5 year post-doctoral studies, culminating with publications in PNAS and Science. The latter described the engineering of an entirely novel pathway for protein oxidation. Third would be the training and mentoring of my first group of students. As an advisor to 5 graduate students, 8 undergraduate students, a post-doc and a technician, I feel a great sense of accomplishment watching this group develop into talented and insightful young scientists.
Why you feel this research is or will become useful?
There is currently a $30-40 billion market annually for biopharmaceuticals, with the vast majority of these taking the form of therapeutic proteins. This market is likely to expand as patents covering some of the most lucrative protein drugs such as erythropoietin (EPO) and tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) are set to expire. New methods for making these drugs efficiently and inexpensively will rule the day. I feel that our research, which focuses on the engineering of biological machinery involved in protein biosynthesis, will provide such methods and will put us in a unique position to impact the expanding biotechnology enterprise.
What's going on right now in your research laboratory that you'd most like to share?
The most exciting thing in my laboratory is the team performing the research. This includes graduate students Lydia Contreras, Adam Fisher, Matt Marrichi, Ritsdeliz Perez and Didi Waraho; post-doctoral associate Jae-Young Kim; technician Liz Fogarty and a very talented collection of undergraduate researchers.
Where do you see your research going as you continue on in your career?
I see my research moving in two complementary directions. First, I have become very fascinated with visualizing protein machinery directly inside of a single cell or even at the level of a single molecule. Second, I see my research more broadly exploring the world of "biofabrication" - where we use microbes to fabricate not only high-value biological molecules (e.g. proteins) but also explore the feasibility of using microbes to synthesize and manufacture chemicals and other high-value materials (e.g. semiconductor nanocrystals).
Who are your key research and development partners?
The NYSTAR Center for Advanced Technologies at Cornell has been an instrumental partner in helping young faculty get started. I have been greatly supported by numerous people associated with this center, including Steve Kresovich, Margaret Arion, Roger Williams, Donna Chaudhuri and many others. With their assistance, I successfully obtained Phase I STTR funding from the NIH to begin converting some of my laboratory's discoveries into commercially viable products.
What challenges do you and your team encounter in research and development?
The greatest challenge has been finding enough time in the day to perform the research and carry out the development.
You were awarded a Watson grant on the basis of your work exploiting the twin-arginine translocation system for protein expression that transports folded proteins across the E. coli membrane for the creation of novel biotechnology-based drugs. How has the Watson award money impacted your research?
There are far too many examples to list here describing how this money has impacted my research program. However, the one example that stands out in my mind is that it enabled my laboratory to amass a large quantity of preliminary data that was instrumental for obtaining the NSF CAREER award.
The Watson Program is designed to help early career researchers in the life sciences who demonstrate a willingness and ability to develop research into economic development opportunities in the State. What challenges have you faced in identifying commercial opportunities for your research?
While we have had some early success identifying and collaborating with local biotech companies (e.g. Viral Therapeutics, Inc. in Ithaca, NY), the greater challenge has been identifying key collaborations with larger New York State biotechnology companies.
Did you like science as a child?
Yes, I was always mixing things together hoping they would react. Unfortunately, it was usually my parents that reacted.
As a child, what did you dream of becoming?
My first love was athletics and I always dreamed of becoming a professional soccer player.
Why did you become a scientist?
I wasn't quite good enough to play professional soccer! I also fell in love with chemistry, biology and engineering while studying chemical engineering as an undergraduate.
What do you like to do in your free time?
When I'm not spending time with my family (which now includes a brand new member), I'm on my bicycle. I have been involved with competitive cycling for the last 8-10 years.
How do you keep up with the daily progress made in the field of molecular biotechnology?
I read the literature as much as possible. I usually start with things closely related to my research interests but before long I find myself reading papers that are quite orthogonal to what goes on in my laboratory. I also frequent a number of technical conferences on the topic of molecular biotechnology.
What changes do you anticipate seeing in your chosen field of research during the next 20 years?
I think the greatest changes will come from the continued blending and integration of scientific disciplines. I myself am trained as a chemical engineer who is performing molecular-level analysis and engineering of biological systems.
What advice would you give someone interested in learning more about organic chemistry?
Read about it, ask questions of people working in it and, most importantly, do it!
Could you please name some of your most recent publications?
(1) Bronstein PA, Marrichi MJ and DeLisa MP (2004) Dissecting the twin-arginine translocation pathway using genome-wide analysis. Res Microbiol 155: 803-810. [PubMed]
(2) Fisher AC and DeLisa MP (2004) A little help from my friends: quality control of presecretory proteins in bacteria. J Bacteriol 186: 7467-7473. [PubMed]
(3) Masip L, Pan J, Haldar S, Penner-Han JE, DeLisa MP, Georgiou G, Bardwell J and Collet J-F (2004) An engineered pathway for the formation of protein disulfide bonds. Science 303: 1185-1189. [PubMed]
(4) DeLisa MP, Tullman D and Georgiou G (2003) Folding quality control in the export of proteins via the bacterial twin-arginine translocation pathway. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 100: 6115-6120. [PubMed]
Do you have any advice for those considering a career in molecular biotechnology?
Get involved as early as you can. I was a late bloomer as a scientist, but now I instruct undergraduates who have performed molecular biotechnology experiments in high school. With such early exposure to this field, I can only imagine the impact that these future scientists are going to have!
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Accomplishments
