October 29, 2007

Chief scientific officer of Howard Hughes Medical Institute returns to Purdue as visiting distinguished lecturer

Jack E. Dixon
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Dixon, who was Purdue's Harvey W. Wiley Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry from 1986-1991, will present two lectures during his visit. Both events are free and open to the public.

His first lecture, titled "Protein Phosphatases: Their Roles in Signal Transduction and Disease," will be presented at 4 p.m. in the Purdue Memorial Union East Faculty Lounge following a 3:30 p.m. reception. His second lecture, titled "Bacterial Pathogens: Hijacking Signal Transduction Pathways," will be given at 10:30 a.m. Friday (Nov. 2) in Stewart Center's Fowler Hall.

Dixon directs Howard Hughes Medical Institute's flagship investigator program, for which approximately 300 leading scientists conduct research in laboratories across the nation. He also is responsible for identifying new opportunities to capitalize on the institute's expertise in biomedical research and science education.

In addition to his work as a member of Purdue's biochemistry faculty, Dixon has served as co-director of the Life Sciences Institute at the University of Michigan and as dean of scientific affairs for the University of California, San Diego.

He has been elected a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He has received many awards, including the Michigan Distinguished Faculty Leadership Award in Biomedical Research, the National Institutes of Health MERIT Award, the Lions Award for Cancer Research, and the William C. Rose and Merck awards from the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Dixon's research has focused on a group of proteins called protein tyrosine phosphatases that govern a key biochemical reaction in which a phosphate group is added to another protein. The reaction, called phosphorylation, serves as a signaling mechanism between living cells. The work has implications for understanding the uncontrolled growth that is characteristic of cancer, the routing of nerve fibers, and the success of disease-causing bacteria and viruses in overcoming the mammalian immune system.

Dixon continues to maintain a laboratory at the University of California, San Diego, where he is a professor of pharmacology, cellular and molecular medicine, chemistry, and biochemistry.

The lecture series is named in honor of the late Varro E. Tyler, Purdue's Lilly Distinguished Professor of Pharmacognosy in the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and former dean and executive vice president for academic affairs for the university.

Tyler is known for his contributions to the advancement of pharmacology, and he authored more than 240 scientific articles, 16 books and a major textbook on pharmacognosy.

Howard Hughes Medical Institute is a nonprofit medical research organization that ranks as one of the nation's largest philanthropies. The institute plays a powerful role in advancing biomedical research and science education. In the past two decades, the institute has made investments of more than $8.3 billion for the support, training and education of the nation's most creative and promising scientists. It commits almost $700 million a year for research and distributes $80 million in grant support for science education.

Eli Lilly and Co, Purdue's School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and the Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology are sponsoring the event.

Writer: Elizabeth Gardner, (765) 494-2081, ekgardner@purdue.edu

Source: Dana Neary, manager of alumni relations and special events for the school of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences, (765) 494-2632, nearyd@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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