Dr. Michael Blaber
Dept of Biomedical Sciences
Florida State University
Tallahassee FL 32306-4300
TEL: 850 644 3361
FAX: 850 644 9399
email: michael.blaber@med.fsu.edu
Links to metrics/profiles:
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Welcome to mikeblaber.org
This site is produced and maintained by Dr. Michael Blaber. Feel free to browse around!
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This web site is intended to provide access to information and resouces associated with, or produced by, Dr. Michael Blaber, and was previously located at http://wine1.sb.fsu.edu
The old site was supported by the Institute of Molecular Biophysics at Florida State University, but was retired after Dr. Blaber moved to the Department of Biomedical Sciences.
Dr. Blaber decided to register the domain name "mikeblaber.org" and transfer the material to this site.
This site is not affiliated with Florida State University, and all opinions are those of the author, Dr. Michael Blaber.
(c)2017 Michael Blaber
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News
May 2022
A manuscript coauthored by Michael Blaber entitled "Creation of the intermolecular disulfide symmetry cross-linked crystal allowing observation of tertiary structures in different solvent conditions" has been accepted for publication in Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences, section Structural Biology.
Protein crystals are generally fragile and sensitive to subtle changes such as pH, ionic strength, and/or temperature in their crystallization mother liquor. Here, using T4 phage lysozyme as a model protein, the three-dimensional immobilization of protein crystals was conducted by introducing disulfide cross-links between neighboring molecules in the crystal. The effect of cross-linking on the stability of the crystals was evaluated by microscopic observation and X-ray diffraction. When soaking the obtained cross-linked crystals into a precipitant-free solution, the crystals held their shape without dissolution and have improved diffraction to approximately 1.1 Å resolution comparable to that of the non-cross-linked crystals. Such cross-linked crystals maintained their diffraction even when immersed in other solutions with pH values from 4 to 10, indicating that the disulfide cross-linking made the packing contacts enforced and resulted in some mechanical strength in response to changes in the preservation conditions. Furthermore, the cross-linked crystals gained stability to permit soaking into solutions containing high concentrations of organic solvents. The results suggests the possibility of obtaining protein crystals for effective drug screening by introducing appropriate cross-linked disulfide bonds. The corresponding author of this report is Dr. Taro Tamada of Institute for Quantum Life Science, National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology, Ibaraki, Japan
Apr 2022
A manuscript authored by Michael Blaber entitled "Variable and Conserved Regions of Secondary Structure in the beta-trefoil Fold: Structure versus Function" has been accepted for publication in Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences, section Structural Biology.
beta-trefoil proteins exhibit an approximate C3 rotational symmetry. An analysis of the secondary structure for members of this diverse superfamily of proteins indicates that it is comprised of remarkably conserved beta-strands and highly-divergent turn regions. A fundamental "minimal" architecture can be identified that is devoid of heterogenous and extended turn regions, and is conserved among all family members. Conversely, the different functional families of beta-trefoils can potentially be identified by their unique turn patterns (or turn "signature"). Such analyses provide clues as to the evolution of the beta-trefoil family, suggesting a folding/stability role for the beta-strands and a functional role for turn regions. This viewpoint can also guide de novo protein design of beta-trefoil proteins having novel functionality.
An invited book chapter authored by Michael Blaber entitled “Protein Symmetry, Function and Stability” has been accepted for publication in Encyclopedia of Cell Biology.
De novo protein design offers tremendous potential for the development of novel materials and therapeutics with a technology that is biocompatible, recyclable and carbon neutral. However, in contrast to other fields of molecular design, such as synthetic chemistry, protein design is much more complex, nascent, and undeveloped. Symmetric design principles can substantially reduce the vast combinatorial challenge associated with protein design, while involving a substantial retinue of extant and novel protein architectures having broad functional potential. The development of efficient symmetric protein design principles can advance the realization of practical protein design.
Mar 2022
Dr. Michael Blaber listed among top 5 Biology and Biochemistry scientists at FSU
Research.com has listed the top five scientists in the Biology and Biochemistry field at FSU. Dr. Michael Blaber is included in this list, which can be found here.
Dr. Connie Tenorio manuscript accepted in Protein Science
A manuscript entitled "Functionalization of a Symmetric Protein Scaffold: Redundant Folding Nuclei and Alternative Oligomeric Folding Pathways" authored by Dr. Connie Tenorio (former grad student and postdoc in the Blaber lab)has been accepted for publication in Protein Science. Successful de novo protein design ideally targets specific folding kinetics, stability thermodynamics, and biochemical functionality, and the simultaneous achievement of all these criteria in a single step design is challenging. Protein design is potentially simplified by separating the problem into two steps: 1) an initial design of a protein “scaffold” having appropriate folding kinetics and stability thermodynamics, followed by 2) appropriate functional mutation – possibly involving insertion of a peptide functional “cassette”. This stepwise approach can also separate the orthogonal effects of the “stability/function” and “foldability/function” tradeoffs commonly observed in protein design. If the scaffold is a protein architecture having an exact rotational symmetry, then there is the potential for redundant folding nuclei and multiple equivalent sites of functionalization; thereby enabling broader functional adaptation. This report describes such a “scaffold” and functional “cassette” design strategy applied to a beta-trefoil threefold symmetric architecture and a heparin ligand functionality. The results support the availability of redundant folding nuclei within this symmetric architecture, and also identify a minimal peptide cassette conferring heparin affinity. The results also identify an energy barrier of destabilization that switches the protein folding pathway from monomeric to trimeric, thereby identifying another potential advantage of symmetric protein architecture in de novo design. Congratulations Connie!
Feb 2022
Dr. Liam Longo hired as a faculty member at Tokyo Institute of Technology
Dr. Liam Longo, a former Ph.D. student in the Blaber Lab, was recently recruited as an Associate Professor at the prestigious Tokyo Institute of Technology. Congratulations Liam!
Jan 2022
Blaber Lab translational research featured in FSU News
Dr. Michael Blaber was interviewed about his lab's translational research effort to develop novel FGF-1 therapeutics for the treatment of corneal dystrophy disease. The news report can be found here.
Dec 2021
Trefoil Therapeutics Announces Third Tranche of $28 Million Series A Financing Based on Achievement of Clinical Trial Objectives
Trefoil Therapeutics announced that after review of the interim clinical data from the INTREPID and STORM studies, the Series A investors have funded the third tranche of its $28 million Series A financing to support the development of its engineered FGF-1, TTHX1114 products for the regenerative treatment of corneal diseases. This funding allows Trefoil to expand the STORM clinical program and initiate a clinical trial of the topical formulation. The news report can be found here.
A report on corneal endothelial cell regeneration by engineered FGF-1 published in collaboration with Trefoil Therapeutics
A manuscript entitled "Regenerative Responses of Rabbit Corneal Endothelial Cells to Stimulation by Fibroblast Growth Factor 1 (FGF1) Derivatives, TTHX1001 and TTHX1114" was published in Growth Factors as a collaborative study by Trefoil Therapeutics and Dr. Michael Blaber. Utilizing rabbit corneal endothelial cells (CECs) in different paradigms, two human FGF1 derivatives, engineered to exhibit greater stability and decreased dependence on heparin as a co-factor, were tested as proliferative agents to ascertain their potential for treating human corneal endothelial dystrophies. CECs from rabbits, widely accepted as the principal animal model for studying cornea regeneration, were stimulated with FGF1 mutants, TTHX1001 and TTHX1114 (developed in the Blaber Lab), in primary tissue culture, in chemically lesioned corneal organ transplants and in vivo in cryolesioned animals. In organ culture, chemically lesioned corneas, regained about half of the lost endothelial layer in 3 days following treatment with the TTHX1001 and TTHX1114 as compared to controls. In vivo, following cryolesioning, the CEC monolayer, as judged by specular microscopy, regenerated 10-11 days faster when treated with TTHX1001. Over two weeks, all treated eyes showed significant clearing of opacity relative to untreated controls. Both FGF1 derivatives were highly effective in all three rabbit models in inducing proliferation of the CEC targets, supporting the prediction that FGF1 derivatives that have been modified to yield an acceptable pharmacological stability can potentially restore corneal endothelial deficits.
Nov 2021
Brandon Parker selected to serve on the AMA Medical Student Section Committee on Scientific Issues
Brandon Parker, a second year medical student in the FSU College of Medicine, was selected by the American Medical Association Medical Student Section (AMA-MSS) Governing Council to serve on the AMA-MSS Committee on Scientific Issues (CSI). Brandon was one of only a 20 Medical Students selected to serve on this committee in a national solicitation. In their selection, the Committee noted Brandon’s “well thought out vision for the committee and exemplary qualifications in the area of Medicine and Scientific Research.” Most notably, the committee noted Brandon’s unique accomplishments in basic research, undertaken in the Blaber Lab. The AMA-MSS strives to be the medical students' voice within the AMA for improving medical education and advocating for the future of medicine. The responsibilities of the CSI are to develop guides to address AMA policy gaps on novel scientific issues and serve as a reference to medical students who are interested in working on science-related resolutions, and to integrate science into medical education. Congratulations Brandon!
Sep 2021
Brandon Parker manuscript accepted in Protein Science
A manuscript entitled "The Ubiquitous Buried Water in the beta-Trefoil Architecture Contributes to the Folding Nucleus and ~20% of the Folding Enthalpy" authored by Mr. Brandon Parker has been accepted for publication in Protein Science. This report is the result of a summer 2021 Research Fellowship in the Blaber laboratory, and describes a novel mutagenic approach to determine the contribution to stability and folding of a ubiquitously conserved water molecule in the beta-trefoil family of proteins. The results show that the three symmetric instances of this water in the protein contribute ~20% of the overall folding enthalpy; and in fact, deletion of only one of these three waters is sufficient to prevent the folding of naturally-evolved beta-trefoil proteins like fibroblast growth factor-1 (FGF-1) and interleukin-1beta. Dr. Michael Blaber commented: “This study has elucidated the biophysics of a singularly critical structural feature, essential for correct folding and conserved in all beta-trefoil proteins. Brandon is a promising medical student in the COM who has demonstrated that he is also a proficient researcher in the area of protein chemistry. Proteins are the workhorse molecules of living systems, and form the basis of the newest generation of human therapeutics. Brandon is uniquely positioned to understand both basic and applied medical research in this important area. That Brandon was able to complete this work, and have an accepted paper at the end of his summer research experience, is remarkable and something I have not previously witnessed. Brandon has two prior co-authorships from the laboratory as an undergraduate researcher, and has one more co-authorship that will likely be submitted late this year. His research productivity is certainly on par with our best PhD students. Congratulations Brandon!” Access can be found here.
June 2021
Trefoil Therapeutics highlighted in Nature press
A special "Innovation in Ophthalmology Biopharma Dealmakers" report was recently published in Nature press. The lead article is titled “Partnering to Improve Vision” and this is a short summary of the 100 ophthalmic transactions over the past five years. The article includes Trefoil Therapeutics and their clinical studies on the use of engineered FGF-1 (developed in the Blaber lab) for corneal dystrophy therapy. The article on Trefoil can be found here.
Apr 2021
Brandon Parker awarded summer research fellowship
Brandon Parker, a medical student at FSU, has been awarded a summer research fellowship in the Blaber laboratory. He will be performing a biophysical study of mutants of a de novo designed beta-trefoil protein intended to elucidate the role of a set of symmetrically-related buried water molecules that are ubiquitously conserved in the beta-trefoil family of proteins. Congratulations Brandon!
Mar 2021
Price Vision Group Participating in Clinical Study of Investigational Growth Factor Treatment for Eye Disorder, Fuchs Endothelial Corneal Dystrophy
Price Vision Group announced today that it is the first site to initiate patient treatment in Trefoil Therapeutics’ clinical trial evaluating use of a drug treatment involving an engineered form of FGF-1 (developed in the Blaber Lab and licensed from FSU) in conjunction with a surgical procedure that treats the back surface of the cornea to restore vision in patients with a condition called Fuchs Endothelial Corneal Dystrophy (FECD). Price Vision Group surgeons have performed more cornea transplants than any other practice in North America and are some of the world’s foremost experts in corneal care. Trefoil's press release can be viewed here.
Dr. Michael Blaber manuscript accepted in Protein Science
A manuscript entitled "Cooperative Hydrophobic Core Interactions in the b-trefoil Architecture" authored by Dr. Michael Blaber has been accepted for publication in Protein Science. This report is an analysis of the core-packing interactions in de novo designed symmetric beta-trefoil proteins. The analysis identifies a remarkable diversity of packing interactions, and identifies specific key core positions that drive cooperative folding and early vs late folding events.
Dr. Michael Blaber elected to faculty senate
Dr. Michael Blaber was elected to serve on the FSU faculty senate - the basic legislative body of FSU - for the 2021-2023 academic years.
February 2021
Dr. Connie Tenorio recruited by Genentech, Inc.
Dr. Connie Tenorio, former PhD graduate and current Postdoctoral researcher in the Blaber lab, has accepted a Postdoctoral Researcher position at Genentech, Inc. in South San Francisco. Genentech was founded in 1976 as one of the first biotech companies in the world to pioneer recombinant DNA technology, and is a world leader in the development of novel biologicals for human pharmacotherapy. Congratulations Connie!.
Trefoil Therapeutics Begins Second Phase 2 “STORM” Clinical Trial with Regenerative Treatment for Fuchs Endothelial Corneal Dystrophy
Trefoil Therapeutics today announced it has begun a Phase 2 clinical trial of its engineered Fibroblast Growth Factor-1, TTHX1114, to evaluate its safety and efficacy as a regenerative treatment for patients with Fuchs Endothelial Corneal Dystrophy (FECD). The “STORM” study, the second clinical trial of TTHX1114, is designed to assess its potential to enhance corneal recovery and improve visual acuity in FECD patients undergoing Descemetorhexis without Endothelial Keratoplasty (DWEK), which is also referred to as Descemet Stripping Only (DSO), for their disease. Trefoil's announcement can be viewed here.
November 2020
Trefoil Therapeutics receives People's Choice Award at Eyecelerator 2020 Conference
Trefoil Therapeutics was voted the People’s Choice Award winner at the recent Eyecelerator 2020 Conference. Eyecelerator 2020 provides entrepreneurs the chance to showcase their technology and clinical advancements in front of mission-driven investors and business leaders eager to accelerate advancements in eye health. Trefoil's regenerative technology for corneal dystrophy, licensed from the Blaber lab and currently in phase I/II clinical trials, was selected as the People's Choice winner from an impressive group of 27 innovative companies presenting. Trefoil's presentation can be viewed here .
Dr. Michael Blaber receives Outstanding Senior Faculty Educator award
At the annual FSU College of Medicine Faculty Council Award meeting, Dr. Michael Blaber was announced as the Outstanding Senior Faculty Educator of 2019-2020.
Dr. Michael Blaber acknowledged for 15 years of service in the College of Medicine
At the annual FSU College of Medicine Faculty Council Award meeting, Dr. Michael Blaber received recognition for 15 years of service as a faculty member in the FSU College of Medicine.
September 2020
Dr. Connie Tenorio successfully defends PhD Thesis
Ms. Connie Tenorio successfully defended her PhD Thesis entitled "Folding Nucleus Perturbation And Alternative Folding Pathways In The ß-Trefoil Fold" and is now Dr. Tenorio. Congratulations Connie!
August 2020
Trefoil Therapeutics Registers Clinical Trial with Clinicaltrials.gov
Trefoil Therapeutics has registered their clinical trial of engineered FGF-1 for Fuchs' corneal dystrophy with Clinicaltrials.gov. This provides information for potential subjects and physicians. A link to the Clinicaltrials.gov web page can be found here.
Trefoil Therapeutics Registers Clinical Trial of Engineered FGF-1 for Corneal Endothelial Dystrophies with Clinicaltrials.gov
Trefoil Therapeutics was recently successful in their investigative new drug (IND) application to initiate human clinical trials of engineered FGF-1 for Fuchs' corneal dystrophy, and the company has announced initiation of phase 1/2 clinical trials! A press release can be found here.
June 2020
Dr. Michael Blaber manuscript accepted in Protein Science
A manuscript entitled "Conserved Buried Water Molecules Enable the beta-Trefoil Architecture" authored by Dr. Michael Blaber has been accepted for publication in Protein Science. This study provides the surprising result that the only truly threefold symmetric structural feature of the beta-trefoil protein fold is a buried water molecule. This water molecule is centrally located within each repeating trefoil-fold motif. Due to water H-bond coordination geometry, this water orients three main chain/side chain groups. In turn, this positions three core hydrophobic amino acids as a nascent packing group. It is argued that this structural organization likely forms a key part of the folding nucleus.
Ms. Brooke Hagerott manuscript accepted in Journal of Proteins and Proteomics
A manuscript entitled "A Bell-Shaped Dose Response of Topical FGF-1 in Dermal Wound Healing of Aged Female BALB/cByJ Mice" authored by Brooke Hagerott has been accepted for publication in J. Prot. Proteom.. This study describes an atypical dose-response curve for topical FGF-1 as a pharmacotherapy in treating the age-related impairment of dermal wound healing in aged female mice. This study involved undergraduate researchers Hagerott, McGarry, Cohen, and Powell. Also participating in the study was FSU College of Medicine, class of 2021 student, Alli Blumstein. Connie Tenorio, a graduate student in the Blaber Lab also participated. Dr. Tamas Nagy contributed histopathology analyses. Congratulations to all!
Ms. Connie Tenorio receives Bryan W. Robinson Endowment Award
The Bryan W. Robinson Endowment is a local endowment that has funded over 300 PhD candidates or physicians in training, with over $1 million in awards. Ms. Connie Tenorio (PhD candidate in the Blaber lab) has received a $1,000 honorable mention award from the foundation in support of her thesis research in protein folding and design. Congratulations Connie!
April 2020
Ms. Connie Tenorio manuscript accepted in Protein Science
A manuscript entitled "Oligomerization of a Symmetric beta-trefoil Protein in Response to Folding Nucleus Perturbation " and authored by Ms. Connie Tenorio (grad student in Blaber Lab) has been accepted in Protein Science. Another author on the report is Joseph Parker (former undergrad researcher in the Blaber Lab, and current FSU medical student). In this report we describe how targeted destabilization of a region of the folding nucleus of the de novo designed and purely-symmetrical beta-trefoil protein "Symfoil" leads to oligomeric (trimeric) assembly. Over 250 beta-trefoil protein mutants have been reported by the Blaber lab and none have previously shown such oligomeric behavior. This report suggests that destabilization of the folding nucleus diminishes intramolecular interactions required for monomeric folding, and promotes intermolecular interactions that can salvage foldability. The results confirm the unique robustness of pure symmetry in foldable protein evolution and design. Congratulations Connie!
March 2020
Ms. Connie Tenorio manuscript accepted in Protein Science
A manuscript entitled "Ab initio Folding of a Trefoil-fold Motif Reveals Structural similarity with a b-propeller Blade Motif" and authored by Ms. Connie Tenorio (grad student in Blaber Lab) has been accepted in Protein Science. Other authors on the report include Drs. Liam Longo (former grad student) and Jihun Lee (former grad student and postdoc), and Joseph Parker (undergrad researcher in the Blaber Lab). Protein structures can be comprised of simple repeating motifs representing primordial structural “building blocks”; however, very little is known regarding their folding properties. This report describes an analysis of the motif for the b-trefoil (a common protein architecture) and a potential commonality between this motif and the “blade” motif of b-propeller proteins. The results shed light on the evolution of diverse protein structures from related simple polypeptide motifs. Congratulations Connie!
February 2020
Trefoil Therapeutics Thomas M. Tremblay as Vice President for Clinical Development
Trefoil Therapeutics today announced the appointment of Thomas M. Tremblay, RN, BSN to the newly created position of Vice President, Clinical Development. He brings to Trefoil more than 25 years of experience in pharmaceutical development across a variety of therapeutic areas. A press release can be found here.
Trefoil Therapeutics Selects AGC Biologics as Lead Manufacturer of TTHX1114 for Treatment of Corneal Diseases
AGC Biologics, a global Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) for Biopharmaceuticals and Trefoil Therapeutics announce the execution of a manufacturing contract to supply their lead compound TTHX1114. A press release can be found here.
January 2020
Design of a simple and cheap hydroponic garden
Dr. Michael Blaber worked on a design for a simple and cheap hydroponic garden using parts from the plumbing section of the local hardware store (and some stuff from Ebay)! Plans can be found here.
Dr. Michael Blaber radio interview
Dr. Michael Blaber was interviewed by WFSU regarding translational research efforts and election to the NAI. The podcast can be found here.
December 2019
Dr. Michael Blaber reappointed to J. Pharm. Sci. board
Dr. Michael Blaber was reappointed to the editorial board of the Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences for another three year term.
Dr. Michael Blaber elected Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI)
The NAI Fellows Selection Committee and Board of Directors elected Dr Michael Blaber a Fellow of the NAI, stating "you have demonstrated a highly prolific spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on the quality of life, economic development, and welfare of society.” An induction ceremony will take place April 10 at the Heard Museum in Phoenix AZ. A list of 2019 inductees can be found here, and a link to FSU's news article can be found here.
November 2019
Trefoil Therapeutics CEO and CBO visit FSU
Trefoil Therapeutics Inc. Chief Executive Officer David Eveleth and Chief Business Officer Schalon Newton visited FSU in November. They met with administrators in the FSU Office of Technology Transfer, Office of the Vice President for Research, College of Medicine and Department of Biochemistry. Trefoil's CEO and CBO outlined Trefoil's achievements to date (including their recent series A financing), and their path to an Investigative New Drug (IND) application in the coming year for TTHX1114 (their lead compound) for human therapeutic application in corneal dystrophy. Trefoil's executives also met with students and postdocs to provide practical information on career opportunities in Biotechnology.
July 2019
Trefoil Therapeutics raises $28 million in Series A financing
Trefoil Therapeutics Inc. ("Trefoil") announced it has successfully raised $28 million in a Series A financing. Trefoil is focused upon bringing its engineered FGF-1 technology to market for the treatment of corneal dystrophy disease - a signficant cause of blindness. Trefoil's technology is licensed from Florida State University, and was developed in the laboratory of Dr. Michael Blaber - one of the co-founders of Trefoil. The press release from Trefoil can be viewed here!
May 2019
Dr. Michael Blaber lectures at Challenger Learning Center
Dr. Michael Blaber presented a public lecture on using a digital SLR camera for astrophotography at a Tallahassee Astronomical Society lecture at the Challenger Learning Center. The PowerPoint for this lecture can be viewed here!
April 2019
Ms. Brooke Hagerott Honors Thesis Defense
Ms. Brooke Hagerott successfully defended her undergraduate honors thesis entitled "Integration of FGF-1 Protein in Wound Closure of Aged Female BALB/cByJ Mice". Brooke has been in the lab since summer 2017 and has been performing a dose-dependence study of FGF-1 in dermal wound healing in mice. Her research involved learning fine suture skills in animal surgery, image analysis and data management. Congratulations Brooke!
Ms. Sachiko Blaber wins art prize
At the recent 53rd annual Tallahassee Orchid Society show Sachiko entered an oil painting of a C. alaorii orchid she grew. Her painting won the trophy for "Art with an Orchid Theme". Pictures of Sachiko with the painting can be found here!
Mar 2019
Glow from meteorite over North Florida photographed
On the late evening of March 30 a meteor entered the atmosphere above North Florida, emitting a blue/green glow. Dr. Michael Blaber was spending the evening doing astrophotography at his observatory in Shady Grove (aka the swamp). One image, taken at 11:54 pm, was ruined due to a bright blue glow. This is the time that the meteor was observed entering the atmosphere. Picture of the glow can be found here!
Feb 2019
Dr. Michael Blaber elected to faculty senate
Dr. Michael Blaber was elected to serve on the FSU faculty senate - the basic legislative body of FSU - for the 2019-2021 academic years.
Blaber lab recognized at 2019 Innovator's Reception
At the recent FSU Innovator's reception it was announced that 41 patents were issued to FSU researchers over the past 15 months. The Blaber lab was responsible for 5 of these patents. Thanks to past lab members, and co-inventors, Drs. Jihun Lee and Liam Longo.
Dec 2018
Drs. Michael Blaber and Kathy Harper awarded CRC planning grant
Dr. Michael Blaber and Dr. Kathy Harper have been awarded a $13,000 planning grant from the FSU Council on Research and Creativity (CRC). The grant will support preclinical research into the dose response of wild-type and engineered forms of FGF-1 in treating dermal wounds in aged mice.
Oct 2018
Dr. Taro Tamada manuscript accepted in Acta Cryst F
A manuscript entitled "Crystal structure of glycosyltrehalose synthase from Sulfolobus shibatae DSM5389" and authored by Dr. Taro Tamada has been accepted in Acta Cryst F. Other authors on the report include Drs. Nobuo Okazaki, Michael Blaber and Ryota Kuroki. This report describes the structure of an enzyme responsible for the first step in the biosynthesis of the sugar trehalose from the storage polysaccharide amylose. The authors are at the Quantum Beam Science Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, where Dr. Blaber was an invited research fellow from 2009-2014. Congratulations Dr. Tamada!
Aug 2018
Ms. Connie Tenorio wins Hurt Leadership Award
Ms. Connie Tenorio (grad student in the Blaber lab) received the 2018 Hurt Leadership award in Biomedical Science. This award recognizes a student that makes exceptional contributions as an emerging leader. Connie has mentored a total of 15 students including High School students, Undergraduate students and Medical students; she was the chair of the Biomedical Sciences retreat for 2018; she has been the Vice President of the Biomedical Sciences Graduate Student Association for 2 years and will be assuming the role of President for the upcoming year; in addition, she has served as the Chair of the Biomedical Sciences Panel for the McKnight Mid-Year writing conference in 2016 and will return in this position for the 2018/2019 year. In addition to these leadership duties, Connie has maintained excellent research progress. Congratulations Connie!
Dr. Michael Blaber appointed Associate Chair for Research
Dr. Michael Blaber was appointed Associated Chair for Research of the Biomedical Sciences department for 2018-2019. This position is part of the department's Executive Committee and is tasked with enhancing and facilitating the research enterprise of the department. Dr. Blaber was also appointed Chair of the Faculty Devleopment and Mentoring Commitee for 2018-2019.
July 2018
Journal of Proteins and Proteomics acquired by Springer Nature
The Journal of Proteins and Proteomics (JPP; ISSN No. 0975-8151) was established in 2012 by five founding editors Drs. Suman Kundu, Michael Blaber, Vikash Dubey (former Postdoc from the Blaber Lab), Arvind Kayastha, and Monica Sundd. As an international journal devoted to the broad area of protein science JPP has exhibited remarkable growth as a scientific journal: JPP currently has over 40 editorial board members, is the first "protein centric" journal from India and was adopted as the official journal of the Proteomics Society of India. JJP is pleased to announce that the global publisher Springer Nature has made the decision to acquire JPP. This is a remarkable achievement for a new journal that was started only six years ago. Congratulations to the entire JPP team!
Drs. Michael Blaber and Jihun Lee patent issued
Drs. Michael Blaber and Jihun Lee received notification that their patent application 15/295,774 "Fibroblast Growth Factor Mutants Having Improved Functional Half-Life And Methods Of Their Use" has been issued (patent 10,022,426) by the U.S. Patent Office. This patent covers stabilizing disulfide bond mutants of FGF-1 for therapeutic application. Congratulations Jihun!
June 2018
Ms. Alana Mellers' manuscript accepted in Advances in Wound Care
A manuscript entitled "Fine-sampled Photographic Quantitation of Dermal Wound Healing Senescence in Aged BALB/cByJ Mice and Therapeutic Intervention with FGF-1" has been accepted for publication in Advances in Wound Care. This report is our first animal study of wound healing that utilizes a mathematical model of wound healing developed in the Blaber Lab. The report quantifies sexual and age-related dimorphism in dermal healing in BALB/cByJ mice. The study also shows how topical FGF-1 can effectively reverse the age-related senescence of dermal wound healing in female mice. The first author on the report is Alana Mellers, a former technician in the Blaber Lab and current FSU medical student. Other contributors include Connie Tenorio, Diana Lacatusu, Brett Powell, Bhavi Patel, and Dr. Kathleen Harper. Congratulations to the entire team!
Dr. Michael Blaber acknowledged as reviewer of Life in 2017
Life is an international, peer-reviewed open access journal of scientific studies related to fundamental themes in Life Sciences, especially those concerned with the origins of life and evolution of biosystems. The journal recently acknowledged reviewers for 2017, including Dr. Michael Blaber.
Drs. Michael Blaber and Jihun Lee patent issued
Drs. Michael Blaber and Jihun Lee received notification that their patent application 15/295,833 "Fibroblast Growth Factor Mutants Having Improved Functional Half-Life And Methods Of Their Use" has been issued (patent 10,000,540) by the U.S. Patent Office. This patent covers stabilizing disulfide bond mutants of FGF-1 for therapeutic application. Congratulations Jihun!
May 2018
Drs. Michael Blaber and Jihun Lee patent issued
Drs. Michael Blaber and Jihun Lee received notification that their patent application 15/295,804 "Fibroblast Growth Factor Mutants Having Improved Functional Half-Life And Methods Of Their Use" has been issued (patent 9,957,310) by the U.S. Patent Office. This patent also covers stabilizing disulfide bond mutants of FGF-1 for therapeutic application. Congratulations Jihun!
Apr 2018
End of (academic) year lab dinner
The lab had a great time at the FSU University Center Club at an end-of-year lab dinner. Pictures of the dinner can be found here!
Ms. Connie Tenorio passes PhD qualifying exam
Ms. Connie Tenorio (graduate student in the Blaber Lab) successfully passed her qualifying exam and defended her PhD Thesis Prospectus, and has formally advanced to candidacy for the PhD degree. Congratulations Connie, excellent job!
Drs. Russ Middaugh and Michael Blaber manuscript accepted in Protein Science
A manuscript entitled "Investigating the Dynamics and Polyanion Binding Sites of Fibroblast Growth Factor-1 Using Hydrogen-Deuterium Exchange Mass Spectrometry" has been accepted for publication in Protein Science. The local dynamics of FGF-1, including binding interactions with various size polyanions, was investigated using hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectroscopy (HX-MS). The results identify a cooperative protection of amides, in characteristic regions of FGF-1 located in both the N- and C-terminus, upon binding of both large and small amides. The results suggest such cooperative interactions are driven largely by general ionic charge and less by specific molecular complementarity. These results help explain how FGF-1 can bind to, and be stabilized by, diverse sulfonated forms of heparin molecules.
Mar 2018
Drs. Nicholas Cogan, Kathleen Harper and Michael Blaber manuscript accepted in Wound Repair and Regeneration
A manuscript entitled "A Mathematical Model for the Determination of Mouse Excisional Wound Healing Parameters from Photographic Data" has been accepted for publication in Wound Repair and Regeneration. The photographic record of wound healing is one of the fundamental methods to quantify wound healing in pre-clinical animal studies (the othe method being tissue histopathology). Despite the importance of this method there is no standard model of analysis - confounding data interpretation and comparisons between published works. This report describes development and implementation of a mathematical model of excisional wound healing. Application of this model will maximize the obtainable knowledge from such studies, and permit direct comparison between disparate studies.
Jan 2018
Ms. Connie Tenorio invited to the 2018 National Graduate Student Symposium
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital offers an annual invited event for select PhD students from around the U.S. to attend the National Graduate Student Symposium (NGSS), held in spring. This year, of approximately 1,500 applicants, 41 were selected to attend (with travel and accommodation expenses covered). Ms. Connie Tenorio (graduate student in the Blaber Lab) was one of this year's selected invitees. Connie will present both an oral presentation and poster highlighting her PhD. research at the meeting. She will also have an opportunity to meet the faculty of St. Jude and learn about their cutting-edge research and facilities. Congratulations Connie!
Snow in Tallahassee!
Jan 3 2018 at 8:00 a.m. in Tallahassee it began to snow! This was the first measurable snowfall in Tallahassee in 28 years. A video from my balcony can be seen here.
Oct 2017
Dr. Liam Longo manuscript accepted in Protein Science
A manuscript entitled "The Folding Nucleus Structure Persists in Thermally-Aggregated FGF-1" and authored by Dr. Liam Longo (former graduate student of the Blaber lab, and current Postdoc in the Tawfik Lab at the Weizmann Institute) has been accepted for publication in Protein Science. Another author from the Blaber lab is Connie Tenorio (current graduate student). The paper describes a solid state NMR and thermodynamic study of residual structure in the heat-induced aggregated form of FGF-1, which shows that residual structure is consistent with the region of the folding nucleus. The study identifies regions outside the folding nucleus as responsible for aggregation, identifying a useful region for targeted mutation to reduce the aggregation potential of FGF-1. Congratulations Liam!.
Ms. Bhavi Patel at COM Summer Research Fair
Ms. Bhavi Patel, an FSU Medical School Student and a Summer 2017 Research Intern in the Blaber lab, presented a poster on her research project entitled "Accelerating Healing of Dermal Wounds in the Aged" at the 2017 College of Medicine Research Fair. A photo of Bhavi with at her poster can be found here.
Sep 2017
Drs. Michael Blaber and Liam Longo patent issued
A patent entitled "Synthetic Foldable Proteins Generated from Peptide Segments of Folding Nuclei of Reference Proteins" has been issued by the U.S. Patent Office. This patent (9,783,587) covers a novel folding nucleus-based approach to de novo protein design. Congratulations Liam!
July 2017
Drs. Michael Blaber and Jihun Lee patent allowance notification
Drs. Michael Blaber and Jihun Lee received notification that their patent application "Method for Development of a Peptide Building Block Useful for De Novo Protein Design" has been allowed by the U.S. Patent Office. This patent covers a protein design principle that generates complex architecture from simpler peptide motifs via symmetric self-assembly. Congratulations Jihun!
Former Blaber Lab Retreat featured in travel brochure
A photo from a former Blaber lab retreat to Sandestin has been featured in a travel brochure for the Sandestin Resort area. The brochure (and image) can be found here.
Dr. Michael Blaber and Ms. Sachiko Blaber patent issued
Dr. Michael Blaber and Ms. Sachiko Blaber received notification that their patent application "Small Animal Restraint Harness or Jacket" has been issued by the U.S. Patent Office. This patent (U.S. Patent 9,717,217) covers a novel design for a jacket that protects the surgical field of a small animal and is virtually escape-proof. Congratulations Sachiko!
June 2017
Drs. Michael Blaber and Liam Longo patent allowance notification
Drs. Michael Blaber and Liam Longo received notification that their patent application "Synthetic Foldable Proteins Generated from Peptide Segments of Folding Nuclei of Reference Proteins" has been allowed by the U.S. Patent Office. This patent covers a novel folding nucleus-based approach to de novo protein design. Congratulations Liam!
May 2017
Drs. Michael Blaber and Kathy Harper awarded ISL grant
Dr. Michael Blaber and Dr. Kathy Harper have been awarded a $15,000 planning grant from the FSU Institute for Successful Longevity. The grant will support preclinical research into the efficacy of engineered forms of FGF-1 in treating dermal wounds in aged mice.
Apr 2017
Ms. Bhavi Patel awarded College of Medicine Summer Fellowship
Ms Bhavi Patel, FSU College of Medicine Class of 2020, has been awarded a 2017 summer fellowship to study wound healing in the Blaber Lab. Bhavi will be participating in a reseach project to understand the age-related impairment in dermal wound healing, including sex-related differences, using a geriatric mouse model. Congratulations Bhavi!
Mar 2017
Dr. Michael Blaber visits Yushukan
Yushukan is the Japanese military museum in the Yasukuni shrine in Tokyo. During a recent vacation to Japan, Dr. Blaber visited the museum. Pictures of the museum can be found here.
Feb 2017
Dr. Michael Blaber publishes review article in PLAID Journal
Dr. Michael Blaber authored a review article entitled “New Hope for the Effective Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes” in the most recent issue of PLAID Journal. The review describes a new function identified for fibroblast growth factor-1 in regulating blood glucose levels. The article can be found here.
Jan 2017
FSU College of Medicine features Blaber research & Trefoil Therapeutics
The FSU College of Medicine web site has a feature article on the Blaber lab and Trefoil Therapeutics. The article can be found here.
Blaber Lab news highlighted in department newsletter
Recent news regarding Trefoil Therapeutics as well as a new position for former lab graduate Dr. Xue Xia was highlighted in the Biomedical Sciences first newsletter of the year. You can view the newsletter here.
Trefoil Therapeutics Raises $5.2 Million Series 1 Financing
Trefoil Therapeutics announced the closing of a $5.2 million Series 1 financing led by Hatteras Venture Partners. This financing, in conjunction with the recently announced National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) Therapeutics for Rare and Neglected Diseases (TRND) collaborative research agreement, provides funding and research support that will allow the firm to progress toward an Investigational New Drug (IND) filing. More details of the announcement can be found here.
Trefoil Therapeutics announces collaboration with NIH National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences
Trefoil Therapeutics announced it will collaborate with the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) to complete the investigational new drug enabling activities for their lead compound, TTHX1114, toward a treatment for Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy (FECD). TTHX1114 is an engineered FGF-1 (eFGF-1) developed by Trefoil co-founder Dr. Michael Blaber. More details of the announcement can be found here.
November 2016
Dr. Michael Blaber reappointed to J. Pharm. Sci. board
Dr. Michael Blaber was reappointed to the editorial board of the Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences for another three year term.
October 2016
Ms. Connie Tenorio wins Outstanding Graduate Student award
Ms. Connie Tenorio (graduate student in the Blaber lab) was the recipient of a Randolph L. Rill Outstanding Graduate Student Award at the recent 2016 Department of Biomedical Sciences retreat. A picture of Connie and her award can be found here Congratulations Connie!
Drs. Michael Blaber and Jihun Lee Patent Issued
A patent application entitled "Fibroblast Growth Factor Mutants Having Improved Functional Half-life and Methods of Their Use" by Michael Blaber and Jihun Lee has been issued (9,469,680 B2). This patent is a divisional of patent 8,461,111 and covers positions 66 and 132 involving mutations that eliminate buried free cysteines(thus, increasing functional half-life, and creating a novel "2nd-Generation" form of FGF-1 for therapeutic application in healing). Congratulations Jihun!
Dr. Michael Blaber finds his Makita chuck key
The desert gives up its secrets and so does the swamp (warning: not suitable for young children).
September 2016
Dr. Michael Blaber provides Keynote Address for 4th Annual FSU Postdoctoral Symposium
Dr. Michael Blaber provided the Keynote Address entitled "The Ecstasy of Gold - Starting your Academic Research and Turning it into a Biotech Startup" at the 4th Annual FSU Postdoctoral Symposium. The presentation compared and contrasted careers in small companies, large companies, and academia, and the practical aspects of intellectual property development.
Dr. Xue Xia manuscript accepted in J. Pharm. Sci.
A manuscript entitled "An S116R Phosphorylation Site Mutation in Human FGF-1 Differentially Affects Mitogenic and Glucose Lowering Activities " and authored by Dr. Xue Xia ("Susie",former graduate student of the Blaber lab) has been accepted for publication in J. Pharm. Sci. Other authors from the Blaber lab include Sachiko Blaber and Connie Tenorio (current graduate student). The paper describes a mutant FGF-1 protein with unique properties that make it of interest in regulating blood glucose in diabetics using FGF-1. Congratulations Susie!.
August 2016
Dr. Michael Blaber publishes an invited book review in Acta. Cryst.
Dr. Arieh Ben-Naim's book "Myths and Verities in Protein Folding Theories" was the subject of an invited review by Dr. Michael Blaber that was published in Acta. Cryst. D. A PDF of this review can be found here!
July 2016
Ms. Sachiko Blaber retires
After 20 years of being Lab Manager of the Blaber Lab, keeping things in order and providing help and training to students, postdocs and technicians, and making critical contributions to the scientific progress of the lab Sachiko has decided to retire. She leaves with an impressive acomplishment of four patent applications (three U.S. and one European), an FSU Innovator Award, and authored or co-authored 47 peer-reviewed publications, five book chapters, and 64 abstracts. She will be sorely missed, but will no doubt thoroughly enjoy her retirement! A complete cv listing her accomplishments can be found here!
Dr. Shigeki Arai manuscript published in Protein Science
A manuscript entitled An insight into the thermodynamic characteristics of human thrombopoietin complexation with TN1 antibody and authored by Dr. Shigeki Arai of the Japan Atomic Energy Agency has been accepted for publication by Protein Science. The mechanism of thrombopoietin (TPO) inactivation by neutralizing antibody is medically important and is shown to involve significant induced-fit change in the TPO structure. Dr. Michael Blaber is a coauthor on this study. Congratulations Arai-san!
June 2016
Observatory Command Center
Supported by a grant from Ms.Sachiko Blaber, Dr. Michael Blaber has been able to add an Observatory Command Center (i.e., trailer) to the Blaber Observatory (i.e., swamp). Images can be found here!
May 2016
Department of Biomedical Sciences grows to over 80 researchers
Since its establishment in 2000 the Department of Biomedical Sciences in the FSU College of Medicine has grown to over 80 researchers. Research in the department is broadly focused on understanding the molecular basis of human disease. Profiles of the diverse research interests within the department can be found here!
Expanding market for "Mouse Butterfly Harness"
A novel mouse jacket, essentially inescapable and protecting a dorsal surgical field, was invented by Dr. Michael and Ms. Sachiko Blaber in 2013 and successfully licensed to Lomir Biomedical Inc. Branded by Lomir as the "Mouse Butterfly Harness", it has gained a wider exposure and is currently marketed by several biological supply companies including Lomir Biomedical Inc., Bioseb In Vivo Research Instruments, Protech International Inc., Braintree Scientific, and Scandidact Bioscience.
Blaber Lab "Academic Family Tree"
Research mentors have a major influence on the scientific training of PhD and Postdoctoral researchers - including research philosophy, writing style, area of interest, how they keep a notebook, critical thinking, and so on. Mentors, in turn, were similarly influenced by their PhD and postdoctoral mentors. Thus, there is a link, much like a family tree, that connects today's researchers directly to scientists of the past. A number of graduate students and postdoctoral researchers have been mentored in the Blaber Lab - which scientific figures may have influenced their training? A link to the Blaber Lab Academic Family Tree can be found here!
April 2016
Dr. Michael Blaber publishes article in Amateur Astronomy Magazine
An article entitled "Create a Custom Sky Glow Flat" by Dr. Michael Blaber has been published in the Spring 2016 issue (#90) of Amateur Astronomy Magazine. This article describes how a set of offset images can be stacked using a sigma (i.e., standard deviation) clip to produce an imaage that retains information on sky glow but omits all stars. Such an image can be used as a flat field to accurately compensate for light pollution. The article can be found here.
March 2016
Dr. Michael Blaber reapppointed to Journal of Proteins and Proteomics editorial board
Dr. Michael Blaber, a member of the editorial board of Journal of Proteins and Proteomics (JPP) since 2008 has been reappointed for a new term to the editorial board.
Feb 2016
Journal of Proteins and Proteomics adopted by Proteomics Society of India
The Journal of Proteins and Proteomics (JPP) was established in 2008 as a new journal and with the initial goal of becoming the pre-eminent journal in its field in India. The Proteomics Society of India has decided to adopt JPP and will be responsible for all financial and administrative responsibilities. Dr. Suman Kundu has been the Editor-in-Chief of JPP and is responsible for this remarkable achievement, and will continue on as EIC. Dr. Michael Blaber is a founding editor of the Journal. Congratulations Suman!
Dr. Xue Xia manuscript accepted in J. Pharm. Sci.
A manuscript entitled "Engineering a Cysteine-Free Form of Human Fibroblast Growth Factor-1 for "2nd Generation" Therapeutic Application" and authored by Dr. Xue Xia ("Susie",former graduate student of the Blaber lab) has been accepted for publication in J. Pharm. Sci. Other authors from the Blaber lab include Sachiko Blaber (lab manager and Research Associate), Mason Sutherland (former undergraduate researcher) and Connie Tenorio (current graduate student). The paper describes the development of a form of FGF-1 with enhanced functional half-life due to designed mutations that eliminate reactive buried thiols. Congratulations Susie!.
Jan 2016
Trefoil Therapeutics completes pre-IND meeting with FDA
Trefoil Therapeutics LLC announced completion of a pre-Investigational New Drug (IND) application meeting with the FDA that took place on January 20. The meeting regarded Trefoil’s lead product candidate TTHX-1114 for the treatment of Bullous Keratopathy and Fuchs Dystrophy. Trefoil CEO Dr. David Eveleth stated "Trefoil has a clear path to the clinic as well as guidance on the FDA’s expectations for approval. Trefoil is on schedule to file an IND in 2017 with the first clinical studies planned immediately upon approval of the IND." A pdf of the announcement can be found here.
Visit to Trefoil Therapeutics laboratory!
In Jan 2016 Michael and Sachiko Blaber visited the laboratory facilities of Trefoil Therapeutics LLC in San Diego. The facilities are modest in size, but include a remarkably broad range of capabilities - including tissue dissection and culture, protein production, as well as a vivarium. Images from the visit can be found here. Thanks to Dr. David Eveleth, CEO of Trefoil Therapeutics, for hosting this visit.
Nov 2015
Drs. Xue Xia and Liam Longo manuscript accepted in a special issue of Protein Science
A manuscript entitled "Evolution of a Protein Folding Nucleus" co-authored by Drs. Xue Xia and Liam Longo (former graduate students in the Blaber Lab) has been accepted for publication in Protein Science. The report describes how the structure of the critical folding nucleus evolves during gene fusion events that yield complex protein architecture from simpler peptide motifs. This manuscript is likely the first-ever reported study of folding nucleus evolution and will be included in a special issue of Protein Science on Protein Evolution and Design. Congratulations Susie and Liam!
An invited book chapter published in the Encylopedia of Cell Biology
An invited book chapter entitled Folding, Misfolding, Disordered Proteins, and Related Diseases has been published in the Encyclopedia of Cell Biology (Academic Press, Oxford). Drs. Liam Longo and Michael Blaber are authors of this chapter. Congratulations Liam!
Oct 2015
Trefoil Therapeutics Awarded NIH R21 Grant for Evaluation of eFGF-1 as Therapy for Ocular Surface Injury
Trefoil Therapeutics LLC announced that it has received a two-year $500,000 National Eye Institute/National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke grant to demonstrate that engineered forms of FGF-1 (eFGF's) can accelerate healing of corneal epithelial lesions induced by mustard gas. A full description of the announcement can be found here. Dr. Michael Blaber is one of the founders of Trefoil Therapeutics. Congratulations Trefoil!
Ms. Xue Xia successfully defends Ph.D. thesis
Ms. Xue Xia (Susie), a graduate student in the Blaber Lab, successfully defended her Ph.D. thesis Engineering Fibroblast Growth Factor-1 (FGF-1) as a Human Therapeutic. Pictures of Susie's defense can be found here. Dr. Xia has accepted a postdoctoral position at Metacrine Inc., a new startup Biotech in San Diego. Congratulations Susie!
July 2015
Ncorr 2-D Digital Image Correlation program releases C++ port
Ncorr, a 2-D digital image correlation program authored by Mr. Justin Blaber, and originally written as MATLAB software, has released an open source C++ port. More innformation can be found at www.ncorr.com.
Dr. Luiz Juliano manuscript accepted in Biochemical Pharmacology
A manuscript entitled "Pharmacological Activities and Hydrolysis by Peptidases of [Phospho-Ser6]-Bradykinin (pS6-BK)" by Dr. Luiz Juliano has been accepted in Biochemical Pharmacology. The report describes how post-translational phosphorylation of Ser residues in the vasoactive Bradykinin peptide can substantially alter its processing by proteases. The report opens a new avenue of study in regulation of this important bioactive peptide. Dr. Michael Blaber is a coauthor on this study. Congratulations Luiz!
Dr. Michael and Ms. Sachiko Blaber attend 20th Wakayama-Florida Sister State Exchange
Wakayama prefecture in Japan and Florida are Sister States. This July was the 20th Anniversary of establishment of this interaction, and a ceremony to mark the occasion was held in Tallahassee. Dr. Michael and Ms. Sachiko Blaber attended as representatives of FSU. A picture from the reception can be found here.
Dr. Hyesook Yoon visits Tallahassee from Mayo Clinic, Rochester
Dr. Hyesook Yoon, a former PhD student and postdoc in the Blaber Lab is currently an Assistant Professor at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester Minnesota. Hyesook is studying myelination of nerves at Mayo, and took time out to visit Tallahassee. Pictures of Hyesook's visit can be found here.
June 2015
Dr. Liam Longo visits Tallahassee from Weizmann Institute
Dr. Liam Longo recently took time out from his postdoctoral studies in protein folding computation at the Weizmann Institute to visit FSU. During this visit we had a mini-symposium (along with Dr. Anant Paravastu, Ms. Xue Xia and Ms. Connite Tenorio - graduate students in the Blaber lab) to discuss ongoing protein folding projects of mutual interest. A picture of Liam from his visit can be found here.
Apr 2015
Dr. Liam Longo Awarded Koshland Fellowship
Dr. Liam Longo, a recent PhD graduate of the Blaber Lab and a current postdoctoral researcher at the Weizmann Institute, has been awarded a prestigious Koshland Fellowship. This fellowship is awarded to the most promising postdoctoral researchers based upon excellence of their PhD research and cross-disciplinary proposal for their postdoctoral research. In Liam's case, his postdoctoral research combines computational and experimental protein folding. Congratulations Liam on this award!
Drs. Michael Blaber and Jihun Lee Patent Issued
A patent application entitled "Fibroblast Growth Factor Mutants Having Improved Functional Half-life and Methods of Their Use" by Michael Blaber and Jihun Lee has been issued (8,962,557). This patent is a derivative of patent #8,461,111 and covers position 66 and 83 involving mutations that eliminate buried free cysteines(thus, increasing functional half-life, and creating a novel "2nd-Generation" form of FGF-1 for therapeutic application in healing). Congratulations Jihun!
Mar 2015
Ms. Sachiko Blaber manuscript accepted in Wound Repair and Regeneration
A manuscript authored by Ms. Sachiko Blaber, entitled Accelerated healing in NONcNZO10/LtJ type 2 diabetic mice by FGF-1, has been accepted for publiation in Wound Repair and Regeneration. This report describes a detailed study of dermal wound healing in a diabetic mouse using a splinted excisional surgical procedure. The study also describes how such healing can be accelerated by application of FGF-1, and how a stabilized mutant form of FGF-1 can also accelerate healing without the need for heparin in its formulation. Finally, the study includes a description of a novel mouse jacket design (subsequently licensed to Lomir Biomedical). Drs. Jose Diaz and Michael Blaber in the FSU College of Medicine are coauthors on this report. Congratulations Sachiko! The abstract can be found
here.
Trefoil Therapeutics LLC signs licensing and research support agreements with FSU
Trefoil Therapeutics LLC, a startup biotech company, has signed an intellectual property licensing agreement and a research support agreement with FSU for eFGF-1 technology. The eFGF-1 technology, developed in the Blaber lab, involves the development of "second generation" engineered forms of fibroblast growth factor-1 for therapeutic application. The press release can be found here.
Dr. Michael Blaber co-founds Trefoil Therapeutics LLC
Trefoil Therapeutics LLC, a startup biotech company, has been cofounded by Dr. David Eveleth, Dr. Ralph A. Bradshaw, Dr. Ken A Thomas, and Dr. Michael Blaber. Trefoil Therapeutic's mission is to develop engineered forms of fibroblast growth factor-1 (eFGF-1) for human therapeutic application in corneal dystrophy disease. Subsequent therapeutic development is possible in ischemic diseases (i.e. dermal wound healing, peripheral artery disease, and coronary artery disease). More information can be found here.
Feb 2015
Connie Tenorio and Liam Longo win Art in STEM award
Connie Tenorio and Liam Longo (grad student and former grad student, respectively, in the Blaber Lab) received the first place award in the recent FSU Art in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics)exhibit. The first prize award was for a rendering of an X-ray diffraction molecular image of the synthetic "Protofoil" protein (a picture can be found here). Congratulations Connie and Liam!
Manuscript by Dr. Takeshi Hiromoto selected as cover article in Protein Science
A manuscript entitled Structural basis for acceptor-substrate recognition of UDP-glucose: anthocyanidin 3-O-glucosyltransferase from Clitoria ternatea and authored by Dr. Takeshi Hiromoto of the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA)(see description below) has been selected as the cover article in Protein Science. Dr. Michael Blaber, a former visiting scientist at JAEA, is a coauthor on this study. Congratulations Dr. Hiromoto!
Dec 2014
Manuscript by Dr. Takeshi Hiromoto accepted in Protein Science
A manuscript entitled Structural basis for acceptor-substrate recognition of UDP-glucose: anthocyanidin 3-O-glucosyltransferase from Clitoria ternatea and authored by Dr. Takeshi Hiromoto of the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) has been accepted for publication in Protein Science. This enzyme is involved in the biosynthesis of anthrocyanin pigments - responsible for the color of flowers and fruits. The report details an X-ray structure analysis that elucidates the basis of substrate specificity. Dr. Hiromoto is a researcher in the laboratory of Dr. Ryota Kuroki at the Quantum Beam Science Center, JAEA. Dr. Michael Blaber, a former visiting scientist at JAEA, is a coauthor on this study. Congratulations Dr. Hiromoto!
Dr. Liam Longo graduation
Dr. Liam Longo was hooded by Dr. Michael Blaber at the Fall 2014 FSU graduation ceremony. It was a very proud moment for all concerned. A photo of Liam, Sachiko Blaber and Michael Blaber can be found here. Liam now moves to the next phase of his career with a postdoc position at the Weizmann Institute in Israel. Congratulations Liam!
Nov 2014
Dr. Liam Longo successfully defends PhD dissertation
Dr. Liam Longo successfully defended his PhD dissertation "Symmetry and Simplicity in Protein Evolution and Design". Liam will be accepting a Postdoctoral Researcher position in Feb 2015 in the laboratory of Dr. Sarel Fleishman at the Weizmann Institute of Science, studying computational protein design. Congratulations Liam!
Oct 2014
Dr. Maria Aparecida Juliano manuscript accepted in BBA - Proteins and Proteomics
Dr. Maria Aparecida Juliano's report entitled Specificity Studies on Kallikrein-related peptidase 7 (KLK7) and effects of osmolytes and glycosaminoglycans on its peptidase activity has been accepted for publication in Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - Proteins and Proteomics. This report is a detailed analysis of the preferred substrate specificity for human kallikrein-related peptidase 7 - a key protease in the homeostasis of skin. Dr. Michael Blaber was a coauthor on this report. Congratulations Dr. Juliano!
Mr. Liam Longo manuscript accepted for publication in Protein Science
Mr. Liam Longo, a graduate student in the Blaber Lab, has had a manuscript entitled A Single Aromatic Core Mutation Converts a Designed "Primitive" Protein from Halophile to Mesophile Folding accepted for publication in Protein Science. Previously, Liam showed that a protein designed using the "prebiotic set" of amino acids exhibited halophile folding properties. In this report, he shows how a single aromatic amino acid mutation can shift folding into the mesophile environment. This work provides experimental evidence for an evolutionary advantage for incorporation of "phase 2" aromatic amino acids into the codon table. Congratulations Liam!
Technical report published in Amateur Astronomy
A report entitled Correct Translation, Rotation and Skew Adjustment of the Newtonian Secondary by Combining Laser Collimation with Flat Field Vignetting. and authored by Dr. Michael Blaber has been published in Amateur Astronomy (Issue #84, pages 49-50). This report describes a means by which laser collimation combined with flat field images (showing vignetting) can be utilized in a novel procedure to resolve the rotation/skew ambiguity (and translation) in alignment of the secondary mirror of Newtonian telescopes.A PDF of a the report can be found by clicking here.
Sep 2014
Methods in Molecular Biology "Protein Design" book features Symfoil protein on its cover
A manuscript entitled Symmetric Protein Architecture in Protein Design: Top-Down Symmetric Deconstruction, authored by Mr. Liam Longo and Dr. Michael Blaber, has been published in the Protein Design issue of the Methods in Molecular Biology series. This book features the "Monofoil" protein, a purely-symmetric protein designed in the Blaber Lab, on the cover!
Ms. Xue Xia manuscript to be included in “Two Decades of Publishing Excellence in Biotechnology” special issue of J. Pharm. Sci.
Ms. Xue Xia's publication Mutation Choice to Eliminate Buried Free Cysteines in Protein Therapeutics has been selected for inclusion in the upcoming “Two Decades of Publishing Excellence in Biotechnology” special issue of Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences. Congratulations Susie!
Ms. Xue Xia manuscript accepted for publication in J. Pharm. Sci.
Ms. Xue Xia, a graduate student in the Blaber Lab, has had a manuscript entitled Mutation Choice to Eliminate Buried Free Cysteines in Protein Therapeutics accepted for publication in Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences. This is among the first rigorous and systematic studies of mutation design to eliminate buried free Cys residues in proteins, and has important application in design of "2nd-generation" protein therapeutics. Congratulations Susie!
Aug 2014
Mr. Liam Longo manuscript accepted for publication in Cell: Structure
Mr. Liam Longo, a graduate student in the Blaber Lab, has had a manuscript entitled Evolution and design of protein structure by folding nucleus symmetric expansion accepted for publication in Cell: Structure. This report is one of the most important to come out of our lab. It describes a simple, folding nucleus-based, design approach for efficient de novo design of symmetric proteins; and explains how symmetry in protein evolution is advantageous. Congratulations Liam!
Ms. Connie Tenorio-Zambrano joins Blaber Lab
Ms. Connie Tenorio-Zambrano who, as an undergraduate did directed independent studies in the lab, has joined as a graduate student from the Biomedical Sciences department of the College of Medicine! Connie is a promising student - having already won a prestigious McKnight Doctoral Fellowship. Welcome Connie!
Apr 2014
Dr. Michael Blaber elected to faculty senate
Dr. Michael Blaber was elected to serve on the FSU faculty senate - the basic legislative body of FSU - for the 2014-2017 academic years.
Ms. Connie Tenorio-Zambrano wins McKnight Fellowship
Ms. Connie Tenorio-Zambrano who, as an undergraduate researcher in the Blaber lab was a co-author on a Cell Structure paper and won an NSF undergraduate research award, has recently joined the graduate program in Biomedical Sciences and has won a McKnight Doctoral Fellowship. Congratulations Connie!
Mar 2014
Mr. Liam Longo selected for ASBMB Hill Day
Mr. Liam Longo has been chosen to participate in the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Hill Day. Liam will visit Capitol Hill and work with ASBMB to advocate on behalf of scientists. Congratulations Liam!
Feb 2014
Mr. Liam Longo Poster takes 2nd Place award
A poster entitled "Efficient protein design by folding nucleus symmetric expansion" and authored by Mr. Liam Longo (grad student in the Blaber lab) won 2nd place at the recent 4th Annual FSU Life Sciences Symposium. Congratulations Liam!
Dec 2013
Mr. Liam Longo manuscript accepted in Frontiers in Extreme Microbiology
A manuscript entitled Prebiotic Protein Design Supports a Halophile Origin of Foldable Proteins. and authored by Mr. Liam Longo and Dr. Michael Blaber has been accepted in Frontiers Extreme Microbiol. This opinion article argues for the halophile environment as the cradle of proteogenesis (the origin of proteins). Congratulations Liam!
Mr. Liam Longo manuscript accepted in Journal of Proteins and Proteomics
A manuscript entitled Biophysical characterization of a thermoalkalophilic esterase from Geobacillus sp. and authored by Mr. Liam Longo has been accepted in J. Prot. Proteomics. Esterases from thermophilic organisms have potential commercial value in the metabolic processing of drugs and antimicrobial agents. In this report Liam characterizes the stability and folding properties of one such enzyme. Dr. Gulsah Sanli-Mohamed is a coauthor on this study. Congratulations Liam!
Dr. Ryota Kuroki manuscript accepted in IUCr
A manuscript entitled Structural characteristics of alkaline phosphatase from the moderately halophilic bacteria Halomonas sp.593 and authored by Dr. Ryota Kuroki has been accepted in International Union of Crystallography. This report describes how unique halophilic and mesophilic properties of negative surface charge, and substantial core packing hydrophobicity, respectively, enable alakaline phosphatse from a Halomonas bacteria to function over a uniquely wide range of salt concentrations. Dr. Michael Blaber is a coauthor on this report. Congratulations Ryota!
Dr. Luciano Puzer manuscript accepted in ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters
A manuscript entitled Isomannide-Based Peptidomimetics as Inhibitors for Human Tissue Kallikreins 5 and 7 and authored by Dr. Luciano Puzer has been accepted in ACS Med. Chem. Lett. Dr. Puzer has developed new isomannide-based competitive inhibitors of both KLK5 and KLK7. The results open new prospects on the design and synthesis of highly specific KLK5 and KLK7 inhibitors - with potential human therapeutic utility for inflammatory skin disease. Dr. Michael Blaber is a coauthor on this report. Congratulations Luciano!
Nov 2013
Dr. Michael Blaber appointed to J. Pharm. Sci. Editorial Advisory Board
Dr. Michael Blaber has been appointed to the Editorial Advisory Board of the Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences for a three year term (Jan 1 2014-Dec 31 2016). J.Pharm.Sci. is published by Wiley Publishers on behalf of the American Pharmacists Association, with the support of the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP); it has been in print since 1912.
Dr. Michael Blaber and Ms. Sachiko Blaber recognized at FSU Innovator's Reception
Dr. Michael Blaber and Ms. Sachiko Blaber were both recognized at the annual FSU Innovator's Reception. The reception recognizes faculty and staff that have developed intellectual property (filing a patent, having a patent issued, or licensing intellectual property). Dr. Michael Blaber was recognized for licensing IP related to FGF-1 mutants for acclerating wound healing (to E&B Technologies), and Ms. Sachiko Blaber was recognized as a coinventor of a novel mouse jacket (licensed to Lomir Inc.). Images from the reception can be found here.
Oct 2013
Dr. Michael Blaber accompanies delegation to China
Dr. Richard Nowakowski, chair of the department of Biomedical Sciences in the College of Medicine at FSU organized a trip to China. The delegation included Drs. Nowakowski, Branko Stefanovic, Yi Ren, Yi Zhou, Yanchang Wang, Baohui Jia and Haifa Qiao. The delegates gave research presentations at the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, and Shandong University of Medical Sciences, Jinan. The purpose of the trip was to explore potential collaborative research projects between FSU and these institutions. Images from the trip can be found here.
Blaber Lab retreat to St. George Island
This October we had a much-needed 3-day lab retreat at St. George Island. Images can be found here.
Sep 2013
Mr. Liam Longo manuscript accepted for publication in Cell: Structure
Mr. Liam Longo, a graduate student in the Blaber Lab, has had a manuscript entitled Alternative Folding Nuclei Definitions Facilitate the Evolution of a Symmetric Protein Fold from a Smaller Peptide Motif accepted for publication in Cell: Structure. Using a designed b-trefoil protein, this report shows that purely symmetric 1° structure enables utilization of alternative definitions of the critical folding nucleus in response to gross structural rearrangement. Thus, major replication errors producing 1° structure symmetry can conserve foldability. The results provide an explanation for the prevalence of symmetric protein folds, and highlight a critical role for 1° structure symmetry in protein evolution. Congratulations Liam!
Lomir Biomedical Inc. markets "Butterfly Mouse Harness"
A novel mouse jacket designed and patented by Dr. Michael Blaber and Ms. Sachiko blaber of the Blaber lab, has been succesfully licensed by Lomir Biomedical Inc. Lomir is now actively marketing this product (for details see here). Congratulations Sachiko!
July 2013
Dr. Michael Blaber receives "Outstanding Senior Faculty Researcher" award
At the recent College of Medicine faculty awards ceremony, Dr. Michael Blaber was awarded the "Outstanding Senior Faculty Researcher" award for 2012-2013. This achievement is a testament to the hard work and accomplishments of the members of the lab, and the outstanding environment within the department of Biomedical Sciences; thank you!
Mr. Justin Blaber develops 2D digital image correlation program Ncorr
Mr. Justin Blaber, a graduate student in mechanical engineering at Georgia Tech, has developed a 2D digital image correlation MATLAB program along with an associated web site. The program, Ncorr, has broad applicability and extensibility in 2D image correlation, and was developed to help understand structural deformations in ceramic materials. The web site can be found here. Congratulations Justin!
Blaber lab licenses novel mouse jacket to Lomir Biomedical
A licensing agreement has been concluded between Lomir Biomedical and FSU for a novel mouse jacket invented by Dr. Michael Blaber and Ms. Sachiko Blaber. Lomir is a global leader in the design and manufacter of biomedical equipment, with offices in the US, Canada and the UK. In pursuing animal studies of wound healing the Blaber team designed and submitted a US patent for a novel mouse jacket that provides essential protection of the surgical field while being highly resistant to removal, and at the same time providing a substantial advantage in ease of manufacture. A movie of a the jacket can be found by clicking here.
Mr. Liam Longo manuscript accepted for publication in Methods in Molecular Biology
A manuscript entitled Symmetric Protein Architecture in Protein Design: Top-Down Symmetric Deconstruction, authored by Mr. Liam Longo and Dr. Michael Blaber, has been accepted for publication in a Protein Design issue of the Methods in Molecular Biology series. This manuscript is a practial laboratory guide to the novel Top-Down Symmetric Deconstruction strategy in protein design. Congratulations Liam!
June 2013
Mr. Liam Longo manuscript selected by Faculty of 1000
Mr. Liam Longo's manuscript entitled Simplified Protein Design Biased for Pre-Biotic Amino Acids Yields a Foldable, Halophilic Protein has been selected by the Faculty of 1000 (F1000), which places the work in the top 2% of published articles in biology and medicine. Information can be found here. Congratulations Liam!
May 2013
Ms. Helen Phipps manuscript accepted for publication in Brain Injury
Ms. Helen Phipps, former grad student in the Blaber and VanLandingham labs, has had a manuscript entitled Kallikrein-related Peptidase 6: A Biomarker for Traumatic Brain Injury in Rat accepted for publication in Brain Injury. Dr. Michael Blaber and Ms. Sachiko Blaber are coauthors on this study. Congratulations Helen!
Ms. Helen Phipps successfully defends Ph.D. thesis
Ms. Helen Phipps, a graduate student co-mentored in the laboratories of Drs. Jacob VanLandingham and Michael Blaber successfully defended her Ph.D. thesis entitled Impact of Traumatic Brain Injury on Kallikrein 6. Congratulations Helen!
Drs. Michael Blaber and Jihun Lee Patent Issued
A patent application entitled "Fibroblast Growth Factor Mutants Having Improved Functional Half-life and Methods of Their Use" by Michael Blaber and Jihun Lee has been issued (Appl. #12/783,005). This patent covers position Ala66Cys mutants in FGF-1, whereby an internal disulfide bond with Cys83 is formed. This disulfide stabilizes the protein and reduces the number of free buried thiols (thus, increasing functional half-life, and creating a novel "2nd-Generation" form of FGF-1 for therapeutic application in healing). Congratulations Jihun!
Ms. Connie Tenorio-Zambrano receives NSF summer research fellowship
Ms. Connie Tenorio-Zambrano, an undergraduate researcher in the Blaber lab, has been awarded a 2013 NSF summer research fellowship (awarded through the Florida A&M University National Science Foundation Research Experience as an Undergraduate SUMMER-13 Program). Connie will be working on a project involving protein structure and folding relationships in the Blaber lab this summer. Congratulations Connie!
Ms. Hyesook Yoon manuscript accepted for publication in J. Neurochem.
Ms. Hyesook Yoon, former grad student and postdoc in the Blaber lab has had a manuscript entitled Kallikrein 6 Signals through PAR1 and PAR2 to Promote Neuron Injury and Exacerbate Glutamate Neurotoxicity accepted for publication in the Journal of Neurochemistry. Dr. Michael Blaber and Ms. Sachiko Blaber are coauthors on this important study. Congratulations Hyesook!
April 2013
Mr. Joseph Babcock receives summer research fellowship
Mr. Joseph Babcock, a first year medical student in the FSU College of Medicine, has been awarded a 2013 Summer Research Fellowship. Joseph will be studying the acceleration of healing in response to engineered forms of fibroblast growth factor-1 in the Blaber lab. Congratulations Joseph!
Mr. Liam Longo wins 2013 Kasha Award
The Kasha Award is given each year for the most outstanding publication by a Molecular Biophysics graduate student. Liam Longo won this year's award for his publication entitled "Simplified Protein Design Biased for Pre-Biotic Amino Acids Yields a Foldable, Halophilic Protein" published in Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. Congratulations Liam!
Provisional Patent Application Filed for a Novel Mouse Jacket Design
In order to pursue wound healing studies we needed to come up with a better mouse jacket (one that could not be removed easily). We succeeded in developing such a jacket from a specially-shaped piece of double-sided velcro. It worked so well that FSU submitted a patent "Improved Mouse Jacket". The inventors are Michael Blaber and Sachiko Blaber. Congratulations Sachiko!
March 2013
Dr. Luciano Puzer manuscript accepted in Biochem. Biophys. Res. Comm.
A manuscript entitled "Human Tissue Kallikreins 3 and 5 can Act as Plasminogen Activator Releasing Active Plasmin" and authored by Dr. Luciano Puzer has been accepted for publication in Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. This manuscript describes how these two kallikreins are capable of activating plasminogen, and identifies an important functional intersection between the KLK family of proteases and the thrombostasis system. Dr. Michael Blaber is a coauthor on this study. Congratulations Luciano!
Feb 2013
Mr. Liam Longo manuscript receives Protein Society "Best Paper" Award
A recent manuscript published by Mr. Liam Longo (graduate student in Blaber lab) in Protein Science entitled "Experimental Support for the Foldability-Function Tradeoff Hypothesis: Segregation of the Folding Nucleus and Functional Regions in FGF-1" is one of two reports in the journal to be selected for "Best Paper" award of 2012, and Liam will give an invited oral presentation at the Annual Protein Society Symposium in Boston in July. Congratulations Liam!
Jan 2013
KLK6 Review published
Chapter 612 in the 3rd Edition of Handbook of Proteolytic Enzymes, entitled Kallikrein-related Peptidase 6 was published this month.
Dec 2012
Dr. Michael Blaber attends IISC meeting in India
The International Interdisciplinary Science Conference 2012 on Protein Folding and Disease was held in Delhi, Dec 8-10. Dr. Michael Blaber attended and gave a talk on "Top-Down Symmetric Deconstruction". Images and thoughts from the trip can be found here.
Manuscript by Mr. Liam Longo accepted in PNAS
A manuscript entitled "Simplified Protein Design Biased for Pre-biotic Amino Acids Yields a Foldable, Halophilic Protein" and authored by Mr. Liam Longo (graduate student in the Blaber Lab) has been accepted for publication in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. This report tests the hypothesis that the pre-biotic set of amino acids comprises a foldable set, and in the process, identifies a potential halophilic property intrinsic to the pre-biotic amino acids. Congratulations Liam!
Blaber lab awarded CRC Planning Grant
A planning grant entitled "Development of “third-generation” FGF-1 mutants for therapeutic application" has been awarded to the Blaber lab from the FSU Council of Research and Creativity.
Commentary by Mr. Liam Longo and Dr. Michael Blaber accepted in Journal of Proteins and Proteomics
A manuscript entitled "Protein Design -- A Vast Unexploited Resource" and authored by Mr. Liam Longo (graduate student in the Blaber Lab) and Michael Blaber has been accepted for publication in Journal of Proteins and Proteomics. Congratulations Liam!
Oct 2012
Mr. Liam Longo manuscript accepted in Protein Science
A manuscript entitled "Experimental Support for the Foldability-Function Tradeoff Hypothesis: Segregation of the Folding Nucleus and Functional Regions in FGF-1" and authored by Mr. Liam Longo (graduate student in the Blaber Lab) has been accepted for publication in Protein Science. This manuscript describes a phi-value analysis of FGF-1 and shows that turns critical for folding are segregated from functional domains. The study has important and diverse implications for protein evolution. Congratulations Liam!
Sep 2012
Ms. Xue Xia manuscript accepted in PLOS ONE
A manuscript entitled "Pharmacokinetic Properties of 2nd-generation Fibroblast Growth factor-1 Mutants for Therapeutic Application" and authored by Ms. Xue Xia(graduate student in the Blaber Lab) has been accepted for publication in PLOS ONE. This manuscript studies the pharmacokinetic profile of mutant forms of FGF-1 and shows how both distribution and elimination kinetics can be controlled by specific mutation of the protein. Congratulations Xue!
Dr. Hyesook Yoon manuscript accepted in Biological Chemistry
A manuscript entitled "Activation Profiles of Human Kallikrein-related Peptidases by Matrix Metalloproteinases " and authored by Dr. Hyesook Yoon (former grad student and postdoc in the lab) has been accepted for publication in Biological Chemistry. This manuscript demonstrates the ability of members of the matrix metalloproteinase family to activate specific kallikrein-related peptidases, and thus identifies potentially important regulatory interactions between these two major protease families. Congratulations Hyesook!
Aug 2012
Dr. Luciano Puzer manuscript accepted in Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett.
A manuscript entitled "Pseudo-peptides derived from isomannide as new class of inhibitors for human kallikrein 7" and authored by Dr. Luciano Puzer has been accepted for publication in Bioorganic Medicinal Chemistry Letters. This manuscript describes a novel class of pseudo-peptide small molecule protease inhibitors derived from isomannide. Dr. Michael Blaber and Ms. Sachiko Blaber were coauthors on this study. Congratulations Luciano!
July 2012
Dr. Ryota Kuroki manuscript accepted in J. Mol. Biol.
A manuscript entitled "Structure and Function of d1-Tetrahydrocannabinolic Acid (THCA) Synthase, the Enzyme Controlling the Psychoactivity of Cannabis sativa" and authored by Dr. Ryota Kuroki has been accepted for publication in Journal of Molecular Biology. This manuscript describes an X-ray crystal structure and mutational study of TCHA Synthase and elucidates the chemical mechanism of action. Dr. Michael Blaber was a coauthor on this study. A figure from this report was also selected for the Journal Dec 2012 cover; congratulations Ryota!
June 2012
Dr. Michael Blaber manuscript accepted in Arch. Biochem. Biophys.
An invited review entitled "Protein design at the interface of the pre-biotic and biotic worlds" and authored by Dr. Michael Blaber and Mr. Liam Longo (grad student in the lab) has been accepted for publication in Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics. In this review we analyze the available information for plausible pre-biotic amino acids and conclude that they likely comprise a "foldable set" within a halophile/acidophile environment. Thus, "proteogenesis" is a likely principle player in biogenesis.
Dr. Michael Blaber manuscript accepted in Cell. Molec. Life Sci.
An invited review entitled "Emergence of Symmetric Protein Architecture from a Simple Peptide Motif: Evolutionary Models" and authored by Dr. Michael Blaber, Dr. Jihun Lee (former postdoc in the lab) and Mr. Liam Longo (grad student in the lab) has been accepted for publication in Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences. Recent experimental studies in "top-down" protein design largely support a “conserved architecture” evolutionary model, suggesting that complex protein architecture was an early evolutionary achievement involving oligomerization of smaller polypeptides.
Dr. Gulsah Sanli joins Blaber Lab as Visiting Scientist
Dr. Gulsah Sanli, an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Izmir Institute of Technology, Turkey, is a Visiting Scientist for the summer semester. Dr. Sanli is studying the structural biology of thermophilic enzymes from hot springs in Turkey. Dr. Sanli is a former Ph.D. student from the Blaber Lab (1998-2002).
May 2012
Dr. Michael Blaber manuscript accepted in Curr. Opin. Struct. Biol.
An invited review entitled "Designing Proteins from Simple Motifs: Opportunities in Top-Down Symmetric Deconstruction" and authored by Drs. Michael Blaber and Jihun Lee has been accepted for publication in Current Opinion in Structural Biology. This manuscript proposes that disparate recent efforts in "top-down" protein design can be unified in a common design principle - one that will accelerate efficient identification of simple structural building blocks for de novo protein design.
April 2012
Two U.S. Patents issued to Drs. Blaber and Dubey
Two U.S. patents (8,153,770 and 8,153,771) were issued as divisionals to patent 7,659,379, "Mutants of Human Fibroblast Growth Factor Having Increased Stability and/or Mitogenic Potency", with inventors Dr. Michael Blaber and Vikash Kumar Dubey. Congratulations Vikash!
March 2012
Two manuscripts published by Dr. Ryota Kuroki
Two reports,"Substrate recognition mechanism of a glycosyltrehalose trehalohydrolase (GTHase) from sulfolobus solfataricus KM1", and "A structural mechanism for dimeric to tetrameric oligomer conversion in halomonas sp. nucleoside diphosphate kinase", by Dr. Ryota Kuroki were both published in Protein Science. Dr. Blaber was a co-author on these studies. Congratulations Dr. Kuroki!
Jan 2012
Blaber Lab awarded FSU GAP grant
The Blaber Lab has been awarded a $50,000 FSU "GAP" grant to undertake translational research on "second generation" Fibroblast growth factor-1 (FGF-1) proteins. This grant will permit wound healing studies to be performed for the purpose of identifying the therapeutic advantage of designed mutant forms of FGF-1. This study is a collaboration with Dr. Joseph Schlenoff in the department of Chemistry at FSU, and will include tests of a novel bandage material intended to provide controlled loading and dosing of FGF-1.
Dec 2011
Ms. Sara Jackson graduates with M.S. degree
Ms. Sara Jackson, a graduate student in the Blaber Lab, graduated in the Fall 2011 semester with an M.S. degree in biomedical sciences. Congratulations Sara!
Nov 2011
Middaugh/Blaber lab's study on "Second Generation" FGF-1 accepted for publication
The laboratories of Dr. Russ Middaugh (U. Kansas) and Dr. Michael Blaber have been collaborating on a study to utilize mutations in FGF-1 to achieve formulation goals for therapeutic application. In this report a series of "second-generation" mutants of FGF-1 was characterized using "empirical phase diagrams", and several mutants do not require heparin in their formulation as a stabilizing agent. This work was coauthored by Dr. Jihun Lee (Blaber Lab), Mohammad Alsenaidy (Middaugh Lab) and Dr. Tingting Wang (Middaugh Lab), and has been accepted for publication by Protein Science. Congratulations to all involved!
ChemWiki on track to surpase MIT's OpenCourseWare
Dr. Michael Blaber is a participant in the ChemWiki project to develop the next generation of open-access textbooks to improve STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathmatics) education. The latest update indicates ChemWiki will surpase MIT's OpenCourseWare traffic. ChemWiki's web site is located here.
Oct 2011
Dr. Luciano Puzer manuscript published in Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett.
Dr. Luciano Puzer's report entitled "Biological evaluation and docking studies of natural isocoumarins as inhibitors for human kallikrein 5 and 7" has been published in Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry Letters. K5 and K7 inhibitors may have therapeutic application in important disease conditions of the skin. Michael Blaber and Sachiko Blaber are co-authors on this report. Dr. Puzer is a former visiting scientist in the Blaber Lab and is a professor in the Universidade Federal do ABC in Brazil. Congratulations Dr. Puzer!
Sep 2011
Blaber Lab research featured in FSUMED magazine
Dr Jihun Lee's cover article in Journal of Molecular Biology (Vol 407, issue 5, 2011) was featured in the latest issue of FSUMED magazine (page 3). Congratulations Jihun! Link to a PDF of this issue can be found here.
Aug 2011
Blaber Lab manuscript featured on Global Medical Discovery site
A recent Blaber Lab article by Dr. Jihun Lee entitled "A polypeptide "building block" for the beta-trefoil fold identified by "top-down symmetric deconstruction" and published in the Journal of Molecular Biology has been featured as a key scientific article on the Global Medical Discovery web site. Details here.
July 2011
Michael Blaber manuscript published in Amaeteur Astronomy
An article entitled "As the Worm Turns: One Man's Descent into Periodic Error" by Michael Blaber has been published in Vol 71 of Amateur Astronomy. The article describes the effects of worm gear misalignment on the periodic error of a telescope mount, and a method to correct such misalignment. PDF file of the article can be found here.
Blaber Lab visits the local roller derby!
The lab took a break and watch a local roller derby match between the Jailbreak Bettys and the Molly Rogers. Pictures of this cultural event can be found here
June 2011
Ms. Sara Jackson recieves fellowship award
Ms. Sara Jackson is the recipient of a Bryan Robinson Endowment fellowship award for research in the neurosciences. Sara is currently working to identify the CNS-specific inhibitor of human kallikrein-related peptidase 6 (a protease associated with inflammatory demyelination). Congratulations Sara!
Dr. Luiz Juliano manuscript accepted in Biochimie
Dr. Luiz Juliano's report entitled Substrate specificity of kallikrein-related peptidase 13 activated by salts or glycosaminoglycans and a search for natural substrate candidates and produced in collaboration with the Blaber lab, has been accepted for publication in Biochimie. This report describes how the human KLK13 protease is activated by sodium citrate and glycosaminoglycans present in certain human tissues; furthermore, histatin 3, myelin basic protein and testis-specific proteins are likely substrates of KLK13. Congratulations Dr. Juliano!
May 2011
Dr. Jihun Lee receives award
Dr. Jihun Lee has received the Outstanding Achievement as a Postdoctoral Scholar Award from the department of Biomedical Sciences at FSU. This award is in recognition of her recently-published work in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and Journal of Molecular Biology in addition to two patent applications (all in the field of protein design). Dr. Lee is currently a postdoctoral researcher at NIH. Congratulations Jihun!
Drs. Peter Angel and Jochen Hess manuscript accepted in Journal of Investigative Dermatology
Drs. Peter Angel and Jochen Hess, in collaboration with the Blaber lab, report that KLK6, in combination with PAR1 activation, can induce melanoma cell invasion. Thus, specific inhibition of KLK6 may represent a new therapeutic approach in the treatment of this agressive type of cancer. Congratulations Drs. Angel and Hess!
Apr 2011
Ms. Xue Xia joins Blaber Lab
Ms. Xue Xia ("Susie") a graduate student in the department of Biomedical Sciences in the FSU College of Medicine has joined the Blaber Lab. Susie will be working on the FGF project. Welcome Susie!
Blaber Lab publication upgraded to "Must Read" by Faculty of 1000
Dr. Jihun Lee's recent PNAS paper entitled "Experimental support for the evolution of symmetric protein architecture from a simple peptide motif" has been upgraded by Faculty of 1000 (a post-publication peer-review organization) to "Must Read" status. The review can be found here.
Mar 2011
Earthquake during spring JAEA visit
This year's visit to the Japan Atomic Energy Agency in Tokai Village, Japan, by Dr. Michael Blaber unfortunately coincided with the largest earthquake in Japanese history. Pictures and a personal account can be found here.
J. Mol. Biol. selects cover art from Blaber lab publication
The April 15th issue of the Journal of Molecular Biology will feature on its cover an image from the Blaber lab report entitled "A polypeptide "building block" for the b-trefoil fold identified by "top-down symmetric deconstruction"". The image shows a "ribbon diagram" from the X-ray stucture of a synthetic protein designed in the Blaber laboratory and overlaid with a symbol from the middle ages known as a "trefoil". This symbol is used in European architecture and the similarity with the atomic details of the synthetic protein are striking. Congratulations to the author of this report, Dr. Jihun Lee!
Feb 2011
Another Blaber lab paper selected by Faculty of 1000
Dr. Jihun Lee's recent JMB paper entitled "A polypeptide "building block" for the b-trefoil fold identified by "top-down symmetric deconstruction"" has been selected by the Faculty of 1000 (F1000), which places the work in the top 2% of published articles in biology and medicine. Information can be found here. Congratulations Jihun!
Blaber lab PNAS paper selected by Faculty of 1000
Dr. Jihun Lee's recent PNAS paper entitled "Experimental support for the evolution of symmetric protein architecture from a simple peptide motif" has been selected by the Faculty of 1000 (F1000), which places the work in the top 2% of published articles in biology and medicine. Information can be found here. Congratulations Jihun!
Dr. Jihun Lee manuscript accepted for publication in JMB
A manuscript entitled "A Polypeptide "Building Block" for the b-Trefoil Fold Identified by "Top-Down Symmetric Deconstruction"" by Dr. Jihun Lee (former grad student and postdoc in the lab) has been accepted for publication in Journal of Molecular Biology. This report describes the details of a novel methodology to design peptide "building blocks" for symmetric protein architecture. Congratulations Jihun on another excellent paper!
Jan 2011
Blaber lab awarded a Florida Department of Health grant
The Blaber lab was awarded a Florida Department of Health Technology Transfer Feasibility Grant (1KF03) "Development of "second-generation" fibroblast growth factor-1 for pro-angiogenic therapy". The grant is to support pre-clinical pharmacokinetic studies of mutant forms of human fibroblast growth factor (FGF-1). The goal is to identifying "second-generation" forms of FGF-1 for application in novel "pro-angiogenic" therapy in patients with ischemic disease that cannot be effectively treated by current therapies.
1st Annual FSU Life Sciences Symposium
The 1st Annual FSU Life Sciences Symposium was held Jan 7-8 in the College of Medicine at FSU. This meeting was designed to highlight the diverse biomedical research on-going at FSU, and included attendees and speakers from the departments of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Biological Science, Psychology, Physics, Mathematics, Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Program in Neuroscience, and Institute of Molecular Biophysics. The organizing commitee was chaired by Dr. Michael Blaber. The symposium proceedings can be found here. Pictures from the meeting can be found here.
Dec 2010
Dr. Jihun Lee manuscript published
A manuscript written by Dr. Jihun Lee, entitled Increased Functional Half-life of Fibroblast Growth Factor-1 by Recovering a Vestigial Disulfide Bond has been published in J. Proteins Proteomics. This report describes how a novel disulfide bond mutant of FGF-1 increases the in vitro functional half-life of the protein by 14-fold. This mutant design approach may be applicable to "second-generation" forms of different members of the fibroblast growth factor family. Congratulations Jihun!
Dr. Hyesook Yoon accepts Mayo Clinic position
Dr. Hyesook Yoon (grad student/postdoc Blaber Lab) accepted a postdoctoral position at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester. As an alumni of the Blaber Lab, Hyesook published 3 papers as a first author, and 3 as coauthor (and with another manuscript in preparation). Her study of the activation profiles of the human pro-KLKs contribued to the 2009 E.K.Frey/E. Werle gold medal awarded to the Blaber laboratory for kallikrein research. We wish her the best of luck in this next phase of her career; she will be missed terribly.
Nov 2010
Dr. Jihun Lee manuscript accepted for publication in PNAS
A manuscript entitled "Experimental support for the evolution of symmetric protein architecture from a simple peptide motif" by Dr. Jihun Lee (former grad student and postdoc in the lab) has been accepted for publication in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. This report provides experimental support for one of two competing hypotheses regarding molecular details of the evolution of the b-trefoil protein fold, from a simple peptide motif, via gene duplication and fusion processes. There are several significant implications of this report to protein evolution and design. Congratulations Jihun on this excellent paper!
Oct 2010
Dr. Jihun Lee accepts NIH position
Dr. Jihun Lee (grad student/postdoc Blaber Lab) accepted a postdoctoral position in the laboratory of Dr. Peter Sun, Chief, Structural Immunology Section, Nationl Institute of Alergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH. As an alumni of the Blaber Lab, Jihun published 5 papers as a first author, and 7 as coauthor (and with a couple more currently being written). She solved 33 X-ray crystal structures of mutant FGF-1 proteins, as well as solved the structure of rabbit FGF-1. She also has two patent applications relating to protein therapeutics and protein design. We wish her the best of luck in this next step of her promising career; she will be sorely missed.
Sep 2010
Blaber & Brych Patent Issued
U.S. Patent 7,780,682, "Engineered Human Acidic Fibroblast Growth Factors and Associated Methods", by Blaber, M. and Brych, S. was issued on Sep 7, 2010. The patent covers a mutant form of FGF-1 that is highly-stable, lacks heparin-binding affinity, and is ~100x more potent than the wild-type FGF-1 protein in the absence of added heparin. Congratulations to co-inventor Dr. Stephen Brych.
Aug 2010
Fourth Blaber & Dubey patent issued
U.S. Patent 7,776,825, Mutant Polypeptides of Fibroblast Growth Factor 1 was issued Aug 17, 2010 (inventors Blaber, M. and Dubey, V.K.). This patent covers additional mutations at positions 12 and 134 of FGF-1 that substantially increase the thermostability as well as potency in the absence of added heparin. Such mutants are candidates for "second generation" forms of FGF-1 for pro-angiogenic therapy.
Dr. Michael Blaber joins Editorial Board of Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics
Dr. Michael Blaber was recently invited to join the Editorial Board of Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics a notable journal in biophysics and biochemistry published by Elsevier.
May 2010
Blaber Lab retreat to watch Atlantis launch
This year's lab retreat was in Titusville, Fl to watch the last launch of the Shuttle Atlantis, and one of the last Shuttle launches before the U.S. manned flight program using the Shuttle is ended. We had an excellent view of the launch, and were about as close as you can get. The noise was unbelievable. Images can be found here.
Ms. Cristina Russo successfully defends Ph.D. thesis
Ms. Cristina Russo, a graduate student co-mentored in the laboratories of Drs. Marcia Fenley and Michael Blaber successfully defended her Ph.D. thesis entitled Salt-dependence of protein-DNA binding: insights into protein electrostatics and redesign . Congratulations Cristina!
Dr. Michael Blaber joins Editorial Board of Research Reports in Biology
Dr. Michael Blaber was recently appointed to the Honorary Editorial Board of Research Reports in Biology an open access online journal published by Dove Press.
Apr 2010
Dr. Michael Blaber joins the Program in Neuroscience at FSU
The FSU Program in Neuroscience is an independent research and graduate training program and includes faculty from the departments of Biological Science, Biomedical Science, Mathematics, and Psychology. Its objective is to promote interdisciplinary basic research into neural processes, including the biological mechanisms underlying behavior, and to provide advanced graduate training leading to the Ph.D. degree in Neuroscience.
Third Blaber & Dubey patent issued
U.S. Patent 7,696,171, Mutant Polypeptides of Fibroblast Growth Factor 1 was issued Apr 13, 2010 (inventors Blaber, M. and Dubey, V.K.). This patent covers additional mutations at positions 12 and 134 of FGF-1 that substantially increase the thermostability as well as potency in the absence of added heparin. Such mutants are candidates for "second generation" forms of FGF-1 for pro-angiogenic therapy.
Mar 2010
Dr. Luiz Juliano manuscript accepted for publication
A manuscript entitled "Substrate specificity and inhibition of human kallikrein-related peptidase 3 (KLK3 or PSA) activated with sodium citrate and glycosaminoglycans", written by Dr. Luiz Juliano, has been accepted for publication in Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics. Dr. Juliano is a long-standing collaborator and Sachiko Blaber and Dr. Michael Blaber are co-authors of this study. Congratulations to Dr. Juliano!
Feb 2010
Second Blaber & Dubey patent issued
U.S. Patent 7,659,379, Mutants of Human Fibroblast Growth Factor Having Increased Stability and/or Mitogenic Potency was issued Feb 9 2010 (inventors Blaber, M. and Dubey, V.K.). This patent covers additional mutations at positions 12 and 134 of FGF-1 that substantially increase the thermostability as well as potency in the absence of added heparin. Such mutants are candidates for "second generation" forms of FGF-1 for pro-angiogenic therapy.
Mr. Liam Longo and Ms. Sara Jackson join Blaber Lab
Graduate students Mr. Liam Longo (Molecular Biophysics program) and Ms. Sara Jackson (Biomedical Sciences program) have joined the Blaber Lab. Liam's graduate studies will focus upon protein folding, and Sara's graduate studies will focus upon Kallikrein-related peptidase enzymology. It's great to have two new graduate students in the lab, and a hearty welcome to both of them!
Jan 2010
Inaugural issue of Journal of Proteins and Proteomics
The first issue of the JPP has been published, with an editorial on the need for protein chemists contributed by Dr. Michael Blaber. A link to the issue can be found here.
Dec 2009
Dr. Hyesook Yoon joins Blaber Lab
Dr. Hyesook Yoon has started a postdoctoral research position in the Blaber Lab, focusing upon the study of Kallikrein-related peptidases. Dr. Yoon was a former graduate student of the lab (Ph.D. in Chemistry, 2008), and it is great to have her back in the lab once again.
Nov 2009
Dr. Michael Blaber manuscript accepted for publication
A review article on the interactions between Kallikrein-related peptidases and thrombostasis proteases, entitled "Functional intersection of the Kallikrein-related peptidases (KLKs) and thrombostasis axis" has been accepted for publication in Biological Chemistry.
Oct 2009
Dr. Jihun Lee/Sachiko Blaber manuscript accepted for publication
A manuscript jointly-authored by Dr. Jihun Lee and Sachiko Blaber, entitled X-ray Structure and Biophysical Properties of Rabbit Fibroblast Growth Factor-1 has been accepted for publication in Acta Cryst. F. This report describes the cDNA sequence, thermostability, receptor-binding affinity, mitogenic activity and X-ray crystal structure of rabbit FGF-1. Congratulations Jihun and Sachiko!
Sep 2009
Blaber & Dubey patent issued
U.S. Patent 7,595,296, Mutant Polypeptides of Fibroblast Growth Factor 1 was issued Sep 30 2009 (inventors Blaber, M. and Dubey, V.K.). This patent covers mutations at positions 12 and 134 of FGF-1 that substantially increase the thermostability as well as potency in the absence of added heparin. Such mutants are candidates for "second generation" forms of FGF-1 for pro-angiogenic therapy.
Josh Kogot manuscript accepted for publication
Joshua Kogot, a graduate student in the laboratory of Dr. Geoffrey Strouse, has had his manuscript entitled "Analysis of the Dynamics of Assembly and Structural Impact for a Histidine Tagged FGF-1 – 1.5 nm Au Nanoparticle Bioconjugate" accepted for publication in Bioconjugate Chemistry. This study describes the structural changes to a mutant form on FGF-1 upon attachment to gold nanoparticles, and contributes to our understanding of protein conjugates in nanotechnology. Drs. Jihun Lee and Michael Blaber were coauthors in this study. Congratulations Josh!
Dr. Michael Blaber receives Frey-Werle Gold Medal
Dr. Michael Blaber was awarded the E.K. Frey-E. Werle Commemorative Gold Medal at the 3rd International Symposium on Kallikreins and Kallikrein-related Peptidases. This medal was awarded for Fundamental Contributions to the Structural Biology and Enzymology of the Human Kallikrein-related Peptidases. Pictures of the award ceremony can be found here.
Dr. Akshaya Meher manuscript accepted for publication
Dr. Akshaya Meher's manuscript "Engineering an Improved Crystal Contact across a Solvent-Mediated Interface of Human Fibroblast Growth Factor-1" has been accepted for publication in Acta Cryst. F. In this report Dr. Meher demonstrates how mutations at a protein crystal contact interface, that substitute direct molecular contacts for a solvent-mediated interface, can improve the crystal growth. Congratulations Akshaya!
Blaber Lab receives high ranking in Structural Biology
The Structural Biology Rankings web site (gate io bot) ranks the impact of investigators in structural biology based opon a combination of total citation data, PDB download statistics of deposited structures, and other factors. In this ranking, the Blaber Lab is identified as being among the top 40 structural biology groups in the world (currently ranked 36th). Thanks go to the hardworking folks, past and present, within the lab.
Aug 2009
Another Dr. Jihun Lee manuscript accepted for publication!
Dr. Jihun Lee's manuscript "The Interaction between Thermodynamic Stability and Buried Free Cysteines in Regulating the Functional Half-life of Fibroblast Growth Factor-1" has been accepted for publication in Journal of Molecular Biology. In this report Dr. Lee shows that buried thiols and thermodynamic stability interact to provide effective regulation of protein functional half-life. This study identifies a protein engineering strategy to achieve a targeted functional half-life in mutant proteins. Congratulations Jihun!
Dr. Jihun Lee manuscript accepted for publication
Dr. Jihun Lee's manuscript, "Structural Basis of the Conserved Cysteine in the Fibroblast Growth Factor Family: Evidence for a Vestigial Half-cystine" has been accepted for publication in Journal of Molecular Biology. In this report Dr. Lee shows that the conserved cysteine residue in the FGF family of proteins can be considered a vestigial half-cystine. In members with a cystine, the contribution of this residue is primarily to stabilize the protein; whereas, in members with a free cysteine, the contribution is to an irreversible unfolding pathway (due to thiol reactivity) and regulation of functional half-life. Congratulations Jihun!
July 2009
Dr. Michael Blaber appointed as Invited Research Fellow at JAEA
Dr. Michael Blaber has been appointed as an Invited Research Fellow to the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) for 2009-2010. This appointment will involve research into structural biology associated with neutron diffraction at JAEA, Tokai, Japan. Blaber will interact with researchers in the laboratory of Dr. Ryota Kuroki, Quantum Beam Science Directorate. Pictures from the July 2009 visit are here .
May 2009
Blaber Lab Retreat at Amelia Island!
The lab had a much-deserved three day retreat at Amelia Island on the Atlantic coast of North Florida. Pictures are here .
Mar 2009
Blaber Lab research highlighted in FSU "Research in Review"
Our protein engineering of the FGF-1 protein, and its potential application in a novel treatment for heart disease, has been highlighted in the winter 2009 edition of FSU's Research in Review. To download a copy of this article click here. Thanks to the hard-working folks in the lab, especially Dr. Jihun Lee, for this accomplishment.
Feb 2009
Blaber Lab receives scientific award for Kallikrein research
The Blaber Lab has been awarded the gate io is safe. This medal "is awarded to scientists who have made outstanding contributions to our knowledge of the role of the kallikrein-kinin system (KKS) and related subjects in health and disease over decades, so that their research achievements have significantly influenced the developments in the field".
Dec 2008
Dr. Hyesook Yoon manuscript accepted for publication
Dr. Hyesook Yoon (recent PhD graduate from the Blaber Lab) has had her manuscript entitled "A Completed KLK Activome Profile: Investigation of Activation Profiles of KLK9, 10 and 15" accepted for publication in Biological Chemistry. This report completes the characterization of the ability of the members of the KLK family to recognize and cleave the pro-sequences of the KLKs (i.e. the KLK "activome"). Congratulations Hyesook!
Nov 2008
Dr. Michael Blaber/Zign, Inc. receives STTR "Phase 0" award
Enterprise Florida is an organization in the state of Florida that provides seed funds to develop SBIR/STTR grant applications. Dr. Michael Blaber/Zign, Inc. was awarded one of these "Phase 0" grants to develop an STTR proposal entitled "Development of Second-generation Forms of Fibroblast Growth Factor-1 for Pro-angiogenic Therapy".
Aug 2008
Dr. Michael Blaber appointed editor of new journal
Dr. Michael Blaber was appointed an editor of Journal of Proteins and Proteomics a new journal established by Dr. Vikash Dubey, IIT Guwahati. Details can be found here.
PhD Graduation ceremony for Dr. Hyesook Yoon
The graduation ceremony for Dr. Hyesook Yoon was held on August 9 at the Tallahassee Civic Center. Dr. Yoon was hooded by her PhD advisor Dr. Michael Blaber. Photos here!.
Dr. Hyesook Yoon manuscript accepted for publication
Recent Ph.D. graduate Dr. Hyesook Yoon's manuscript entitled "Activation Profiles of Human Kallikrein-related Peptidases by Proteases of the Thrombostasis Axis " has been accepted for publication in Protein Science. This study details how proteases that regulate coagulation and clot lysis can also activate members of the human kallikrein-related peptidase family, thus connecting the function of two major protease families. Congratulations Hyesook!
Dr. Michael Blaber travels to Brazil
Dr. Michael Blaber was invited to give a talk at the Federal University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, as a guest of Dr. Luiz Juliano, a pioneer in the field of human kallikrein-related peptidases. Pictures from the trip can be found here.
July 2008
Dr. Maria Juliano manuscript accepted for publication
Dr. Maria Juliano's manuscript entitled "S1’ and S2’ Subsite Specificities of Human Plasma Kalikrein and Tissue Kallikrein 1 on the Hydrolysis of Peptides Derived from Bradykinin Domain of Human Kininogen" has been accepted for publication in Biological Chemistry. This study reports that S1’ and S2’ subsites of KLK1 and HPK show peculiarities that are observed with substrates containing the amino acid sequence of human kinonogen. Dr. Michael Blaber and Sachiko Blaber are coauthors on this study.
Ms. Hyesook Yoon successfully defends Ph.D. thesis
Ms. Hyesook Yoon, a graduate student in the Blaber Lab, successfully defended her Ph.D. thesis Activation Profiles and Regulatory Cascades of the Human Kallikrein-related Peptidases. Pictures of Hyesook's defense can be found here. Dr. Yoon will continue her training as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Lab of Dr. Eleftherios Diamandis, University of Toronto. Congratulations Hyesook!
Dr. Gulsah Sanli named one of the top 5 Women in Science in Turkey
Dr. Gulsah Sanli (PhD student in the Blaber Lab 1998-2002), Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Izmir Institute of Technology, was recently recognized as one of the top 5 Women in Science in Turkey. A picture of Gulsah at the awards ceremony can be found here. Congratulations Gulsah!
May 2008
Dr. Michael Blaber to serve on Kallikrein meeting Advisory Board
Dr. Michael Blaber has been invited to serve on the International Scientific Advisory Board of the 3rd International Symposium on Tissue Kallikreins and Kallikrein-related Peptidases , to be held in Munich, Germany, Sep 16-19, 2009. Kallikreins are a family of proteases with emerging impact in human health, and this meeting is the premier meeting for the field.
Dr. Jihun Lee receives Finn Wold Award
Dr. Jihun Lee, postdoctoral researcher in the Blaber Lab, has received a Finn Wold Award, which provides support to attend the 22nd Annual Symposium of The Protein Society and present results of her research on b-turn structures in protein folding. Congratulations Jihun!
April 2008
Blaber Lab research featured in TechJournal South
Research in the Blaber Lab on FGF-1 mutants and their potential application in pro-angiogenic therapy for coronary heart disease was featured in the April edition of TechJournal South. A link to the article can be found here.
Blaber Lab research featured on WFSU/NPR radio
Research in the Blaber Lab on FGF-1 mutants and their potential application in pro-angiogenic therapy for coronary heart disease was featured this month on radio broadcasts on WFSU and NPR radio stations. An MP3 file of the broadcast can be found here.
Mr. Liam Longo awarded two undergraduate research fellowships
Mr. Liam Longo, an FSU undergraduate student, was awarded both a Florida State University Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavors (URACE) Summer Award, and a James R. Fisher Fellowship. These awards, totalling $4,000, will provide full-time support for Liam's on-going research into the folding mechanism of the FGF-1 protein in the Blaber Lab during the summer 2008 semester. Congratulations Liam!
Mar 2008
Dr. Michael Blaber invited to the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA)
Dr. Blaber will spend one week in March in Tokai, Japan, as the guest of Dr. Ryota Kuroki, Molecular Structural Biology Leader-Drug Target Protein Group, Quantum Beam Science Directorate, Japan Atomic Energy Agency. Dr. Kuroki is a leader in neutron diffraction studies of protein solvation and hydrogen-bonding (more information here). Drs. Kuroki and Blaber are collaborating on neutron diffraction studies of FGF-1. Pictures can be found gate io deposit.
Ms. Hyehyun Hwang, M.S., joins Blaber lab as Research Assistant
Ms. Hyehyun Hwang, formerly from ENZYTech Ltd., Daejeon Korea, joins the Blaber lab as a Research Assistant. Ms. Hwang will provide experimental and administrative assistance to the research programs in the lab, and her experience in cell-based assay and expression systems will provide additional support in these areas. Welcome Hyehyun!
Dr. Luciano Puzer, Ph.D., joins Blaber lab as Visiting Professor
Dr. Luciano Puzer, Assistant Professor, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Department of Genetics and Evolution, Federal University of São Carlos, SP, Brazil, has joined the Blaber lab as a visiting professor for 6 months. Dr. Puzer is interested in kallikrein-related peptidases (KLKs) and will be collaborating on production and characterization of members of this important family of peptidases. Welcome Luciano!
Dr. Michael Blaber appointed to the Scientific Advisory Board of CardioVascular BioTherapeutics Inc.
CVBT Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company performing clinical and pre-clinical studies of the application of FGF-1 in novel "angiogenic therapy" to treat various types of ischemic disease. The structural and biophysical properties of proteins play an important part in their biological activity, and the Blaber lab is a leader in structural biology and biophysical studies of FGF-1. Information on CVBT's Scientific Advisory Board can be found here.
Feb 2008
Dr. Eijiro Honjo manuscript accepted for publication
Dr. Eijiro Honjo's manuscript entitiled "Mutagenesis of the Crystal Contact of Acidic Fibroblast Growth Factor" has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Synchrotron Radiation. Dr. Honjo is a researcher in the lab of Dr. Ryota Kuroki, a leader in neutron diffraction studies of protein solvation and hydrogen-bonding. This study describes a mutagenesis approach to increase the size of FGF-1 crystals to enable neutron diffraction studies. Drs. Akshaya Meher and Michael Blaber are coauthors on this study.
Dr. Jihun Lee manuscript accepted for publication
Dr. Jihun Lee's manuscript entitiled "A Logical OR Redundancy within the Asx-Pro-Asx-Gly Type I b-turn Motif" has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Molecular Biology. This report, containing a comprehensive structure, stability and folding study of 28 mutations of fibroblast growth factor-1, identifies a logical OR relationship for the Asx residues in the Asx-Pro-Asx-Gly b-turn motif in stabilizing the turn.
Jan 2008
Dr. George Georgiou manuscript accepted for publication
Dr. George Georgiou's manuscript entitiled "The Substrate Specificity of Human Kallikrein 1 and 6 Determined by Phage Display" has been accepted for publication in Protein Science. Sachiko Blaber, Gurunathan Laxmikanthan (former graduate student) and Dr. Michael Blaber are coauthors on this study which characterizes the preferred recognition cleavage sequence of KLK1 and KLK6 using a phage-display methodology.
Dec 2007
Ms. Hyesook Yoon and Dr. Jihun Lee featured on FSU International Center
Ms Hyesook Yoon (graduate student) and Dr. Jihun Lee (postdoctoral fellow), both members of the Blaber Lab, were featured researchers on the FSU International Center web site. Details can be found here.
Dr. Michael Blaber invited to serve on NIH study section
Dr. Michael Blaber received an invitation to serve as an ad hoc member of the Macromolecular Structure and Function Study Section of the NIH at its February 7-8 2008 meeting in Long Beach, CA. Such peer-review meetings are invaluable in understanding the NIH grant review process and the current areas of research interest supported by the NIH.
Nov 2007
Dr. Michael Blaber receives FSU Innovator Award
Dr. Michael Blaber received an FSU Innovator Award at the recent FSU Innovator Reception honoring those faculty involved in the development of intellectual property. Dr. Blaber was recognised for his patent applications associated with the development of novel mutants of fibroblast growth factor for application in angiogenic therapy. Further details can be found here, and a picture of Dr. Blaber receiving his award from Vice President of Research Dr. Kirby Kemper can be found here.
Dr. Thomas Stegmann visits FSU
Dr. Thomas Stegmann, a cardiac surgeon pioneering the application of angiogenic therapy to the treatment of vascular stenosis was the invited speaker for the "Grand Rounds" of the College of Medicine on Nov 1 2007. Dr. Stegmann's procedure utilizes human FGF-1, and several mutants of FGF-1 produced in the Blaber Lab may be of interest as "2nd Generation" forms in angiogenic therapy. A picture of Dr. Stegmann with members of the Blaber Lab can be found here.
Oct 2007
Blaber Lab members attend 2nd ISK meeting in Greece
The 2nd International Symposium on Kallikreins and Kallikrein-Related Peptidases was held Oct 16-18 in Santorini, Greece. Dr. Michael Blaber gave a lecture entitled "Activation Profiles and Regulatory Cascades of the Human Kallikrein-related Peptidases (KLK's)". The meeting was also attended by Ms. Hyesook Yoon and Ms. Sachiko Blaber. Hyesook presented a poster detailing her studies of the human KLK activome (in press in JBC), and Sachiko gave a poster detailing the autolytic regulation of KLK-6 (published earlier this year in Biochemistry). Pictures from the meeting can be found here.
Aug 2007
Ms. Hyesook Yoon manuscript accepted for publication
Ms. Hyesook Yoon's manuscript entitled "Activation Profiles and Regulatory Cascades of the Human Kallikrein-related Peptidases" has been accepted for publication in Journal of Biological Chemistry. This study characterizes the specificity profile of the mature KLK's for the 15 different KLK propeptide sequences, and elucidates potential KLK activation cascades.
June 2007
Dr. Michael Blaber receives "Outstanding Senior Faculty Researcher" award
At the College of Medicine faculty awards ceremony, Dr. Michael Blaber was awarded the "Outstanding Senior Faculty Researcher" award for 2006-2007. This achievement reflects the hard work and accomplishments of the students, postdocs and technicians in the Blaber Lab; thank you!
May 2007
Dr. Vikash Dubey manuscript accepted for publication
Dr. Dubey's manuscript entitled "Spackling the Crack: Stabilizing Human Fibroblast Growth Factor-1 by Targeting the N- and C-terminus b-strand Interactions" has been accepted for publication in Journal of Molecular Biology. This report describes specific point mutations in the adjacent N- and C-termini b-strands that provide substantial increases in thermostability.
Apr 2007
PhD Graduation ceremony for Dr. Jihun Lee
The graduation ceremony for Dr. Jihun Lee was held on April 27 at the Tallahassee Civic Center. Dr. Lee was hooded by her PhD advisor Dr. Michael Blaber. Photo here!.
Mar 2007
Blaber Lab signs contract research agreement
The Blaber Lab has entered into a contract research agreement with CardioVascular BioTherapeutics, a leading-edge Biotechnology company in angiogenic therapy. The research agreement provides research support for the development and characterization of "second generation" forms of fibroblast growth factor-1 (FGF-1) for application in angiogenic therapy.
Ms. Jihun Lee successfully defends Ph.D. thesis
Ms. Jihun Lee, a graduate student in the Blaber Lab, successfully defended her Ph.D. thesis Characterization of the Effects of b
-turn Sequence on Protein Stability, Folding Kinetics, Functionality and Turn Structure. Dr. Lee will continue her training as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Blaber Lab, pursuing her interest in the study of protein turn structure. Congratulations Jihun!
Ms. Sachiko Blaber manuscript accepted for publication
Ms. Sachiko Blaber's manuscript entitled "The autolytic regulation of human kallikrein-related peptidase 6" has been accepted for publication in Biochemistry. This study concludes that KLK6 autolytic activity is primarily targeted towards inactivation and a distinct protease is required for activation.
Feb 2007
Ms. Hyesook Yoon passes PhD oral qualifing exam
Ms. Hyesook Yoon, a graduate student in the Blaber Lab, successfully passed her PhD oral qualfying exam and has now advanced to candidacy for the PhD degree in Chemistry and Biochemistry. Congratulations to Hyesook!
Blaber Lab awarded NIH research grant
The Blaber Lab has been awarded a 3-year NIH R15 research grant entitled Interactions between CNS-specific human kallikreins and the PA system in inflammation. The project will focus of the role of specific members of the human kallikrein family in the progression of inflammatory demyelination in the central nervous system (as occurs with Multiple Sclerosis).
Jan 2007
Dr. Michael Blaber promoted to Full Professor
FSU president T.K. Wetherell approved promotion of Dr. Blaber to Full Professor, effective the 2007 academic year. This promotion reflects the achievements of the outstanding students, postdocs and technicians who have contributed to the success of the Blaber Lab over the past 13 years (special thanks to the current lab personnel).
Sep 2006
Mr. Gurunathan Laxmikanthan successfully defends Ph.D. thesis
Mr. Gurunathan, a graduate student in the Blaber Lab, successfully defended his Ph.D. thesis An Insight into the Structure, Function and Activation Cascades of the Classical Human Kallikreins. Dr. Laxmikanthan will pursue a Postdoctoral position at Brown University. Congratulations Guru!
June 2006
Dr. Morley Hollenberg manuscript accepted for publication
Another manuscript, Proteinase-activated receptors (pars): targets for kallikrein signalling in collaboration with Dr. Morley Hollenberg (pioneer in the area of protease-activated receptors) has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. Dr. Michael Blaber and Ms. Sachiko I. Blaber are coauthors in this study.
May 2006
Blaber Lab receives research grant from the American Heart Association
The Blaber Lab has been awarded a three-year research grant from the American Heart Association to study the x-ray structure and receptor-binding properties of mutant forms of human fibroblast growth factor-1. The mutant forms being studied exhibit enhanced properties in regards to their ability to stimulate cells to grow. The study of these mutants will help in the design of "second generation" forms of FGF-1 for angiogenic therapy in the treatment of "no option" heart patients. Thanks to all the hard-working lab personnel who made this grant possible!
Dr. Vikash Dubey obtains tenured faculty position
Dr. Vikash Dubey, a postdoc in the Blaber lab since 2004, has received an offer of a tenured Assistant Professorship in the Department of Biotechnology at the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati campus. Congratulations to Vikash!
Apr 2006
Ms. Nikki Held graduates with MS
Ms. Nikki held graduated from the Blaber Lab with an MS degree in Chemistry in the Spring 2006 semester.
Mar 2006
Dr. Morley Hollenberg manuscript accepted for publication
Dr. Morley Hollenberg has been studying the role of human kallikreins in the activation of protease-activated receptors. His manuscript entitled Kallikrein-Mediated Cell Signaling: Targeting Proteinase-Activated Receptors (PARs)1 has been accepted for publication in Biological Chemistry. Dr. Michael Blaber and Ms. Sachiko I. Blaber are coauthors in this study.
Dr. Blaber appointed to FSU Human Subjects Institutional Review Board
The Human Subjects IRB reviews research applications from FSU researchers that involve human subjects. The IRB ensures that appropriate ethical standards are upheld for research involving human subjects.
Jan 2006
Dr. Ake Lundwall manuscript accepted for publication
Dr. Ake Lundwall has organized a group of experts in the kallikrein field to propose a nomenclature for the kallikrein family. This effort derived from discussions at the 1st International Symposium on Kallikreins, held in Lausanne, Switzerland in 2005. Dr. Blaber participated in this effort, and is a coauthor on this manuscript which was recently accepted for publication in Biological Chemistry.
Dec 2005
Dr. Luiz Juliano manuscript accepted for publication
Dr. Luiz Juliano, a recognized expert in the study of human kallikreins at the Department of Biophysics, Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo, has been collaborating with the Blaber Lab to study the ability of K6 to activate protease-activated receptors (PAR's). This work, authored by Dr. Juliano, was recently accepted for publication in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
Nov 2005
Dr. Blaber receives FSU Innovator Recognition
Dr. Blaber was one of several faculty and staff members to be recognized by Dr. Kirby Kemper, Vice President of Research, for contributions towards the licencing of intellectual property generated at FSU. Dr. Blaber was acknowledged for his development and licencing of web-based tutorials for teaching concepts in undergraduate Chemistry.
Oct 2005
Dr. Blaber reappointed to Protein Science Editorial Advisory Board
Dr. Blaber has previously served a three-year term as an Editorial Advisory Board member to Protein Science. This month he was invited by the Editor of the journal to serve a second three-year term (through 2008). Dr. Blaber has published articles in Protein Science as a graduate student, postdoc and P.I., and it is a real privilege to serve on the EAB for another term. Best wishes for the continued success of the journal!
Sep 2005
Ms. Jihun Lee manuscript accepted for publication
Ms. Lee, a graduate student in the Blaber Lab, had an article entitled "Conversion of type I 4:6 to 3:5 b-turn types in human acidic fibroblast growth factor: effects upon structure, stability, folding and mitogenic function" accepted, with no requested revisions, for publication in the journal Proteins: Structure, Function and Bioinformatics.
Blaber Lab Retreat in Sandestin
The Blaber Lab went on a much-needed 2-day retreat to Sandestin, FL. Images of the trip can be found here.
Blaber Lab first to receive research grant in FSU GAP program
The Blaber Lab was awarded the first of a new type of grant from the FSU Office of Research, known as a GAP grant. These grants are intended to provide proof-of-concept data in the development of intellectual property of potential commercial interest. The Blaber Lab submitted a proposal to study heparin and receptor-binding properties of mutants of human fibroblast growth factor 1 with enhanced functional properties. Such mutants have potential application in "angiogenic therapy" for the development of neo-vasculature in the treatment of ischemia. CardioVascular BioTherapeutics is one such company pursuing the use of FGF-1 in angiogenic therapy.
Blaber Lab moves to brand new research facilities in College of Medicine at Florida State University
After starting his academic career and spending 11 challenging and rewarding years in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry at FSU, Dr. Blaber accepted an offer of a faculty position in the new College of Medicine at FSU. This next phase in his career will no doubt be as challengind and exciting as the first! His teaching responsibilities in the College of Medicine include training of medical students; several of which were undergraduates in Dr. Blaber's Chemistry and Biochemistry courses at FSU.
July 2005
Ms. Hyesook Yoon joins Blaber Lab
Ms. Hyesook Yoon has joined the Blaber Lab as a Graduate Research Assistant. Ms. Yoon's research efforts will initially focus upon the biochemistry and enzymology of human kallikreins.
May 2005
Dr. Vikash Dubey manuscript accepted for publication
Dr. Vikash Dubey, a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Blaber Lab, had an article entitled "Redesigning symmetry-related "mini-core" regions of FGF-1 to increase primary structure symmetry: thermodynamic and functional consequences of structural symmetry" accepted for publication in the journal Protein Science.
March 2005
Blaber Lab awarded Pilot Project Grant from National Multiple Sclerosis Society
The Blaber Lab was awarded a grant (PP1113) to study the "Identification of Activation Cascades Involving Human Kallikrein 6" from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. The research will help to understand the role of this novel CNS-specific protease in Multiple Sclerosis.
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