Presenter: Randy Schekman, PhD
Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology
University of California, Berkeley
Dr. Randy Schekman is a Professor in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, and an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. He studied the enzymology of DNA replication as a graduate student with Arthur Kornberg at Stanford University. His current interest in cellular membranes developed during a postdoctoral period with S. J. Singer at the University of California, San Diego. At Berkeley, he developed a genetic and biochemical approach to the study of eukaryotic membrane traffic. Schekman has been awarded honorary doctorate degrees from the University of Geneva and the University of Regensburg. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. From 2006-2011, he was Editor-in-Chief of the Proceeding of the NAS. Currently he is Editor-in-Chief of the open access journal eLife. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of the Annual Reviews of Cell and Developmental Biology. Dr. Schekman was Head of Faculty for Cell Biology for F1000, the Scientific Director of the Jane Coffin Childs Fund (ended 2012), and Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Tamasek Life Science laboratory, Singapore (ended 2012). He was also the Editor-in-Chief of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (until 2011), and was an elected Council member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (until this year).
Among his awards are the Eli Lilly Award in microbiology and immunology, the Lewis S. Rosenstiel Award in basic biomedical science, the Gairdner International Award, the Amgen Award of the Protein Society, the Albert Lasker Award in Basic Medical Research and the Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize of Columbia University. In 2013, Schekman was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology jointly with Thomas Südhof and James Rothman for their contributions to understanding vesicle trafficking.
Dr. Schekman was recently awarded the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine and shared this award with James Rothman and Thomas Südhof for their discoveries of machinery regulating vesicle traffic, a major transport system in our cells. His work concerns the mechanism of membrane assembly and vesicular traffic in eukaryotic cells. What Schekman, using genetic methods, and Rothman, with biochemical approaches, working independently did, was dissect in meticulous detail the molecular underpinnings behind vesicle formation, selection of cargo, and movement to the correct organelle or path outside the cell.
Dr. Randy and his laboratory identified 50 genes involved in vesicle movement and determined the order and role each of the different genes’ protein products play, step by step, as they shuttle cargo-laden vesicles in the cell. One of the most important genes he found, Schekman says, is the SEC61 gene, which encodes a channel through which secretory proteins under construction pass into the endoplasmic reticulum lumen. When this gene is mutant, proteins fail to enter the secretion assembly line. Another significant set of genes he discovered encode different coat proteins that allow vesicle movement from the endoplasmic reticulum and from the Golgi.
Although Schekman’s research was done in yeast, follow-up studies confirmed that higher organisms, such as humans, share the majority of the genes in the yeast secretory pathway. Such knowledge provided a foundation for understanding normal human cell biology and disease states. In fact, as the study of the genetics of mammalian cells has become easier, Schekman has been characterizing human diseases that arise from secretory pathway problems. He has identified the structural basis of a rare craniofacial disease that disrupts the construction of a coat protein complex essential for transport vesicle formation. He also is studying whether the accumulation in the brains of Alzheimer’s disease patients of the protein amyloid is due to a secretion pathway roadblock.
While many steps in vesicular trafficking are now known, some have evaded discovery. Schekman continues to look for receptors in the endoplasmic reticulum membrane that find appropriate protein cargo for transport to the Golgi. He is also trying to identify molecules that help protein-laden vesicles move from the Golgi out of the cell. Schekman, with as much passion for science today as he has had throughout his career, is confident he can persuade Nature to reveal undiscovered routes in her traffic patterns.
Presenter: Mark Davis, PhD
Professor, Microbiology and Immunology
Stanford University
Mark Davis obtained a BA in molecular biology from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD in 1974 and Ph.D. from California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Ca in 1981. He worked on immunology research for more than 25 years, first as a post-doctoral researcher at the Immunology Laboratory of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD, then at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York before joining the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the Stanford University School of Medicine, where he became a professor at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in 1991. He also served for several years in the Advisory Committee of the Damon Runyon-Walter Winchell Cancer Research Foundation.
Professor Davis’s research centers on the molecular basis of T cell and B cell recognition. In particular, he studied the biochemical basis of T cell receptor binding to antigen/MHC complexes. He and Professor Mak independently cloned the first gene for T-cell receptors, allowing these immune cells to recognize and inactivate foreign proteins and viruses. This groundbreaking work revolutionized the field of immunology. Davis and his group also described the augmentation of responses triggered in T cells as a result of antigen presentation by B cells, dendritic cells or macrophages.
Author of more than 200 papers, Professor Davis received numerous awards and distinctions. In addition to the King Faisal International Prize for Medicine, his awards include: the Milton and Francis Clauser Doctoral Prize from Caltech; Passano Young Scientist Award; Eli Lilly Award in Microbiology and Immunology; the Howard Taylor Ricketts Award; Gairdner Prize; General Motors Cancer Prize – Sloan Award; Novartis Prize for Basic Immunology; William B. Coley Award; Pius XI Award; Rose Payne Award; Ernst W. Bertner Award; Paul Ehrlich Prize and Distinguished Alumni Award (Caltech). He is a Member of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Institute of Medicine and was the Newton-Abraham Visiting Professor at the University of Oxford.
Professor Davis chaired the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Stanford from 2002-2004. In 2004, he became Director of the Stanford Institute for Immunity, Transplantation and Infection and between 2002-2004, he was the Burt and Marion Avery Family Professor of Immunology and is now Professor of Immunology and Microbiology at the Stanford University School of Medicine.
Presenter: Paul Bollyky, MD; Assistant Professor of Medicine (Infectious Diseases) and of Microbiology and Immunology. Zoom Meeting ID: 858696854
Presenter: Dr. Erica Sonnenburg, MD, PhD
Click HERE to Register!
The mission of the Stanford Center for Clinical Research (SCCR) includes offering educational resources, training, and support for investigators and research staff. We have invited senior research scientist of Microbiology and Immunology, Dr. Erica Sonnenburg, MD, PhD, to provide you with an overview of the past decade of research demonstrating the profound link between the human gut microbiota and aspects of human physiology including metabolism, immune function, and central nervous system function.
At the conclusion of this class, you will be able to:
- Teach participants about the numerous vital connections between our gut microbiota and human health, including specific examples related to metabolism, immunity, and neurobiology.
- Illustrate the numerous factors that can alter the microbiota in everyday life, including the many insults of the modern world (e.g., antibiotics, low-fiber diet) that directly impact microbiota composition and function.
- Provide practical advice for how individuals can change their diet and lifestyle to nurture and health-promoting microbiota.
Attendance is open to all research staff
About the Instructor:
Dr. Erica Sonnenburg, MD, PhD, is a senior research scientist at the Stanford University School of Medicine in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology where she studies the role of diet on the human intestinal microbiota. She has published her groundbreaking scientific findings in prestigious journals such as Cell, Science, and, Nature and is the co-author of the book The Good Gut: Taking Control of Your Weight, Your Mood, and Your Long-Term Health. The Sonnenburg lab is currently focused on understanding basic principles that govern interactions within the intestinal microbiota and between the microbiota and the host. To pursue these aims, the lab applies systems approaches (e.g. functional genomics and metabolomics) to gain mechanistic insight into emergent properties of the host-microbial super-organism.
BRN OPTIONAL
Spectrum is an approved provider by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider Number CEP15435 for 2 contact hour(s).
To receive your certificate with BRN credit, you are required to complete an evaluation at the conclusion of this class.
BRN Cancellation Policy: If you wish to cancel your registration, please contact the course coordinators, Susan Saba, ssaba@stanford.edu or Kiera Davis, klarsen5@stanford.edu.
Register HERE
Zoom Class Link HERE
Topic: “Practices of Optimism in Constant Change”
Please join us for this opportunity to virtually meet among your colleagues and research staff to discuss the best practices of optimism amid constant change.
“Change is the only constant in life. However, the sense of letting go of the old and facing the unfamiliar, brings on a mix of emotional state to deal with. In this 1-hour interactive session, we will discuss how we can embrace the change with optimism to gain personal growth along the way. We will provide scientifically proven tools that you can put into practice during the workshop and beyond.”
Facilitator: Susan Saba, MA, MPH.
Date: Tuesday, November 30, 2021
Time: 3:00-4:00 PM
Location: Zoom Meeting
Please visit SCCR future Events HERE
Register HERE
Zoom Class Link HERE
Topic: “Foundations of Yoga for Healthcare and Self-care”
Speaker: Dr. Christiane Brems, PhD.
“This course explores the varied applications of yoga for health, resilience, and thriving. It outlines the eight limbs of yogic practice and how they nurture the many aspects of our human experiences. It overviews the applications of these practices for self-care and patient care.”
Date: Thursday, January 20, 2022
Time: 9:30 – 11 AM
Location: Zoom Meeting
Please visit SCCR future Events HERE