Michael H. Gelb
Encyclopedia
Professor Michael H. Gelb [1957-] is an award-winning biochemist
and chemist
specializing in enzyme
s and particularly those of medical significance. He is the Harry and Catherine Jaynne Boand Endowed Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Washington
in Seattle. He also teaches Honors Organic Chemistry, Chemical Biology and Enzymology.
before taking a Ph.D under Stephen G. Sligar at Yale University
on aspects of the catalytic mechanism of cytochrome
P450
. Granted an American Cancer Society
postdoctoral fellowship, he then investigated mechanism-based inactivators of serine
protease
s and developed fluorinated ketones as tight-binding inhibitors of several classes of proteases, working with Robert H. Abeles at Brandeis University
.
in the Departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry.
The Gelb laboratory uses a number of techniques in molecular and cellular biochemistry as well as synthetic organic chemistry to study enzymatic processes of biomedical significance. Major accomplishments from the Gelb laboratory include: 1) The discovery of protein isoprenylation in the late 1980s (together with Professor John Glomset); 2) The development of methods to analyze enzymes that work on membrane surfaces (together with Professors Mahendra Jain and Otto Berg); 3) The development of Isotope-Coded Affinity Tags for quantitative proteomics
(together with Professors Ruedi Aebersold
and Frank Turecek); 4) The development of tandem mass spectrometry
for newborn screening
of enzyme deficiency diseases (together with Professors Frank Turecek and C. Ronald Scott). Routine newborn screening
of lysosomal storage diseases using technology developed in the Gelb laboratory was brought into use in New York state in 2006
. Plans are underway to expand screening in other regions of the USA and in several other countries.
His current research interests include: 1) Studying the function and regulation of a group of enzymes called phospholipase A2
that are involved in lipid
mediator biosynthesis
related to inflammation
; 2) Anti-malaria
and anti-trypanosome
drug discovery; 3) New technology for the newborn screening
of enzyme deficiency diseases including lysosomal storage diseases.
, playing classical guitar
and muscle cars.
Biochemist
Biochemists are scientists who are trained in biochemistry. Typical biochemists study chemical processes and chemical transformations in living organisms. The prefix of "bio" in "biochemist" can be understood as a fusion of "biological chemist."-Role:...
and chemist
Chemist
A chemist is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties such as density and acidity. Chemists carefully describe the properties they study in terms of quantities, with detail on the level of molecules and their component atoms...
specializing in enzyme
Enzyme
Enzymes are proteins that catalyze chemical reactions. In enzymatic reactions, the molecules at the beginning of the process, called substrates, are converted into different molecules, called products. Almost all chemical reactions in a biological cell need enzymes in order to occur at rates...
s and particularly those of medical significance. He is the Harry and Catherine Jaynne Boand Endowed Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
in Seattle. He also teaches Honors Organic Chemistry, Chemical Biology and Enzymology.
Education
Gelb studied chemistry and biochemistry at the University of California, DavisUniversity of California, Davis
The University of California, Davis is a public teaching and research university established in 1905 and located in Davis, California, USA. Spanning over , the campus is the largest within the University of California system and third largest by enrollment...
before taking a Ph.D under Stephen G. Sligar at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
on aspects of the catalytic mechanism of cytochrome
Cytochrome
Cytochromes are, in general, membrane-bound hemoproteins that contain heme groups and carry out electron transport.They are found either as monomeric proteins or as subunits of bigger enzymatic complexes that catalyze redox reactions....
P450
Cytochrome P450 oxidase
The cytochrome P450 superfamily is a large and diverse group of enzymes. The function of most CYP enzymes is to catalyze the oxidation of organic substances. The substrates of CYP enzymes include metabolic intermediates such as lipids and steroidal hormones, as well as xenobiotic substances...
. Granted an American Cancer Society
American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society is the "nationwide community-based voluntary health organization" dedicated, in their own words, "to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives, and diminishing suffering from cancer, through research, education, advocacy, and...
postdoctoral fellowship, he then investigated mechanism-based inactivators of serine
Serine
Serine is an amino acid with the formula HO2CCHCH2OH. It is one of the proteinogenic amino acids. By virtue of the hydroxyl group, serine is classified as a polar amino acid.-Occurrence and biosynthesis:...
protease
Protease
A protease is any enzyme that conducts proteolysis, that is, begins protein catabolism by hydrolysis of the peptide bonds that link amino acids together in the polypeptide chain forming the protein....
s and developed fluorinated ketones as tight-binding inhibitors of several classes of proteases, working with Robert H. Abeles at Brandeis University
Brandeis University
Brandeis University is an American private research university with a liberal arts focus. It is located in the southwestern corner of Waltham, Massachusetts, nine miles west of Boston. The University has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate students. In 2011, it...
.
Professional life
Since 1985 Gelb has been a faculty member at the University of WashingtonUniversity of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
in the Departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry.
The Gelb laboratory uses a number of techniques in molecular and cellular biochemistry as well as synthetic organic chemistry to study enzymatic processes of biomedical significance. Major accomplishments from the Gelb laboratory include: 1) The discovery of protein isoprenylation in the late 1980s (together with Professor John Glomset); 2) The development of methods to analyze enzymes that work on membrane surfaces (together with Professors Mahendra Jain and Otto Berg); 3) The development of Isotope-Coded Affinity Tags for quantitative proteomics
Proteomics
Proteomics is the large-scale study of proteins, particularly their structures and functions. Proteins are vital parts of living organisms, as they are the main components of the physiological metabolic pathways of cells. The term "proteomics" was first coined in 1997 to make an analogy with...
(together with Professors Ruedi Aebersold
Ruedi Aebersold
Rudolf Aebersold is a Swiss biologist, regarded as a pioneer in the fields of proteomics and systems biology. Prof. Aebersold has primarily researched techniques for measuring proteins in complex samples, in many cases via mass spectrometry...
and Frank Turecek); 4) The development of tandem mass spectrometry
Mass spectrometry
Mass spectrometry is an analytical technique that measures the mass-to-charge ratio of charged particles.It is used for determining masses of particles, for determining the elemental composition of a sample or molecule, and for elucidating the chemical structures of molecules, such as peptides and...
for newborn screening
Newborn screening
Newborn screening is the process by which infants are screened shortly after birth for a list of disorders that are treatable, but difficult or impossible to detect clinically. Screening programs are often run by state or national governing bodies with the goal of screening all infants born in the...
of enzyme deficiency diseases (together with Professors Frank Turecek and C. Ronald Scott). Routine newborn screening
Newborn screening
Newborn screening is the process by which infants are screened shortly after birth for a list of disorders that are treatable, but difficult or impossible to detect clinically. Screening programs are often run by state or national governing bodies with the goal of screening all infants born in the...
of lysosomal storage diseases using technology developed in the Gelb laboratory was brought into use in New York state in 2006
. Plans are underway to expand screening in other regions of the USA and in several other countries.
His current research interests include: 1) Studying the function and regulation of a group of enzymes called phospholipase A2
Phospholipase A2
Phospholipases A2 are enzymes that release fatty acids from the second carbon group of glycerol. This particular phospholipase specifically recognizes the sn-2 acyl bond of phospholipids and catalytically hydrolyzes the bond releasing arachidonic acid and lysophospholipids...
that are involved in lipid
Lipid
Lipids constitute a broad group of naturally occurring molecules that include fats, waxes, sterols, fat-soluble vitamins , monoglycerides, diglycerides, triglycerides, phospholipids, and others...
mediator biosynthesis
Biosynthesis
Biosynthesis is an enzyme-catalyzed process in cells of living organisms by which substrates are converted to more complex products. The biosynthesis process often consists of several enzymatic steps in which the product of one step is used as substrate in the following step...
related to inflammation
Inflammation
Inflammation is part of the complex biological response of vascular tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants. Inflammation is a protective attempt by the organism to remove the injurious stimuli and to initiate the healing process...
; 2) Anti-malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
and anti-trypanosome
Trypanosoma
Trypanosoma is a genus of kinetoplastids , a monophyletic group of unicellular parasitic flagellate protozoa. The name is derived from the Greek trypano and soma because of their corkscrew-like motion. All trypanosomes are heteroxenous and are transmitted via a vector...
drug discovery; 3) New technology for the newborn screening
Newborn screening
Newborn screening is the process by which infants are screened shortly after birth for a list of disorders that are treatable, but difficult or impossible to detect clinically. Screening programs are often run by state or national governing bodies with the goal of screening all infants born in the...
of enzyme deficiency diseases including lysosomal storage diseases.
Awards
Gelb's awards include:- Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) (2009-)
- Harry and Catherine Jaynne Boand Endowed Professor of Chemistry (2008-)
- Merit Award from the National Institutes of HealthNational Institutes of HealthThe National Institutes of Health are an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and are the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research. Its science and engineering counterpart is the National Science Foundation...
(2007-) - Medicines for Malaria Venture Project of the Year (2002).
- Pfizer Award in Enzyme Chemistry from the American Chemical SocietyAmerican Chemical SocietyThe American Chemical Society is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 161,000 members at all degree-levels and in all fields of chemistry, chemical...
(1993). - ICI Pharmaceuticals Award for Excellence in Chemistry (1993).
- Alfred P. SloanAlfred P. SloanAlfred Pritchard Sloan, Jr. was an American business executive in the automotive industry. He was a long-time president, chairman, and CEO of General Motors Corporation...
Fellow. - MerckMerck & Co.Merck & Co., Inc. , also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme or MSD outside the United States and Canada, is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. The Merck headquarters is located in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, an unincorporated area in Readington Township...
New Faculty Development Award (1986). - American Cancer SocietyAmerican Cancer SocietyThe American Cancer Society is the "nationwide community-based voluntary health organization" dedicated, in their own words, "to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives, and diminishing suffering from cancer, through research, education, advocacy, and...
Postdoctoral Fellowship (1983–85).
Personal life
In his spare time, Gelb enjoys surfingSurfing
Surfing' is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a surfboard on the crest and face of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore...
, playing classical guitar
Classical guitar
The classical guitar is a 6-stringed plucked string instrument from the family of instruments called chordophones...
and muscle cars.
External links
- The Gelb lab website at the University of WashingtonUniversity of WashingtonUniversity of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
. - Medicines for Malaria Venture website.