Awards for Maquat and Gohil; Sobrado named biochem chair

Maquat honored twice for RNA research

Lynne Maquat won the Dr. Paul Janssen Award for Biomedical Research for her fundamental discoveries about RNA decay in the context of human diseases. She shares the award with Alexander Varshavsky. Janssen was an accomplished and passionate researcher who discovered and developed more than 80 medicines.

Maquat also received the Albany Medical Center Prize in Medicine and Biomedical Research for her study of RNA mechanisms that contribute to a wide range of diseases, including spinal muscular atrophy, cancers and autoimmune disorders. She shares the Albany Prize with Howard Y. Chang and Adrian R. Krainer.

A professor of biochemistry and biophysics at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Maquat and her lab study problems with splicing and other steps in messenger RNA production and maturation. She has won many awards including the Wolf Prize in medicine, the Alpert Foundation prize, the Vanderbilt Prize in Biomedical Science, the Wiley Prize in Biomedical Sciences, the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Medal and the Gruber Genetics Prize. In 2018, Maquat won the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Excellence in Science Award.

“Lynne’s scientific career is nothing short of outstanding and her contributions have brought RNA biology to the leading edge of medicine,” David C. Linehan, CEO of the University of Rochester Medical Center and dean of URSMD, said of Maquat receiving the Albany Prize.

Gohil wins award for copper research

Vishal Gohil received the 2024 Ivano Bertini Award at the 13th International Copper Conference in Sorrento, Italy. The award named for Bertini, an Italian bioinorganic chemist in the 20th century, recognizes a mid-career or senior investigator whose basic science research has uncovered fundamental aspects of copper biology. Gohil’s award-winning research led to the first approved use of a copper-transporting drug in a child with Menkes disease by the Spanish Agency of Medicines and Health Products.

Gohil is a professor of biochemistry and biophysics at Texas A&M University. His lab investigates the biochemical and genetic basis of mitochondrial dysfunctions in rare genetic disorders. He was recently named a 2024 Fellow of the Chancellor’s Enhancing Development and Generating Excellence in Scholarship program. In addition, he received the Chairman’s Prize from the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation and the Martin Research Prize for Excellence in Basic Research from Massachusetts General Hospital.

“I am greatly honored to receive the Ivano Bertini award,” Gohil said. “This recognition not only highlights the importance of our work in mitochondrial copper biology but also serves as a reminder of the potential that fundamental research has in transforming lives.”

Sobrado named biochemistry chair

Pablo Sobrado has been named the Richard K. Vitek/FCR Endowed Chair of Biochemistry in the chemistry department at Missouri University of Science and Technology. The position was established by Richard K. Vitek, a 1958 Missouri S&T chemistry graduate, and his wife, Marilyn Vitek. Prior to this appointment, Sobrado was a professor of biochemistry at Virginia Tech.

Sobrado’s lab studies natural product biosynthesis, plant metabolism and defense and xenobiotic resistance in the fields of biochemistry and drug discovery. He has received many awards including the Excellence in Basic Research Award from the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the J. Shelton Horsley Research Award from the Virginia Academy of Sciences and the National Technology Prize from the Costa Rican Ministry of Science and Technology. Sobrado is a member of the Journal of Biological Chemistry editorial board .

“We are very excited to have Pablo join the chemistry department and spearhead the effort for a new bachelor’s degree in biochemistry,” Chariklia Sotiriou–Leventis, chair and professor of chemistry at S&T, said in a press release. “He has an outstanding record of both teaching and research, and we are all looking forward to seeing how he can support S&T’s students.”