The Roberts Research Laboratory
at the University of Massachusetts Amherst

Michael Naill receives Ph.D

A three-year grant for $737,787 was recently awarded to Susan Roberts in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Co PI Professor Elsbeth Walker in the Biology Department by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences . The grant is entitled, "Molecular Approaches to Understanding Global Regulation in Paclitaxel Accumulation." The research centers on the use of molecular approaches to delineate global metabolic control of paclitaxel accumulation in Taxus cell cultures. Paclitaxel (generic name for Taxol™ - Bristol-Myers Squibb) has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of breast, ovarian and lung cancers as well as the AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma. The original supply of paclitaxel was obtained through the extraction of yew tissue (the largest proportion of paclitaxel is found in the bark of the yew). However, the yew tree is slow-growing with low paclitaxel yields. Because two to four mature trees are needed to supply enough paclitaxel for the treatment of one patient, supply of paclitaxel from natural sources was limiting, and alternative methods of production such as cell culture systems for production are actively sought. We will be using transcription profiling to identify genes involved in global metabolic control. Such genes will be involved not just in paclitaxel biosynthesis (where all current efforts are focused), but also in transcriptional regulation, transport, secretion and degradation.

Seniors David Babson, Michael Lovett, and Julie Matthew will be defending their honors theses in the upcoming week. Their work is the culmination of a year long research effort in collaboration with the Department of Chemical Engineering and the Commonwealth College.

Julie Matthews Thesis Defense Wednesday May 19, 2004 1 PM 259 Goessman Lab
Mike Lovett Thesis Defense Wednesday May 19, 2004 2 PM 259 Goessman Lab
David Babson Thesis Defense Tuesday May 18, 2004 3 PM 259 Goessman Lab

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