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UNC chemist receives $2.5 million NIH award
to study proteins involved in neurodegenerative diseases

CHAPEL HILL - A chemist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has received a $2.5 million, five-year Director's Pioneer Award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Dr. Gary J. Pielak, a professor of chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences, and also of biochemistry and biophysics in the School of Medicine, studies the role of proteins in neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases. He is the first scientist at UNC to receive this award.

The Pioneer awards support "exceptionally creative scientists who take highly innovative approaches to major challenges in biomedical research," according to the NIH. The award will be presented Tuesday (Sept. 19) at a symposium at the NIH in Bethesda, Md.

Pielak's pioneering approach to understanding proteins in cells involves the fairly novel use of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy - a high-resolution imaging tool - to provide a clear view of proteins inside cells while they're still alive. Pielak's team was among the first to use this approach to study bacteria. Now, with help from the Pioneer Award, he will study proteins in animal cells.

"We feel like we're at the forefront of applying this technology to study human diseases that affect millions of people," said Pielak, who also is a member of the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. "Using NMR on living cells is the next frontier in protein chemistry."

Proteins, which carry out the work in cells, are "very strange" in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, Pielak said. "They don't appear to have any stable structure. They're a kind of protein we don't know much about. For instance, we know that when people die of Parkinson's, they have protein deposits in their brains. But we don't know enough about the proteins involved in forming the deposits."

Recently, he showed how crowded conditions in cells can cause collapse and prevent structure formation in one of the proteins associated with Parkinson's disease. He gives students working in his lab credit for helping make this and other discoveries.

"I am proud that I've been able to work with so many talented undergraduates and graduate students at UNC," Pielak added. "In fact, the early work on in-cell NMR in my lab was done by an undergraduate."

"By recognizing Gary Pielak, the NIH has picked someone who brings the complete package," said Dr. Holden Thorp, Kenan professor and chemistry department chair. "His creativity has led to this astonishing new approach for in-cell NMR, and he is also an outstanding teacher who has been a significant driver of the undergraduate and graduate culture in the chemistry department."

In a press release, Dr. Elias A. Zerhouni, NIH director, called the 2006 award recipients "a diverse group of forward-thinking scientists whose work could transform medical research."

The Pioneer Award is a key component of the NIH Roadmap for Medical Research, a series of far-reaching initiatives designed to transform the nation's medical research capabilities and speed the movement of research discoveries from the bench to the bedside. In the program's first year, 2004, UNC received two Roadmap awards. In 2005, UNC received eight, more than any other university. The two-year total amount is $15.5 million.

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For information on the NIH Director's Pioneer Award, visit http://nihroadmap.nih.gov/pioneer/.

Note: Pielak can be reached at (919) 966-3671, gary_pielak@unc.edu

Photo URL: http://www.unc.edu/news/pics/faculty/pielak_gary_8_06.jpg

College of Arts and Sciences contact: Kim Weaver Spurr, (919) 962-4093, spurrk@email.unc.edu

News Services contact: Clinton Colmenares, (919) 843-1991, clinton_colmenares@unc.edu