CARNEGIE MELLON DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICA L E NGINEERING
LeDuc Discovers New Protein Function
Associate Professor Philip R. LeDuc and his research team have discovered a new protein function that could ultimately save lives, as well as help explain why proteins play such a crucial role in human biological
processes.The team made this discovery while researching a protein that helps control cell behavior from a mechanics perspective. “For more than
Associate Professor LeDuc (right) guides a member of his research team.
15 years, researchers have been mainly focusing on a protein called Integrin to study these cell functions,” LeDuc says. “But we found that a lesser-known protein, Syndecan-4, is
extremely important in cell behavior, playing a role in a variety of diseases such as cancer.” LeDuc’s research examines proteins’
LeDuc’s team was able to isolate a lesser-known protein that plays a critical role in cell behavior.
forms and shapes to determine how they mechanically function in the body.A protein’s folded shape is critical because it defines that protein’s function in the cell, according to LeDuc. When mechanics change a protein’s shape, serious conse- quences can occur if the protein fails to assume its preordained shape or properly connect into cell receptors. “Misguided proteins have been linked to diseases such as cancer and arthritis, as well as with problems during wound heal- ing,” says LeDuc. “Our research is looking at how protein shapes affect cells and how cell biomechanics impacts the entire process.”
LeDuc’s research findings were published in the December 29,
2009, edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, with complementary research published in the journal Nature Protocols. LeDuc attended Vanderbilt University and North Carolina State
University for his B.S. and M.S., and earned his Ph.D. degree from Johns Hopkins University. He joined the Department in 2002. LeDuc also holds courtesy appointments in the Departments of Biomedical Engineering, Biological Sciences, and Computational Biology at Carnegie Mellon.•
Faculty News Briefs
Professor Jack Beuth is a 2010 recipient of the Benjamin Richard Teare Jr. Teaching Award. This award is presented annually to one or two professors in the Carnegie Institute of Technology as part of the Carnegie Mellon College Teaching Awards, which recognize faculty for their accomplishments in the classroom and their teaching excellence.
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Assistant Professor Alan McGaughey received the Air Force Young Investigator Research Program Award. His proposal was among 37 selected out of 202 submitted proposals, and the only one chosen from Carnegie Mellon. McGaughey will use this award to investigate quantum mechanics-driven prediction of nanostructure thermal conductivity. This award is open to researchers who have received their Ph.D. degrees within the last five years and who show exceptional promise as researchers.
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Professor Edward S. Rubin discussed necessary U.S. energy strategies to lessen global climate change at the American Associ- ation for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting in San Diego, California, in February. A recognized authority on climate change issues, Rubin created a tool for analyzing current and advanced power generation. His research also investigates how government policies on technological innovation can support environmental goals.
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Two MechE courtesy faculty members received the prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early Career Devel- opment (CAREER) Award: Kerem Pekkan, Assistant Professor in Biomedical Engineering, and Bruno Sinopoli, Assistant Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering. As part of the award, Pekkan received a $450,000 NSF grant for his project, “Internal Biofluid Dynamics in Embryonic Cardiovascular Development, Morphomechanics, and Comparative Ontogeny.” Sinopoli received a $400,000 NSF grant for his project, “Efficient, Secure, and Robust Control of Cyber Physical Systems.” Pekkan and Sinopoli continue a tradition of MechE junior faculty winning this competitive award.
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Professor Paul Steif was one of three “expert coaches” at the new National Academy of Engineering (NAE) symposium held last November, called “Frontiers of Engineering Education” (FOEE). Modeled in part after the U.S. Frontiers of Engineering symposium and planned to be a yearly event, the FOEE targets rising faculty and promotes innovation in U.S. engineering edu- cation. Attendees were categorized under four areas, depending on their interests and activities: design, analysis, lab/experiential learning, and ethics/society. Steif served as the expert in the analysis group, facilitating discussions and helping with other symposium activities.•
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