Biological Physics Initiative

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Biological Physics Initiative

• Build up an exciting physics research area
• Strengthen interdisciplinary ties in Mellon
  College of Science
• Participate in university-wide biotechnology
  efforts
• Leverage off existing strengths at CMU and PITT
• Establish critical mass with three new faculty
  members

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Examples of biological physics research areas
Single molecule manipulation using optical or
magnetic tweezers or atomic force microscope (see
Physics Today, October 2001).
Molecular motors exert forces and consume fuel
(ATP) to perform physical work. Optical tweezers
reveal mechanism. Kinesin transports proteins
within cells.
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Examples of biological physics research areas
Advanced optical microscopy uses two photon
florescence spectroscopy and femtosecond lasers.
This technique can reveal physical and biological
processes in living cells.
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Examples of biological physics research areas
Theoretical physics and statistical mechanics
prove important in genomics and proteomics.
Computer simulation can model dynamics of
proteins and other biological molecules.
Flexibility of HIV Reverse Transcriptase obtained
from molecular simulation. Top shows without DNA,
bottom shows with DNA. The active subunit is
shown in red, the other subunit in green.
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(No Transcript)
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THE IMPACT OF PHYSICS ON BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
BY HAROLD VARMUS (DIRECTOR, NIH) AMERICAN
PHYSICAL SOCIETY CENTENNIAL MEETING (March,
1999) Allow me to discuss one of my convictions
about medical research, namely, the opinion that
the NIH can wage an effective war on disease only
if we - as a nation and a scientific community,
not just as a single agency - harness the
energies of many disciplines, not just biology
and medicine. These allied disciplines range from
mathematics, engineering, and computer sciences
to sociology, anthropology, and behavioral
sciences. But the weight of historical evidence
and the prospects for the future place physics
and chemistry most prominently among them.
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Can Physicists Receive NIH Funding?
A sample of some NIH-funded faculty with
appointments in Physics/Applied Physics
departments.
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Benefits for the Mellon College of Science

• MCS Strategic Plan (1998) calls for renewed focus
  on interdisciplinary opportunities to leverage
  existing university strengths. Biotechnology is
  given as an example. Strategy
• Faculty hiring in cross-cutting areas
• Creation of interdepartmental graduate programs
• MCS Advisory Board Report (1999) urged MCS
  departments to participate more fully in the
  Universitys Strategic Plan and take steps to
  enhance the level of interdisciplinary research

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Benefits for the Mellon College of Science

• Department of Biological Sciences Plan
• Interdisciplinary search committees to recruit
  outstanding faculty at the interfaces between
  Biological Sciences and other disciplines.
• Make appointments in areas such as MR imaging,
  neuroscience, RNA structural biology, genetics
  and computational biology.
• Department of Chemistry Plan
• Develop synergistic relationships with other CMU
  departments such as at the interface of biology.
• Specific areas to consider are computational
  chemistry/biology, bioorganic chemistry and
  bioinorganic chemistry.
• Department of Mathematical Sciences Plan
• Possible new thrust in Mathematical/Computational
  biology.

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Benefits for the Mellon College of Science

• Proposed autonomous graduate program in molecular
  and cellular biophysics.
• Planned by Gordon Rule (Biology) together with
  John Nagle (Physics) and Miguel Llinas
  (Chemistry).
• Could merge with a similar proposed program being
  developed at the University of Pittsburgh by John
  Rosenberg (Biology).
• Intellectual scope of the program covers
  structural and computational biophysics,
  biochemistry and imaging.
• Could pursue funding through an NIH training
  grant.

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Benefits for Carnegie Mellon University

• CMU Strategic Plan (1998) advocates growth in
  biotechnology. Biotechnology Task Force Report
  (1998) identified promising research areas
  including
• Biomedical and health engineering
• Functional and structural genomics
• Brain and cognitive science
• Recent university initiatives include
• Transition of Biomedical Engineering Program to a
  full department
• Bone and tissue engineering center
• BioVenture under discussion with The University
  of Pittsburgh

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The Plan

• Participate in university-wide biotechnology
  efforts
• Pursue creation of new graduate program
• Recruit three new faculty members
• Hiring strategy exceptional individuals in
  areas synergistic with existing CMU research
  efforts. Joint appointments with other
  departments are possible.
• - Experimentalist, probably senior level
• - Junior experimentalist
• - Theorist