Description:

 Title: “Controlling biological function by conformational trapping” 

Abstract: Synthetic Antibodies generated by directed evolution that allosterically control signaling pathways are a new class of potent biotherapeutics. The presentation will describe how synthetic antibodies are produced, validated and utilized in different biological systems and assays.

Guest Speaker: Anthony Kossiakoff, Otho S.A. Sprague Distinguished Service Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Unviersity of Chicago. 

Bio: Professor Kossiakoff is a leader in the field of structural biology and protein engineering who has received a variety of distinguished awards including selection as Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, receipt of the Anfinsen Award from the Protein Society, and election to the National Academy of Science.  His undergraduate education in Chemistry and Mathematics, graduate training in Physical Chemistry, and structural biology postdoctoral fellowship at the California Institute of Technology led to early career work on neutron diffraction of proteins at Brookhaven National Laboratory. From 1983-1998 Dr. Kossiakoff was a key leader at Genetech where he served as Director of Biocatalysis and Protein Engineering. He moved to the University of Chicago in 1998 where he has served as Chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Director of the Institute of Biophysical Dynamics. His pioneering work on the development and use of synthetic antibodies has significance to broad areas of pharmacological research including better understanding of molecular mechanisms and foundations for biotherapeutic design and production.