Brandeis Biochemist, Harvard Dean To Get Welch Award To Honor Their Independent Contributions To Enzymology

Honor Their Indepedent Contributions To Enzymology Author: Neeraja Sankaran The Welch Foundation of Houston has named Robert H. Abeles, a professor of biochemistry at Brandeis University, and Jeremy R. Knowles, the dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University, as corecipients of the Robert A. Welch Award in Chemistry. The two researchers will receive their awards-- consisting of a certificate, a gold medal, and a shared cash prize of $300,000--at a ceremony in Houston on October 23. Cornering Catalysts: Jermey Knowles, left, defined the dynamics of enzyme-catalyzed reactions; Robert Abeles laid the foundation for designing drugs based on the mechanisms of enyzme inhibition and inactivation. The prize is awarded annually to one or more scientists who have made significant contributions in basic chemistry with wide- reaching benefits. Working independently, this year's honorees have both made important strides in characterizing enzymes-- molecules that catalyze chemical reactions in biological systems- -and their modes of action. Knowles defines his area of interest as "mechanistic enzymology." Describing one of "many exciting moments" of his career, he notes that in the 1970s, his group "was first to establish the complete free-energy profile, or the complete dynamics for a simple enzyme-catalyzed reaction, using the specific example of triosephosphate isomerase. "We chose this enzyme because it catalyzed a simple chemical transformation--a single substrate giving rise to a single product. We found that the reaction rate was limited only by the rate at which the enzyme and substrate found each other, and that this reaction, at least, could not be improved upon any further," he explains (J.R. Knowles, W.J. Albery, Accounts of Chemical Research, 10:105-11, 1977). "Since then, many other enzymes were also shown to be the most efficient catalysts for their specific reaction, which gave rise to the idea of catalytic perfection." Knowles, who remained interested in the subject amid his varied research pursuits in enzymology, revisited the topic in a 1991 paper entitled "Enzyme catalysis: not different just better" (J.R. Knowles, Nature, 350:121-4). He notes that "enzymes have achieved perfection that we poor scientists have not been able to duplicate in vitro yet." His most cited paper--J.R. Knowles, Annual Reviews in Biochemistry, 49:877-919, 1980--has been referenced in approximately 400 subsequent publications, averaging about 25 citations a year, according to the Institute for Scientific Information in Philadelphia. Knowles, 60, received his doctorate in 1961 from Oxford University in England. He came to the United States as a postdoctoral fellow at the California Institute of Technology and a visiting lecturer at the University of Illinois. He returned to Oxford as a lecturer from 1966 to 1974 and then moved to Harvard University, where he has been ever since. As dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, he is responsible for about 10,000 students, 700 faculty members, and a budget of $500 million. He was named a fellow of the Royal Society in 1977 and a foreign associate of the National Academy of Sciences in 1988. Abeles, who was unavailable for comment at press time, has focused "on understanding mechanisms of enzyme action in order to interfere with them," states Knowles. Over the course of his career, the Brandeis researcher has written and coauthored nearly 200 papers on the subject. His most cited work--R.H. Abeles, A.L. Maycock, Acc. Chem. Res, 9:313-9, 1976--has been referenced more than 350 times. "He has come up with enormously creative approaches in inhibiting and inactivating enzymes, which has had very important implications in the pharmaceutical area," Knowles comments. Abeles's fundamental research formed the basis for drug design based on enzyme inhibitors, notably the ACE inhibitors used for treating hypertension and heart attack, according to Welch Foundation officials. Abeles, 69, received his M.S. in chemistry from the University of Chicago in 1950 and a Ph.D. in organic chemistry in 1965 from the University of Colorado. He has taught at Brandeis since 1967. He currently serves on the editorial boards of two scientific journals, Biochemistry and the Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics. The recipient of several awards for his achievements in enzyme chemistry, Abeles was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1976. (The Scientist, Vol:9, #12, pg.17, June 12, 1995) (Copyright, The Scientist, Inc.) garfield@aurora.cis.upenn.edu 71764.2561@compuserve.com The Scientist, 3600 Market Street, Suite 450, Philadelphia, PA 19104 U.S.A.

Brandeis Biochemist, Harvard Dean To Get Welch Award To Honor Their Independent Contributions To Enzymology

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