Professor receives prestigious award
Maurizio
Del Poeta, M.D., departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and
Microbiology and Immunology associate professor, received the Maciag
Award, a prestigious award given to the most outstanding COBRE target
investigator in the country.
Dr. Maurizio Del
Poeta, left, accepts a print commemorating his award from Dr.
Robert Friesel, director of the Center for Molecular Medicine and
scientific director of Maine Medical Center Research Institute,
Scarborough, Maine. Bestowed by the National Center for Research Resources—Division of Research Infrastructure Institutional Development Award (IDeA) Program, the award is named for Thomas Maciag, M.D., one of the first COBRE (Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence) principal investigators who was an internationally recognized cell and vascular biologist.
Del Poeta presented his research program to more than 800 investigators at the 2006 IDeA meeting and said he was thrilled to represent MUSC and COBRE in Lipidomics and Pathobiology in front of such a large and accomplished audience.
The award recognizes individuals who exemplify Maciag’s ideals of research excellence and innovation and his commitment to mentoring new scientists. The recipient is an individual who has used COBRE or INBRE (IDeA Network for Biomedical Research Excellence) support to its maximum benefit and has established independence through these programs.
“Dr. Del Poeta was the unanimous choice for this award. His research program has created a novel field of research centered on defining the role of lipids (fatty molecules) in fungal pathogenesis and translating this into diagnostic and therapeutic applications,” said Yusuf Hannun, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology chair and distinguished university professor. “He is one of the up and coming stars at MUSC, and he leads a very dynamic group of students and post doctoral fellows. He is also heavily involved in education and mentoring.”
“The success of my research program significantly depended on the support I received through the Lipidomic, Protein Science and Animal Cores sponsored through NIH-NCRR,” Del Poeta said. “Together with the other PIs involved in this program, we hope that, as our knowledge grows, we will be better positioned to find ways to modulate the effects that lipids exert on patho-biological processes, and thus limit the onset and progression of those medical problems that some lipids may cause and some others may limit.”
Italian Del Poeta earned his medical degree from the University of Ancona- School of Medicine in Ancona, Italy, and received additional training there in infectious diseases. Later, he attended Duke University for advanced training in basic and translational research related to his interests.
In 1999, he joined the MUSC faculty. His lab focuses on mechanisms by which sphingolipids mediate signaling pathways and regulate fungal pathogenesis, particularly Cryptococcus neoformans. This particular pathogen poses significant threat to immuno-suppressed patients, including those with HIV. Other classes of people at risk are infants, young children and those who received organ transplants or cancer treatment.
“This particular pathogen is primarily found in soil contaminated by feces from pigeons and other birds. Cryptococcus neoformans pose a significant health threat to millions of people worldwide. In the United States, roughly 6 percent to 8 percent of all AIDS patients develop cryptococcosis, with 100 percent mortality if untreated and still 25 percent mortality even with antifungal treatment,” Del Poeta said. “The problem is even greater elsewhere. In many African and Asian countries, 40 percent to 50 percent of AIDS patients develop cryptococcosis, and many of them will die because they lack drugs to treat their infection. So in our minds, finding new ways to prevent or better control this type of infection takes on considerable importance.”
What Del Poeta and his colleagues have found so far is that specific sphingolipids produced by this fungus are critical for the development of the disease. Since these fungal sphingolipids are biochemically different from human sphingolipids, they can be used as unique targets for new therapeutic strategies.
Apart from his research, Del Poeta is highly regarded as a teacher, and is a constant nominee for outstanding teaching awards. He was named professor of the year in the MUSC College of Pharmacy/South Carolina College of Pharmacy.
“Even though this award is a recognition given to an individual, it reflects the hard work of each student and research assistant on my team and the many collaborators I have at MUSC, especially those in the Lipidomic and Pathobiology COBRE, and the mentoring and the excellent administrative support I have received throughout the years. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them all once again for their help, friendship and advice, and hope that this will continue in the future,” Del Poeta said.
Friday, Aug. 4, 2006
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