Dr. Robert Rhoads, professor and emeritus chairman of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at LSU Health Shreveport, developed key components of the mRNA over years of work. The vaccine uses messenger RNA, or mRNA, which essentially provides instructions to the body on how to fight the novel coronavirus.

Our former beloved student, Tara Williams-Hart, died on August 25^th.  She was smart, resilient, kind, and a great teacher and mentor to many.  Loved by all.  Our deepest condolences to her family.

Dr. Kennedy began his career as Assistant Professor in the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology before becoming Coordinator of Student Admissions in 1987. He rose through the ranks to Associate Dean of Student Admissions; overall, he served this institution for forty-five years. We wish him well in his retirement.

Dr. Stephan N. Witt, professor and chairman of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, has been invited by the Editor and Associate Editors of the Journal of Biological Chemistry to continue on JBC’s editorial board for another five-year term (January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2025).

Dr. David Gross, professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, has been awarded a 4-year, $1.2 million grant from the NIH for a project entitled "Genome Architecture and Gene Control in Response to Stress."

Congratulations to Dr. Arrigo De Benedetti, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and Dr. Nadejda Korneeva, Assistant Professor of Emergence Medicine, who have been awarded an intramural COVID-19 grant in amount of $50,000.

Dr. Arrigo De Benedetti has had a manuscript accepted by iScience, titled: Generation of Phenothiazine with Potent anti-TLK1 Activity for Prostate Cancer Therapy. 

Dr. Robert Rhoads, Professor Emeritus in LSUHS Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology shares how work in his lab carried out in collaboration with researchers in Poland and Germany over 30 years is playing a part in the BioNTech/Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine trials.

Dr. Xiuping Yu was the recipient of the Top Faculty Performer Award in Biochemistry for the 2018-2019 AY. Dr. Yu was also congratulated for her promotion to Associate Professor which began July 1, 2019. 

LSUHS leadership, faculty, staff, students and community supporters recently honored the continued growth of research initiatives and funding at the second annual Research Celebration event held on February 25, 2020.

Dr. Stephan N. Witt, Chairman of the Department of Biochemistry, was recently named a Senior Fellow of the Cell Stress Society International (CSSI).

Praveen K. Jaiswal, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology has received a prestigious Research Scholar Award for Mentored Prostate Cancer Research from the AUA Urology Care Foundation.

Scientists have identified a key gene - eIF4G1 - that shows grade and stage specific upregulation in prostate cancer and is overexpressed and/or amplified in the majority of cases of CRPC.

Congratulations to Dr. Eric First for being elected to the LSU Health Shreveport Faculty Senate! His two year term began 1 July 2019.

Congratulations to Dr. Hari K Koul for being awarded an NCI-NIH RO1 grant entitled, “Prostate Cancer Health Disparity: Role of PDEF”

Pictured left to right: Rini Ravindran, Amoldeep Kainth, and Karnika Singh.

Congratulations to Dr. Stephan N. Witt for being awarded an R15 AREA grant entitled, “The role of alpha-synuclein in Snx3-retromer mediated recycling of membrane proteins.” The grant provides Dr. Witt with $100,000 per year each year for three years.

Paper accepted by the International Journal of Cancer. Title : Targeting the TLK1/NEK1 DDR axis with Thioridazine suppresses outgrowth of Androgen Independent Prostate tumors

Third-year graduate student Linda S. Rubio was awarded Biochemistry Graduate Student of the Year at Graduate Research Day, April 26, 2019.  Linda is a member of the Gross Lab and follows in the footsteps of two other PhD students from that lab.

Congratulations to Erika Knott for being awarded a Carroll Feist Predoctoral Fellowship. Erika is a graduate student in Dr. Nancy Leidenheimer’s lab.