BPS News | Boulder Peptide Symposium

August 6, 2018

Jevgenij Raskatov Receives the Young Investigator Award

August 6, 2018 (Boulder, CO) - The Boulder Peptide Society is pleased to announce that Dr. Jevgenij Raskatov, of the University of California Santa Cruz, has received the 2018 Young Investigator Award. The Young Investigator Award was established to support promising peptide scientists during the pre-tenure period.

Jevgenij Raskatov is the Assistant Professor in Department of Chemistry at the University of California Santa Cruz. Dr. Raskatov received his B.Sci. in Chemistry from the University of Heidelberg in 2006 and D.Phil in Physical Organic Chemistry from Oxford University in 2009, under the supervision of J. M. Brown. From 2009 to 2014, he was a postdoctoral researcher at California Institute of Technology working under the supervision of Peter Dervan at the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering.

Jevgenij Raskatov is applying his strong skills in physical organic chemistry and chemical biology to Alzheimer's disease. He has assembled an interdisciplinary research team to investigate Alzheimer's amyloid beta and its interactions with steroid hormones through a wide array of chemical and biological techniques. Upon arriving at UCSC, his team discovered a minute variation within the amyloid beta framework, the substitution of glutamate 22 through aspartate, which delays aggregation of amyloid beta by about tenfold. Remarkably, the two polypeptides differ by one methylene group and are identical in both length and charge. Dr. Raskatov has put forward the innovative hypothesis that the Glu22Asp alteration may have protective features in Alzheimer's disease. He has expanded upon this discovery to build a program of research focused around the roles of chirality in the aggregation of the beta amyloid peptide and has published several papers that build upon his initial discovery. His latest discovery shows that the enantiomeric beta amyloid peptide suppresses the formation of toxic oligomers and gives non-toxic fibrils. This finding has been published and featured in Angewandte Chemie.

In recognition of his professional and scientific achievements, the Scientific Advisory Board of the Boulder Peptide Society is pleased to present the award to Jevgenij Raskatov. Dr. Raskatov will present an oral presentation on his research and formally accept the award during the Boulder Peptide Symposium, Sept 24-27, 2018, in Boulder, Colorado.

For more information and to register for the Boulder Peptide Symposium, visit www.boulderpeptide.org.

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January 13, 2017

Boulder Peptide Society Announces the 2016 Roche Meienhofer Award Recipient: Daniel Rich

Dr. Daniel H. Rich, Emeritus Ralph F. Hirschmann Professor of Medicinal And Organic Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has been named as the 2017 recipient of the Meienhofer Award for Excellence in Peptide Sciences. The award will be presented to Dr. Rich on September 27, 2017 at the Boulder Peptide Symposium, which will take place from September 25 to 28, 2017 in Boulder, Colorado, where Dr. Rich will give a presentation of highlights from his prodigious record of research achievements.

We would like to invite you to register for the meeting to hear Dr. Rich's presentation. Those interested in presenting at the meeting may apply to present online at the www.boulderpeptide.org.

About Professor Daniel H. Rich

Dr. Daniel H. Rich, Emeritus Ralph F. Hirschmann Professor of Medicinal And Organic Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison was a General Motors Scholar at the University of Minnesota-Minneapolis from 1960-64 where he received the B. Chemistry degree in 1964. He received his Ph. D. in organic chemistry from Cornell University and held postdoctoral appointments with Vincent du Vigneaud and W. S. Johnson (Stanford) before joining the Faculty in Pharmacy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1970. His research focused on the synthesis and conformational analysis of cyclic peptides, and the design and synthesis of inhibitors of therapeutically important enzymes, especially aspartic proteases. His work in the aspartic protease field laid the ground-work for the development of the HIV protease inhibitors used to treat AIDS. He published over 250 articles and trained 36 PhD students and another 100 postdoctoral students; many of his students rose to important research positions in the pharmaceutical industry.

His research accomplishments have been recognized by the 1990 Vincent du Vigneaud Award in Peptide Chemistry, the 1992 ACS Division of Medicinal Chemistry Award, the 1992 Research Achievement Award of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists, the 1992 George Herbert Hitchings Award for Innovative Methods in the Design and Discovery of Drugs, the 1993 ACS Ralph F. Hirschmann Award in Peptide Chemistry, a WARF University Professorship at UW-Madison in 1994 (which he named after Ralph F. Hirschmann), the E. Volwiler Research Achievement Award from the Amer. Assoc. Colleges Pharmacy in 1995, an Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award from the American Chemical Society in 1999 and the R. Bruce Merrifield Award from the American Peptide Society in 1999, and the E. E. Smissman Award from the ACS Division of Medicinal Chemistry in 2005. In 1993, he was a Senior U.S. Scientist Alexander von Humboldt Scholar in Germany. In 2004, he was awarded an Outstanding Alumni Achievement Award from his alma mater, the Institute of Technology of the University of Minnesota and in 2007 was placed on the ACS Medicinal Chemistry Hall of Fame.

Professor Rich was elected Teacher of the Year by the UW-Madison Pharmacy graduating class of 1986 for his teaching of Medicinal Chemistry. From 1989 till his retirement in 2006 he lectured each year at the Drew University Residence School in Medicinal Chemistry on the design of enzyme inhibitors and peptidomimetics. In addition, Professor Rich has presented short courses in Medicinal Chemistry to pharmaceutical societies in Sweden, England, Japan and other foreign countries. He presented about 20 invited lectures each year, nationally and internationally. Professor Rich also served as a consultant in drug-design and discovery, especially in the area of design of protease inhibitors, for many major pharmaceutical companies.

Professor Rich served in administrative roles at UW-Madison. From 1976-1980 he was Assistant Dean of Graduate Studies in the School of Pharmacy. He served as elected member of the Physical Sciences Divisional Committee for UW-Madison from 1991-1993 and chaired the committee in 1992-1993. He was appointed to the UW-Madison Graduate School Research Committee (Biology Division) from 1994 to 1997. He also served as a member of the honorary degrees committee for UW-Madison from 1995-1998. He organized and wrote the first Chemistry-Biology Interface training grant for UW-Madison in 1992 and served as its program director, principle investigator and chair of the advisory committee from 1993-2003; the UW-Madison CBI training program remains the largest of its type in the United States. From 2005-2006, he was Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies for the School of Pharmacy.

At the national level, Professor Rich was President of the American Peptide Symposium from 1979-1981, a member of the Bioorganic and Natural Products study section for NIH from 1981-1985 and Chairman of that study section from 1983-1985, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science since 1986, and a council member for the American Peptide Society. He was Associate Editor for the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry from 1988-1992, and was Associate Editor of the ACS journal, Organic Letters, from 1999 through 2005.

Professor Rich was active within the Medicinal Chemistry Division of the American Chemical Society. He was Chairman for the Division of Medicinal Chemistry in 1992, served as a member of the Planning Committee, organized two Symposia for the Division, and was an Academic Councilor for the division. He organized the 29th National Medicinal Chemistry Symposium held June 27-July 2, 2004 in Madison WI.

More information on the Meienhofer Award, including a list of previous recipients, and the Boulder Peptide Symposium can be found online at www.boulderpeptide.org.

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August 24, 2016

Albert Bowers receives the Young Investigator Award

July 24, 2016 (Boulder, CO) - The Boulder Peptide Society is pleased to announce that Dr. Albert Bowers, at the University of North Carolina, has received the Young Investigator Award for 2016. The Young Investigator Award was established earlier in the year to support promising peptide scientists during the pre-tenure period.

Albert Bowers is Assistant Professor in the Division of Chemical Biology & Medicinal Chemistry at the Eshelman School of Pharmacy of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Albert received his PhD in organic chemistry (synthetic methods) from the University of Illinois at Chicago under the direction of Dr. David Crich. He carried out postdoctoral research in total synthesis at Colorado State University under the direction of Robert M. Williams, then moved to an NIH sponsored fellowship at Harvard Medical School to continue postdoctoral research in biosynthesis under the direction of Christopher T. Walsh. In addition to his appointment in pharmacy at UNC, Albert is a member of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and affiliate member of the Center for Integrative Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery.

Albert Bowers has published 30 manuscripts including 11 in the Journal of the American Chemical Society and 12 since becoming an independent investigator. Albert has received the prestigious Beckman Young Investigator (BYI) Award from the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation. Research in the Bowers lab focuses on chemistry and biotechnology for creating libraries of natural product-like cyclic peptides, in particular by using enzymes from RiPPs (ribosomally translated and posttranslationally modified peptide natural product) pathways. Using an innovative combination of total chemical synthesis, native chemical ligation, and enzymology, his lab was the first to characterize the unique pyridine synthases from the thiopeptide pathways, and answering a long standing question in the biosynthesis of these compounds. Building upon this work, they developed a solid-phase route to thiopeptides with improved activity and solubility. The Bowers lab has also structurally and biochemically characterized a unique E1-like enzyme from the biosynthesis of the pantocin, peptide-derived natural products. By adapting these unique enzymes to various formats of peptide libraries, the Bowers lab aims to develop a combinatorial biosynthesis platform for the discovery of peptide natural product-like inhibitors.

In recognition of his professional and scientific achievements, the Scientific Advisory Board of the Boulder Peptide Society is pleased to present the award to Albert Bowers. Dr. Bowers will present an oral presentation on his research and formally accept the award at the fall Boulder Peptide Symposium Sept 26-29, 2016 in Boulder, Colorado.

For more information visit www.boulderpeptide.org

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February 17, 2016

2016 Showcase Presenters

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January 11, 2016

Discounted Early Bird Registration for Peptide Showcase East in Cambridge, MA Ends January 15

The Boulder Peptide Society and Ipsen are pleased to bring you the inaugural Peptide Showcase East in Cambridge, MA, March 14-15, 2016. In order to get the best price, Register Now, as Early Bird registration discount ends after January 15, 2016!

The Peptide Showcase will bring together thought leaders in biotech, pharma, and academic institutions to present the most current of paradigms in peptide therapeutics, and to uncover solutions to challenges in peptide drug discovery and development. Peptide Showcase East will be an opportunity for companies to "showcase" new ideas, technologies, and pipeline assets in short business oriented presentations. An electronic partnering forum will be used for pre-arranged one-on-one business meetings between technology providers, licensing partners, and investors. Modeled after the highly successful Peptide Showcase held annually at the Boulder Peptide Symposium, this event, with support from Ipsen, a founding sponsor and world leader in peptide therapeutics, will focus exclusively on innovations in the peptide therapeutics technology space. The event will be held at the Microsoft New England Research and Development Center, located in Kendall Square; Cambridge’s’ iconic innovation district,.

About Ipsen

Ipsen is a global specialty-driven biotechnological group with total sales exceeding €1.2 billion in 2014. Ipsen sells more than 20 drugs in more than 115 countries, with a direct commercial presence in 30 countries. Ipsen’s ambition is to become a leader in specialty healthcare solutions for targeted debilitating diseases. Its development strategy is supported by 3 franchises: neurology, endocrinology and urology-oncology. Ipsen’s commitment to oncology is exemplified through its growing portfolio of key therapies improving the care of patients suffering from prostate cancer, bladder cancer or neuroendocrine tumors.

Ipsen's R&D is focused on its innovative and differentiated technological platforms, peptides and toxins, located in the heart of the leading biotechnological and life sciences hubs (Cambridge, US; Les Ulis, France; Oxford, UK). Moreover, Ipsen has an active policy of partnerships.

Peptides: long-standing expertise

Ipsen has a long standing expertise, ranging from discovery to delivery of peptides that is being leveraged to create highly differentiated drugs for targets that are not readily addressed by small molecules or antibodies. Ipsen Bioscience, Ipsen’s new R&D center in Cambridge, which opened in 2014 and was inaugurated on April 1, 2015, develops highly differentiated peptide-based drugs to fulfill unmet medical needs in endocrinology and oncology.

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January 4, 2016

2015 Boulder Peptide Symposium Videos Available

Thank you for attending the Boulder Peptide Symposium in September. We are pleased to announce that videos of the presentations from the Symposium are now available to attendees on our website. A gallery of photo s from the event is also available on the website. We look forward to seeing you again at a future event.

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEOS

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December 13, 2015

Peptide Showcase East, Cambridge, MA

The Boulder Peptide Society and Ipsen are pleased to bring you the inaugural Peptide Showcase East in Cambridge, MA, March 14-15, 2016.

Apply to Present or Register early for best pricing!

About Ipsen

Peptides: long-standing expertise

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November 10, 2015

Inaugural Cambridge Peptide Showcase – March 2016

The Boulder Peptide Society and Ipsen are pleased to bring you the inaugural Peptide Showcase East in Cambridge, MA, March 14-15, 2016. .

Apply to Present or Register early for best pricing!

About Ipsen

Peptides: long-standing expertise

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November 2, 2015

Announcing Peptide Showcase East

Boulder, Co (Nov 9) The Boulder Peptide Society and Ipsen are pleased to bring you the inaugural Peptide Showcase East in Cambridge, MA, March 14-15, 2016. .

Apply to Present or Register early for best pricing!

About Ipsen

Peptides: long-standing expertise

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October 19, 2015

IU Distinguished Professor Richard DiMarchi elected as a member of National Academy of Medicine

Oct. 19, 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SOURCE: http://news.indiana.edu/releases/iu/2015/10/dimarchi-national-academy-of-medicine.shtml

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana University Distinguished Professor Richard D. DiMarchi, one of the world's leading peptide chemists, has been elected as a member of the prestigious National Academy of Medicine, becoming the 10th IU faculty member to join the organization and the first on the IU Bloomington campus.

Election to the National Academy of Medicine, previously known as the Institute of Medicine, is considered one of the highest honors in the field of health and medicine and recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service.

An expert in peptide chemistry, biochemistry and pharmacology, DiMarchi also serves as the Linda and Jack Gill Chair in Biomolecular Sciences and the Standiford H. Cox Professor of Chemistry in the IU Bloomington College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Chemistry, where he previously served as department chair.

DiMarchi’s career spans academia, biotechnology and the pharmaceutical industry. His current research focuses on developing macromolecules with enhanced therapeutic properties through biochemical and chemical optimization.

"Richard DiMarchi’s rare combination of expertise in both the science and business of drug development has led to new treatments and therapies for diseases, such as diabetes and obesity, that represent some of the leading public health challenges in our state, nation and world," IU President Michael A. McRobbie said. "We are very proud of Richard’s remarkable service to IU's research enterprise and the outstanding contributions he has made to the university’s academic mission and reputation as well as to the larger international scientific community. Indeed, he is highly deserving of this honor, which reflects a thriving 35-year career and groundbreaking work that has led to advancements that continue to touch millions of lives each day."

A highly respected international authority in the discovery, development and manufacture of new drugs, DiMarchi joined IU in 2003 after 22 years as a senior research scientist at Eli Lilly and Co. He discovered Humalog at Lilly Research Laboratories and contributed to the development of a number of peptide and protein-based medicines, including Forteo, rGlucagon and Humulin, which annually sell in excess of $5 billion.

He is the holder of more than 100 patents; co-author of more than 150 scientific papers; co-founder of the IU-initiated Marcadia Biotech, purchased by Roche in 2010, and Calibrium LLC, purchased by Novo-Nordisk in 2015; and co-founder of the biotechnology companies Ambrx, Assembly and MB-2. Merck, Roche and Novo-Nordisk are also independently advancing novel drug candidates inspired by discoveries of the DiMarchi laboratory at IU.

In addition, DiMarchi has been chair of the Peptide Therapeutics Foundation since 2008 and served as a member of the board of directors for the Biotechnology Industry Organization from 2001 to 2003. He has served as scientific advisor to Ferring Pharmaceuticals, Merck, Roche and three venture funds: 5AM Ventures, Thomas McNerney Ventures and Twilight Venture Partners. He is also a member of the external advisory committee for the Industry Collaboration Portal at the IU School of Medicine.

The holder of numerous awards, DiMarchi is the recipient of the 2005 American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists Career Research Achievement Award in Biotechnology; 2006 American Chemical Society's Barnes Award for Leadership in Chemical Research Management and Esselen Award for Chemistry in the Service of Public Interest; 2007 Carothers Award for Excellence in Polymer Sciences; 2009 Watanabe Award for Life Sciences Research; 2011 Merrifield Award for Career Contributions in Peptide Sciences; 2012 Phillip E. Nelson Innovation Award; and 2014 Erwin Schrödinger-Preis. He is also a 2014 inductee to the National Inventors Hall of Fame and a 2015 inductee to the National Academy of Inventors, and he will receive the 2016 American Chemical Society Alfred Burger Award in Medicinal Chemistry.

New members of the National Academy of Medicine are elected by current active members through a selective process that recognizes individuals who have made major contributions to the advancement of the medical sciences, health care and public health.

This year's election includes 70 new members and 10 international members. With the election of the new members, DiMarchi joins a select group of 1,963 active members across the globe.

DiMarchi holds a Ph.D. in biochemistry from IU and a Bachelor of Arts from Florida Atlantic University. He served a postdoctoral fellowship at The Rockefeller University.

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