Class Notes
Scientific Mind Richard Morimoto’s research on misfolded proteins may lead to treatments for such diseases as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s
At age 15, Richard Morimoto, ’72 las, ms ’74 pharm, decided he needed access to an electron microscope and traveled from his home in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood to UIC in order to locate one. “I walked the corridors of the Science and Engineering Laboratories knocking on doors until, amazingly enough, a professor by the name of Howard Buhse answered,” Morimoto recalls. “Professor Buhse did two things, both of which were quite wonderful. First, he allowed me in and, second, he left me alone. That generosity of spirit—and who knows why he did it—made a huge difference in my life.” For as long as he could remember, the 15-yearold had been fascinated with science, and upon graduating from high school a year later, Morimoto knew he wanted to study biology. He also knew he wanted to attend UIC. In typical fashion, Morimoto completed his undergraduate degree a year early. He was 19. Today, Morimoto is the Bill and Gayle Cook Professor of Biology with Northwestern University’s Department of Molecular Biosciences and director of the university’s Rice Institute of Medical Research. He has published more than 200 research papers and is a leading expert on the principles that underlie cellular quality control—in particular, the circumstances that account for misfolded proteins and the resulting impact on protein homeostasis, cellular function, and the adaptation and survival of organisms. “It’s really one of the most exciting fields in all of science because it enhances our understanding
of genes and their influence on aging and disease,” Morimoto says. The misfolded proteins he and his colleagues study at “Morimoto Lab” result from numerous circumstances, including aging, and are linked to a variety of ailments, ranging from Huntington’s disease and Parkinson’s disease to Alzheimer’s disease, cystic fibrosis, familial ALS, and amyloidosis. Morimoto’s mission is to develop therapies that prevent misfolding, as both a researcher and founder of Prostostasis Therapeutics, a Cambridge, Massachusetts–based enterprise named after the proteins that regulate folding. Treatments are based on Morimoto’s research, as well as work conducted by cofounders Andrew Dillin of The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, San Diego, and Jeffery Kelly of the Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California.
Love is in the COP On a brilliant, sunny Easter weekend, Surasak Jim Vasavanont, pharmd ’08, surprised Maribelle Regala, pharmd ’07, with a proposal of marriage in the Dorothy Bradley Atkins Medicinal Plant Garden, located adjacent to the College of Pharmacy. Faculty members, pharmacy students, and hospital employees joined the conspiracy cloaking the event in secrecy. Fellow alumni flew in from as far as Cleveland, Ohio, to witness the event. The Atkins Garden, named for the late Dorothy Bradley Atkins, bs ’45, was established in 2002 thanks to the generosity of her husband, Robert Atkins, md ’45. The garden was built in honor of Dorothy’s memory, her life as a pharmacist, and her interest in medicinal plants. The couple met at UIC when they were students. The “engagement bench” pictured in the photos was later donated to the College and mounted with a plaque to commemorate its significance. Says Vasavont, “[The bench] is for students and alumni to enjoy, but, more importantly, to bear witness that, even more than 70 years later, romance and love can still be found on the corner of Polk and Wood.”
In October, he was honored by the University of Illinois Alumni Association with its Alumni Achievement Award. Morimoto and his wife, Joyce, a school teacher, also develop programs that make university science more accessible to school children. The initiative is a fitting tribute to Buhse, who is now acting chair of UIC’s Department of Biology. “I saw him just a month ago,” says Morimoto. “We still see each other with [great] frequency.” —John Gregerson This article originally appeared in the fall 2011 issue of UIC Alumni Magazine.
Fellow alumni Jim Vasavonont and Maribelle Regala became engaged in the College’s Atkins Medicinal Plant Garden before an audience of family and friends.
UIC Pharmacist | Winter 2012 | pharmalumni.uic.edu | 45