William DeGrado
Encyclopedia
William F. "Bill" DeGrado, Ph.D., is the George W. Raiziss professor of biochemistry
and biophysics
at the University of Pennsylvania
and he is a member of the National Academy of Sciences
. He received a B.S. (chemistry) from Kalamazoo College
and a Ph.D. (Chemistry) from the University of Chicago
in 1977. He has held an industrial position at DuPont
Central Research & Development (later DuPont Merck Pharmaceutical Company). He transitioned to academia joining the University of Pennsylvania
in 1996. His published research includes contributions to the fields of protein design
, synthesis of peptidomimetics, and characterization of membrane-active peptides and proteins, most notably the M2 protein
.
Biochemistry
Biochemistry, sometimes called biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes in living organisms, including, but not limited to, living matter. Biochemistry governs all living organisms and living processes...
and biophysics
Biophysics
Biophysics is an interdisciplinary science that uses the methods of physical science to study biological systems. Studies included under the branches of biophysics span all levels of biological organization, from the molecular scale to whole organisms and ecosystems...
at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
and he is a member of the National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
. He received a B.S. (chemistry) from Kalamazoo College
Kalamazoo College
Kalamazoo College, also known as K College or simply K, is a private liberal arts college in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1833, the college is among the 100 oldest in the country. Today, it produces more Peace Corps volunteers per capita than any other U.S...
and a Ph.D. (Chemistry) from the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
in 1977. He has held an industrial position at DuPont
DuPont
E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company , commonly referred to as DuPont, is an American chemical company that was founded in July 1802 as a gunpowder mill by Eleuthère Irénée du Pont. DuPont was the world's third largest chemical company based on market capitalization and ninth based on revenue in 2009...
Central Research & Development (later DuPont Merck Pharmaceutical Company). He transitioned to academia joining the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
in 1996. His published research includes contributions to the fields of protein design
Protein design
Protein design is the design of new protein molecules, either from scratch or by making calculated variations on a known structure. The use of rational design techniques for proteins is a major aspect of protein engineering....
, synthesis of peptidomimetics, and characterization of membrane-active peptides and proteins, most notably the M2 protein
M2 protein
The M2 protein is a proton-selective ion channel protein, integral in the viral envelope of the influenza A virus. The channel itself is a homotetramer , where the units are helices stabilized by two disulfide bonds...
.