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N E S A C S

Summer 2005 Vol. LXXXIII, No. 10

Election ResultsNESACS Annual Election

Esselen Award AddressProfessor Jean Fréchet

1st NESACS GolfTournament$8400 Raised to Support NESACS Programs

Stem CellsAn Article by Martin Freier

2 The Nucleus Summer 2005

EVENING GRADUATE PROGRAMIN CHEMISTRY

The Original Part-Time Evening Graduate Programin New England

Take courses to:• keep up-to-date• improve professional qualifications• apply toward part-time Master’s program

All courses meet for a two-and-a-half hour period one evening per week andcarry three semester-hours of graduate credit toward the 30 semester-hour

requirement for a coursework M.S. degree

Courses are taught by Full-time Faculty in their area of expertise

OFFERED FALL SEMESTER (Classes begin September 5, 2005)

Introductory Level Graduate Courses:(Prerequisite: the equivalent of a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemistry)

Principles of Mass SpectrometryAnalytical SeparationsOrganic Synthesis 1Mechanistic and Physical Organic ChemistryThermodynamics

Advanced Level Graduate Courses:Bioorganic Chemistry (Prerequisites: Organic Synthesis 1 & 2)Physical Methods in Chemistry (Prerequisite: Inorganic Synthesis and

Reactivity)

Students new to the program must have completed an application for admission.Please note that the application deadline for the Fall semester is August 1, 2005.

For more information on graduate programs, see www.chem.neu.edu

For additional information contact: Jean HarrisDepartment of Chemistry & Chemical BiologyNortheastern UniversityBoston, MA 02115Tel: (617) [email protected]

The Nucleus Summer 2005 3

The Northeastern Section of the AmericanChemical Society, Inc.Office: Marilou Cashman, 23 Cottage St., Natick, MA 01760. 1-800-872-2054 (Voice or FAX) or 508-653-6329. e-mail: [email protected] Section business may be conducted via the business office above.NESACS Homepage:http://www.NESACS.orgSathish Rangarajan, WebmasterACS Hotline, Washington, D.C.: 1-800-227-5558Officers 2005Chair:Amy TapperPeptimmune64 Sidney Street, Suite 380, Cambridge, MA 02139617-715-8005; [email protected]:Patricia MabroukChemistry Department, Northeastern UniversityBoston, MA 02115617 373 2845; [email protected] Past Chair:Jean A. Fuller-StanleyChemistry Department, Wellesley CollegeWellesley, MA 02481-8203781-283-3224; [email protected]:Michael SingerSigma RBI3 Strathmore Rd. Natick, MA 01760-2447508-651-8151x291 [email protected]:James Piper19 Mill Rd., Harvard, MA 01451978-456-3155 [email protected]:Anthony RosnerArchivist:Myron S. Simon20 Somerset Rd. Newton, MA 02465; [email protected]:Joseph A. Lima, Esther A.H. Hopkins, Michael E. Strem, Councilors: Alternate Councilors:Term Ends 12/31/2005Mary T. Burgess Patrick M. GordonMorton Z. Hoffman Lowell H. HallDoris I. Lewis Donald O. RickterTruman S. Light LawrenceT. ScottAmy E. Tapper J. Donald SmithTerm Ends 12/31/2006Michaeline F. Chen Wallace J. GleekmanCatherine E. Costello Howard R. MaynePatricia A. Mabrouk Alfred ViolaJulia H. Miwa Barbara G. WoodDorothy J. Phillips Michael SingerTerm Ends 12/31/2007Thomas R. Gilbert Arlene W. LightJean A. Fuller-Stanley Pamela M. NagafujiMichael J. Hearn Timothy B. Frigo Michael Singer Susan Chiri-Buta

All Chairs of standingCommittees, the editor of THE NUCLEUS, and the Trustees of SectionFunds are members of theBoard of Directors. AnyCouncilor of the American Chemical Societyresiding within the section area is an ex officiomember of the Board of Directors.

The Nucleus is distributed to the members of the Northeastern Section of the American Chemical Society, to the secretaries of the Local Sections, and to editors of all local A.C.S. Section publications.Forms close for advertising on the 1st of the month of the preceding issue. Text must be received by theeditor six weeks before the date of issue.Editor: Michael P. Filosa, Ph.D., Polaroid Corporation, 1265 Main Street, Waltham,

MA 02451 Email: [email protected]; Tel: 781-386-8479Associate Editors: Myron S. Simon, 20 Somerset Rd., W. Newton, MA 02465, Tel: 617-332-5273

Nancy Simons, Analytical Chemist, Corporate R&D, Boston Scientific Corp., 1 Boston Scientific Place A4, Natick, MA 01760-1537. Email: simonsn(at)bsci.com; Tel. 508-650-8603; Fax 508-647-2329

Board of Publications: Vivian K. Walworth (Chair), Mary Mahaney, Martin Idelson, Business Manager: Karen Piper, 19 Mill Rd., Harvard, MA 01451, Tel: 978-456-8622Advertising Manager: Vincent J. Gale, P.O. Box 1150, Marshfield, MA 02050,

Tel: 781-837-0424; FAX: 781-837-1453Contributing Editors: Morton Hoffman, Feature Editor; Dennis Sardella, Book Reviews; Calendar Coordinator: Donald O. Rickter, e-mail: rickter(at)rcn.comWriters: Martin Freier, Sheila CusolitoProofreaders: Donald O. Rickter, Myron S. Simon, Vivian K. WalworthWebpage: Webmaster: Sathish Rangarajan, sathish.rangan2(at)gmail.comCopyright 2005, Northeastern Section of the American Chemical Society, Inc.

ContentsNESACS 2005 Election Results ______________________Page 4Mukund S. Chorghade: Chair-Elect for 2006

Lyman C. Newell Grants_____________________________Page 4

First NESACS Golf Tournament _______________________Page 5By Amy Tapper and Michael Filosa

Minuteman Bike Ride_______________________________Page 5By Joe Snodgrass

Esselen Award Address _____________________________Page 6By Professor Jean Fréchet

An Article on Stem Cells ____________________________Page 8By Martin Freier

NESACS-YCC News________________________________Page 10By Professor Mort Hoffman

National Chemistry Week Announcement ______________Page 11

Historical Notes__________________________________page 12

Cover: From L to R the winning Vertex team of Mick Hurrey, David Miller, andRay Forslund. See story on page 5 (photo: Amy Tapper).

Deadlines: October Issue: August 23, 2005November Issue: September 14, 2005

2005 LymanC. NewellGrantsThe Northeastern Section of the Amer-ican Chemical Society has awarded theLyman C. Newell Grants for the 67th

Annual Summer Conference of theNew England Association of Chem-istry on Teaching Chemistry UsingInquiry Approaches. Grants of$225.00 each to partially cover the costof the conference have been awardedto the following high school teachers:

Lorraine Kelly at Hull High Schoolin Hull, MA

James Kresel at Martha’s VineyardRegional High School in OakBluffs, MA

Patricia Brandl at Medford HighSchool in Medford, MA

Ernestine Struzziero at LynnfieldHigh School in Lynnfield, MA

The four-day conference oninquiry approaches to teaching chem-istry gives participants opportunities towork in the lab and to design newactivities, to view demonstrations andto discuss units of study. The confer-ence is being held at Central Connecti -cut State University in New Britain,CT from Monday, August 1st throughThursday, August 4th, and is co-spon-sored by NEACT and the Departmentof Chemistry, Central ConnecticutState University.

The Lyman C. Newell Grantscommemorate a former chair of theNortheastern Section who was a distin-guished chemist, teacher, and historianof chemistry. For many years he waschair of the Chemistry Department atBoston University. Lyman Newellserved as the first president of NEACTfrom 1889 to 1900 and expressed acontinuing interest in training chem-istry students throughout his longcareer. His efforts are celebrated bygrants that bear his name. ◆◆

NextMeetingNESACS SeptemberSymposiumIon Channel Drug DiscoveryDate: Thursday, September 8, 2005Time:1:00 – 4:00 PM (Symposium)

4:00 – 5:00 PM (NetworkingCocktail Party)

Location: Cambridge Marriott HotelModerator:Mark Varney (Sepracor)Speakers: Nancy Barta (Pfizer),Francesco Belardetti (Neuromed),Valentin Gribkoff (Scion), Mark Suto(Icagen) ◆◆


2005NESACSElectionResultsThere were a total of 504 ballotscounted. * = ElectedChair-Elect

*Mukund S. Chorghade 432Secretary

*Michael Singer 453Trustee

*Michael E. Strem 466Councilor – 3 yrs.

*Doris I. Lewis 415*Morton Z. Hoffman 399*Christine Jaworek-Lopes 399*Mary Burgess 398*Donald O. Rickter 387

Alternate Councilor -3 yrs.*Patrick M. Gordon 384*Michael Filosa 370*Lawrence Scott 369*Liming Shao 356*S.B. Rajur 328

Mukund S. Chorghade 223 Director-at-Large

*Henry Brown 416*Ernest V. Groman 407

Nominating Committee*Doris I. Lewis 284*E. Joseph Billo 230

Nolan Flynn 225Ernest V. Groman 154

Esselen Committee*John L. Neumeyer 436*Joseph A. Lima 420

Richards Committee*Roy G. Gordon 356*Paul Davidovits 319

Gregory L. Verdine 208 ◆◆

Golf Tournament - OsmiumLevel DonorIRIXCorporate Patrons and GolfPlatinumAstraZeneca R&D BostonCardinal HealthDSMGenzyme Drug Discovery & Dev.HovioneIBMLyophilization Service of New Eng-landPhasex CorporationStrem Chemicals Inc.Zone EnterprisesCorporate Sponsors and GolfGoldAerodyne Research Inc.Cambridge Isotope LaboratoriesNew England BioLabs, Inc.PfizerRhodia Pharma SolutionsSigma-RBITeledyne ISCODonors and Golf SilverConsulting Resources Corp.Houghton Chemical CompanyOrganix Inc.PeptimmuneVertex


On Monday, June 6th forty-seven golfers teed off at Went-worth Hills Country Club in Plainville in the first NESACSString Scramble Golf Tournament.

Golfers came from as far away as Wisconsin to partici-pate. Although the day started cool it turned into a beautifulsunny day for golf and the conditions on the course wereperfect. Golf was preceded by a buffet luncheon.

The Vertex team of Mick Hurrey, David Miller, andRay Forslund won the spirited competition with an out-standing score of 55 (par 71). Second was claimed by theteam of Marc Cadell, Jeff Wilson, Bruce Shutts, and EdPrice and third by the team of Amy Tapper, Panos Kalaritis,Brian Robbins, and Gary McGhee. The men’s long drivecompetition was won by Mark Cirolo with a drive of 374yards and the women’s long drive was won by Amy Tapper.The closest to the pin award was won by Brian Robbins.

The awards were given at the banquet which followedthe tournament. Much fun was had by all.

Thanks to generous sponsorships by IRIX (Osmiumlevel); Hovione, Lyophilization Service of New England,DSM, and Cardinal Health (Platinum level);, RhodiaPharma Solutions, Teledyne ISCO (Gold level); and Vertex,Genzyme Drug Discovery and Development, and Peptim-

mune (Silver level) a total of $8,400 was raised to supportNESACS activities.

Many thanks to Amy Tapper and Harry Mandeville fororganizing this event, to our participating golfers and toWentworth Country Club for their hospitality. Look fordetails in upcoming Nucleus issues about next year ’s tour-nament which will be held on Monday, June 5, 2006. ◆◆

1st NESACS Golf TournamentSubmitted by Amy Tapper and Michael Filosa

Right to Left: Bridge Hunter, Carl Morris, Kelly Mizer, and NathanLebrasseur (photo by Amy Tapper)

An even half dozen chemists from the NESACS met at theUncle Sam statue in Arlington on June 1 to bike and walkthe Minuteman Bikeway. After being postponed due to alate-season Nor’easter on May 27th, we were pleased tohave a very beautiful evening for the ride. Four of us took aleisurely bike ride up to Lexington, where we enjoyed theevening light. Our section webmaster broke away from thepack, rocketing up the path all the way to the terminus inBedford, about 9 miles each way. One person took a walk-ing tour of the bike path and the town of Arlington, visitingthe library and the town gardens.

At dusk we met at Krazy Karry’s Backyard BBQ forsome excellent burgers and a discussion of the connectionsbetween biking and chemistry. Tom Hansen Ph.D., CMCManager at ARIAD Pharmaceuticals told us about the use offlow cytometry for blood analysis, and how this analyticaltechnique was recently used to disqualify local cycling heroTyler Hamilton. Our ride leader Joe Snodgrass Ph.D., alsoof ARIAD Pharmaceuticals brought along a copy of “Bicy -cle: The History” by Cape Cod author David Herlihy . Fromthis excellent and intriguing book we learned how the popu -larity of the bicycle took a quantum leap once pneumaticrubber tires replaced the “boneshaking” iron wheels foundon early “safety bicycles”. Although pneumatic tires were

first introduced in 1888 by a veterinarian living in Belfast,John Dunlop, we all agreed that he must have had to takehis share of chemistry classes. Pneumatic tires for bicycleswere improved by Edouard Michelin of France, who intro -duced a detachable tire and easily replaced “inner tube”.These innovations fueled both the bicycle boom of the1890’s and the development of the rubber industry , provid-ing opportunities for many chemists. Later, pneumatic rub-ber tires were adapted for use on automobiles. ◆◆

Minuteman Bikeway Ride by Joe Snodgrass

From Left to Right: Sonia Taktak (Tufts), Charles Krueger, LeannWilliams, Viatcheslav Azev (NSYCC webmaster and Tufts), Joe Snodgrass(ARIAD), Thomsen Hansen (ARIAD) (photo by Joe Snodgrass)


The development of polymers in thelast century has had a profound impacton our society with “blockbuster” dis -coveries in areas such as synthetic rub -ber, plastics, and artificial fibers. AsPolymer Science matured, numerousspecialty polymers were developed fortheir mechanical properties underdemanding conditions, ability to formcomposites with a variety of materials,ability to promote or negate adhesion,etc. In the second half of the twentiethcentury, macromolecules that wouldtoday be described as “functional poly-mers” began to emer ge. Amongnotable examples, one may quote Mer -rifield’s chloromethylated polystyreneresin that enabled the concept and the

method of solid phase synthesis sowidely used to prepare polypeptide,oligonucleotides and even oligosaccha-rides today. Other early examples offunctional polymers include poly(lacticacid) used widely in medical applica-tions as exemplified by dissolvablesutures; polyacetylene and a number ofother conducting polymers, which haveopened the field of organic electronics,a field that is now in full bloom.

Inspired by Merrifield’s success,my initial foray into functional macro -molecules led to the first reported solidphase synthesis of oligosaccharides, avery challenging task given the limitedsynthetic toolbox available in thosedays for the coupling of sugar mole-

cules. This was followed by numerousstudies on syntheses using solid sup-ports, including the use of polymers asreagents, protecting groups or chiralauxiliaries in organic synthesis. Poly-meric scavengers were also demon-strated and commercialized, first in thecontext of the removal of allergenicsubstances from the natural oils used inperfumes. A decade and a half later thiswork on synthesis on solid supportswould be re-discovered with theadvent of combinatorial chemistry andthe preparation of libraries of organiccompounds on functionalized polymerbeads.

In 1979 while on sabbatical leaveat the IBM research centre in San Jose,CA, I had the good fortune to workwith Grant Willson who had recentlyjoined IBM and managed a researchgroup in the area of photoresists.Instead of furthering the study of clas -sical photoresists for optical or electronbeam lithography, we decided toexplore radically new concepts inimaging materials for microlithogra-phy. This was a bold project aimed atthe distant target of introducing the useof shorter wavelength - deep-UV light- for the production of a new genera-tion of faster and more powerful com -puter chips with smaller criticaldimensions. The bottlenecks were sig-nificant as they included both materialand fundamental mechanistic issues.The novolac-diazonaphthoquinonematerials used at that time had trulyoutstanding properties but they weretoo opaque for use below 300nm andtheir classical photochemistry was notefficient enough as more than one pho-ton was consumed by each chemicaltransformation. Given the very lowlight output of the mercury lamps used

From the April 14, 2004 Esselen Award Address

“Functional macromolecules: fromdesign and synthesis to applications” Dr. Jean M. J. FréchetDepartment of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley CA 94720-1460 And Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Materials Sciences Division, Berkeley, CA, 94720. [email protected] http://www.frechet.com


in the exposure tools at that time, aprocess involving a drastically moreefficient use of photons had to bedeveloped to maintain reasonablethroughput in chip production.

The first issue of optical clarityled us to poly-p-hydroxystyrene, whichI had been experimenting with at theUniversity of Ottawa in an unrelatedacademic project. It of fered lowabsorbency at 250nm while preservingaqueous base solubility making it anexcellent alternative to novolac. Thesecond issue suggested that a processhighly economical in terms of photonsconsumed would have to be discov-ered.

Within the first month of this proj-ect the concept of chemical amplifica -tion had emerged, whereby a singlephotochemical event generates a cas-cade of reactions propagating througha polymer chain and leading to a lar gechange in solubility, thus enablingthree dimensional imaging. In the nextfew months Grant and I developed the“cascade” concept through experi-ments with poly(phthalaldehyde) mol-ecules incorporating photoactivedepolymerization triggers. We alsointroduced the thermally removable t-BOC protecting groups onto poly-p-hydroxystyrene and explored means toremove them by thermolysis or cat-alyzed thermolysis in order to providethe solubility switch (from organic-sol-uble to soluble in aqueous base)needed for image development. Whilethe basic elements of the concept ofchemical amplification were in placeby the end of 1979, full developmenttook significantly longer and HiroshiIto, hired by Grant Willson in 1980 tocontinue the collaborative project,finally put all the pieces together whilework of 4-t-butyloxycarbonyl-oxystyrene and its polymerization wasbeing completed at the University ofOttawa. A few years later, millions ofstate-of-the-art chips were quietlybeing produced in IBM plants usingthe poly(t-BOC-styrene) produced forIBM at the Eastman Kodak Company.Today, chemical amplification is useduniversally with resists derived fromour original design to produce ourmost powerful chips and countless

electronic devices.In the late 1980’ s spurred by

James Economy who managed thepolymer department at IBM researchcentre in San Jose, IBM Corporationoffered several universities a signifi-cant amount of research funding toencourage the development of polymerand material science at top-level USinstitutions. I was fortunate to be askedby Cornell University to take the IBMprofessorship and join their outstand-ing chemistry department. The unre-stricted funding provided by IBM andthe outstanding and stimulating envi-ronment of Cornell University allowedme to start several new projects in thearea of functional polymers. One wasin the emerging area of dendrimers andanother focused on the design anddevelopment of polymeric separationmedia.

Very early on, I was able to con-vince Frantisek Svec to leave theMacromolecular Institute in Praguewhere he had a distinguished scientificcareer to join my research group atCornell. This fortunate event started ahighly productive collaboration in thearea of separation media, a collabora-tion that continues to this day.

While all commercial separationmedia used in the early 1990’s werebased on particulate media - mostlyspherical silica beads - we focused onthe development of a novel continuousmedium: macroporous polymer mono-liths. The monolithic media consist ofa framework of functional polymerpermeated by a network of poresallowing both convective liquid flowthrough large pores and diffusionthrough smaller pores, high surfacearea pores for separation efficiency.

Polymer monoliths shine in theirease of preparation and ability to beimplemented in any format from thesmallest microchannels in capillariesor microfluidic chips to large prepara-tive separation columns. Unlike beads,they do not need to be packed intocolumns, nor do they have the largeinterstitial volume that is characteristicof all packed spherical media, whereuncontrolled diffusion can occur.While columns or capillaries packedwith very small beads requires

extremely high pressures in order tosustain flow, monolithic media havelow resistance to flow making themsuitable for the design of media forvery fast separations (as used bySymyx Technology for the fast analy-sis of libraries of polymers) ornanoscale reactors in which a catalystis attached to the surface of the mono -liths.

The macroporous polymer mono-liths were first commercialized forapplications in chromatographycolumns where the speed of operationand the controlled surface chemistryproved to be useful attributes. We havesince developed an array of applica-tions where monoliths offer clearadvantages over classical separationmedia. This includes immobilizedenzyme reactors or columns for thefast analysis of polymers where thelow back pressure of the monoliths is akey advantage. More recently themonolithic media have expanded dras-tically the options available for thedesign of functional microfluidic sys-tems. We have demonstrated their abil-ity to function as pumps forelectro-osmotic flow, separationmedia, immobilized enzyme reactors,solid phase extraction devices, mixers,valves, active injection needles formass spectrometry, etc. We have alsodeveloped a lithography-like processthat enables the combination of any orall of these functions in situ by graftinga functional layer with the desiredreactive groups on the surface of thepores of a generic monolith. This photoinitiated surface grafting processmakes use of simple free radical chem-istry to attach a very thin layer of func -tional polymer to the surface of thepores of the monoliths. The extent ofsurface growth is readily controlledand does not affect the flow propertiesof the monolith.

Since our first publication in 1992,the literature on monolithic separationand other functional porous media hasexploded and today, a wide variety ofimplementations have been described.It is likely that as their commercializa -tion proceeds, monolithic media willcontinue to gain importance in the

Continued on page 13


The idea that in the near future stemcells can be used to restore damagedtissues and organs in disease or injuryand that patients will be able to regen -erate their worn hearts and agingbrains is becoming quite popular. Asthe momentum in stem cell research isaccelerating, chemists may also wantto consider a promising future in thatresearch endeavor.

Assistant Professor Sheng Ding ofthe Scripps Research Institute Chem-istry Department, who heads The DingLaboratory and is a scientific adviser

to the Genomics Institute of the Novar-tis Research Foundation (GNF), agreedto share with us some of his insightinto the significant roles for chemistsin stem cell research.

“No question about it, chemistsalready play very important roles instem cell research,” Ding said. “One oftheir primary functions is to createsmall molecules that would regulatethe stem cell fate and lead to variousdrug discoveries.”

Ding anticipates that as significantbiomedical discoveries are made in thenext few decades, chemists willbecome more important. “Ultimately,small molecule therapeutics willbecome a main stream of future regen -erative medicine,” he emphasized.“But all I could say is that stem cellresearch projects are not only challeng-ing but already offer chemists an inter-

disciplinary, highly interactive researchenvironment, in spite of the contro-versy.”

The controversy surrounding stemcell research that for years impededprogress (and still does in some areas)has to do primarily with humanEmbryonic Stem (hES) cell research.hES cells are derived from unusedembryos created for couples seeking invitro fertilization (IVF). After theembryos have been frozen cryogeni-cally for years and then thawed, scien -tists have been tempted to use theirderived hES cells in many applicationsbecause they consider those cellspluripotent. That means in response toappropriate signaling molecules, hEScells have the ability to change (dif fer-entiate) into any desired type of cells inany living organ. In contrast, eventhough adult stem cells are present invarious organs, they are multipotent –their significant shortcoming is theirability to only differentiate into celltypes of the tissue in which they reside.

Professor Ding added, “In order togain a better understanding of func-tions and mechanisms of stem cells, itis highly desirable for scientists to con-trol stem cell fate by means of specificsmall molecules. From a chemist’spoint of view, the goal in all stem cellresearch is similar; that is, to attain theability to modulate stem cell fate at thechemical (molecular) level, regardlessof the type of stem cells chemists arelikely to encounter.”

What exactly are some of thefunctions that chemists perform instem cell research?

To begin with, stem cells serve asthe sources or the “stems” for all otherspecialized cells formed, and their dif -ferentiation process is generally irre-versible. In other words, once they arecommitted to one specific cell type,they have irreversibly lost the capacityto generate other cell types in the body.One of the problems scientists face is

The Important Role for Chemists inFuture Stem Cell Medical Discoveries By Martin Freier

Martin Freier is a consultant specializingin technical management, technical, andtraining strategies. He holds a BS inChemistry from Brooklyn College and anMS degree in Engineering and Manage-ment Science from Worcester PolytechnicInstitute. He is a member of the ACS,Northeastern Section.


that stem cells can only be distin-guished from the other cells by theirmolecular signatures (markers), not bytheir appearance. In the laboratory,what is important is finding the meansto examine markers while stem cellsare differentiating. Scientists need tobe able to observe genes (that areturned on or off) or the gene productsas the stem cells are directed toward aparticular tissue type.

Another major problem scientistsface is that the stem cells will not domuch of anything useful (like dif feren-tiation) on their own initiative. Theyhave to be coaxed into action by spe-cific signaling molecules. Stem cells’fates can be controlled by regulatorsintrinsic in the cells and the cellularenvironment (niche). Chemists areneeded for creating similar moleculesthat could control stem cell fate in atemporal and spatial fashion.

Ding emphasized that the designand synthesis of small signaling mole -cules is one area where chemists areindispensable. “For a number of yearsat Scripps Research Institute, Schultz,Gray, and I directed a team of chemistsin the synthesis of libraries of morethan several hundred thousands ofmolecules,” Ding said. “As we learnnew chemistry and stem cell biology,there is this constant need for new sig -naling molecules.”

Although the combinatorial tech-nologies today make it possible to syn -thesize an immense number ofmolecules with structural diversity, tooptimize the research process, it ispreferable to place some designs aheadof others when selecting which mole-cules to include in the library. In mak-ing selections, chemists may consideronly those candidates known to exhibitproperties that would allow their inter -action with specific bio-molecules or acollection of molecules of interest.

Among the more preferable coremolecular scaffolds are the naturallyoccurring and synthetic biologicalrecognition motifs that can interactwith proteins involved in cell signaling(e.g., kinases, cell surface receptors,etc.). Examples of preferable scaffoldsare purines, pyrimidines, indoles,quinazolines, pyrazines, pyrrolopyrim-

idines, pyrazolopyrimidines, phtha-lazines, pyridazines, pyridines, tri-azines, and quinoxalines. In addition,some general synthetic schemes useparallel reactions with additionalchemical diversities and thus allowchemists to introduce a variety of sub -stitutents to these scaffolds. As a result,libraries of diverse molecules can besynthesized efficiently and cost-effec-tively. For example, substitutents areintroduced by means of solution phasealkylation, acylation, or by palladium-mediated cross-coupling reactions, etc.

Using the chemistries thus far dis-cussed in conjunction with the“directed-sorting” method, a privilegedheterocyclic library consisting of over35 distinct structural classes and morethan a hundred thousand discrete smallmolecules have been developed atScripps Research Institute.

The chemical molecular librarieshave been supplemented by arrayedcDNA (which includes more 30,000human and mouse genes thus far) andsiRNA libraries (targeting over 16,000human and mouse genes with morethan three designed sequences pergene).

By means of Scripps ResearchInstitute’s libraries, chemists and biolo-gists continue to perform high through-put screens to determine which of thesmall molecules and genes are effec-tive in controlling specific stem cellfate. Stem cell-based phenotypic and,more recently, developmental path-way-specific screens of synthetic smallmolecules, natural products andarrayed cDNA/siRNA libraries provideuseful chemical tools as well as impor -tant genes for modulating and studyingcomplex cellular processes involved instem cell fate control. Small moleculesand genes discovered through thesescreens are currently followed up bio-chemically and functionally in variousstem cell systems.

Purmophamine, one of the smallmolecules in the Scripps InstituteLibrary, is one of the chemical stemcell success stories in the laboratory. Itwas used to differentiate adult mes-enchymal stem cells into new bonecells (osteocytes)(1) by activating the“hedgehog” pathway. The hedgehogpathway regulates a number of genesthat promote proliferation and differen-

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Mike Strem awarded theGolden Gesellschaft DeutscherChemiker (GDCh) PinAt the farewell dinner for theNESACS-YCC delegation April 9,2005, in Berlin, Prof. Henning Hopf,President of the Gesellschaft DeutscherChemiker (GDCh) presented MikeStrem with the Golden GDCh Pin forhis work in promoting the cooperationbetween the GDCh and the ACS.

As a member of the ACS Board ofDirectors in 1998, Mike was instru-mental in the founding of the German-American Frontiers of Chemistryseries of symposia, which has nowbeen expanded to include the RoyalSociety of Chemistry of the UnitedKingdom in a Trans-Atlantic Frontiersseries. Mike was the initial drivingforce in the establishment of theexchange of young chemists betweenthe GDCh and NESACS, and has beena member of the GDCh since 1991.

The Golden Pin was establishedby GDCh in 1995 to recognize mem-bers and non-members who have ren-dered outstanding service to chemistryand the chemical society. Mike is thethird person to receive the Golden Pin;previous awardees are Prof. Rolf Sam-met, the former CEO of Hoechst, andProf. Wilhelm Fresenius, the formerPresident of the Fresenius Institute.

Sarah Chobot awarded BestOral Presentation prize at 2005Frühjahrssymposium of theJungchemikerformum (JCF) Sarah Chobot, a graduating senior atBoston University who is doingresearch with Professor Sean Elliott,was awarded the prize for the best oralpresentation at the 2005 Frühjahrssym-posium of the Jungchemikerformum(JCF) of the Gesellschaft DeutscherChemiker (GDCh) that was held in

Berlin, Germany, April 7-9. Sarah’sprize consists of a cash award of 250euros (~$325) and a flight ticket toattend any scientific meeting in theworld during the next year.

Sarah was a member of the dele-gation of twelve students fromNESACS that attended the Früh-jahrssymposium; her talk was entitled,“Electrochemical Studies of Thiore-doxin and Thioredoxin Reductase -Gaining Insight into Molecular Mecha-nisms Affecting Oxidative Stress.”Oral presentations were also made byPia Lopez (Schrock), M.I.T. (graduatestudent); Will Neeley (Essigmann),M.I.T. (graduate student); Alex Taylor(Schreiber), Harvard University (grad-uate student). Poster presentationswere made by Liz O’Day (Kantrowitz),Boston College (undergraduate stu-dent); Rukman De Silva (Kull), Dart-mouth College (graduate student); TimGay (Tullius), Boston University(graduate student); Ivan Korendovych(Rybak-Akimova), Tufts University(graduate student); Xiaoguang Lei(Porco) Boston University (graduatestudent); Liz Vogel (Imperiali), M.I.T.(graduate student); Dan Kennedy(Planalp), University of New Hamp-shire (graduate student); AmritanshuSinha (Schrock), M.I.T. (graduate stu-dent)

A poster presentation was alsomade by Lauren Wolf (Georgiadis),Boston University (graduate student).She attended as the Immediate PastChair of the NESACS YoungerChemists Committee; the currentNESACS-YCC Chair is Ivan Koren-dovych.

A poster on the NESACS educa-tional programs was also presented byMorton Hoffman (Boston University),Ruth Tanner (University of Massachu-setts Lowell), Mike Strem (StremChemicals, Inc.), Amy Tapper (Peptim-mune, Inc.), and Lauren Wolf. Becauseof other commitments, Amy was notable to attend.

NESACS-YCC News by Prof. Morton Hoffman



Phyllis A. Brauner Memorial Lecture by Dr. Bassam Shakhashiri

Dr. Bassam Shakhashiri is a Professor of Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Madisonand is the William T. Evjue Distinguished Chair for the Wisconsin Idea. Professor Shakhashirihas captivated audiences with his scientific demonstrations at a variety of locations includingBoston’s Museum of Science, the National Academy of Sciences and the Smithsonian’sNational Air and Space Museum in Washington.

Sunday, October 16, 200511 am – 12 pm repeated from 2 pm – 3 pm

Wellesley College, Science Center, Room 277The Sunday presentations are free and open to the public. Tickets are available on a first come,first serve basis though reservations are recommended. To reserve tickets, please contact Mar-ilou Cashman either via email [email protected] (preferred) or by phone 1-800-872-2054.Tickets will be available for pick-up outside the Science Center on the 16th. Parking is free.For directions to Wellesley College, please visit http://www.wellesley.edu/Admin/travel.html.While at Wellesley, a visit to the arboretum and greenhouses (which are open to the public) is amust. For more information, visit http://www.wellesley.edu/FOH/greenhouse.html.

Kicking off National Chemistry Week 2005 festivitiesJoin us in a variety of hands-on activities including making slime, chromatography of magicmarkers, and other activities related to the yearly theme of toys. Taking place from 10 am –4pm on October 16, 2005 at the Wellesley Science Center for more information, please visitwww.nesacs.org.

Toy Drive We will be holding a toy drive at the Wellesley Science Center as part of the kick-off event.Please donate new or gently used toys. All donations will be given to needy children in theNortheastern Section.

National Chemistry WeekThe Joy of Toys!!

tiation in various cell types. Therefore,in the near future, this molecule andothers like it, hold great promise incuring a host of debilitating diseases.

Given the ES cell versatility; Iwondered why the scientists used adultstem cells for these types of advancedexperiments rather than the more ver-satile ES cells.

According to Ding, despite theirpotential pluripotency, at this stage ofstem cell research, ES cells still havesome major technical and potentialsafety problems that need to be over-come; not least of which are the poten-tial immune rejection reactions by thehost, so common in or gan trans-plants— the hosts are known to treatnon-autologous ESC-derived cells inthe same way as they treat transplants.On the other hand, the immune rejec -tion problem does not exist with autol -ogous adult stem cells because theycome from the host patient.

Currently, most of the transplanta-tion studies using hESC-derived cellsare limited to mice or other animals,

without human involvement. However,scientists have used somatic cellnuclear transfer (genetic duplication)technique to derive people’s own EScells. Another approach considered isto de-differentiate somatic cells(chemically coaxing the differentiatedstem cells to return to their more prim -itive state (where they would havetheir ability to differentiate restored).

Clearly, despite the importanceascribed to ES cell’s pluripotency,when it comes to drug discovery appli -cation, adult stem cells have a tempo-rary advantage. But at this early stageof stem cell research, it is hard to pre -dict where that research will take us.As scientists, chemists should explorethe challenges and opportunities avail-able in developing the biochemical sci-ence involved in potential stem celldrug discovery.

(1) X.Wu, J.Walker, J. Zhang, S.Ding, and P.G. Schultz , Purmor-phamine Induces Osteogenesis by Acti-vation of the Hedgehog SignalingPathway. Journal of Chemistry andBiology (August 23, 2004) . See:http://www.chembiol.com. ◆◆

Stem Cell Discoveries Continued from page 9


HistoricalNotesShort biographies of recently deceasedchemists and chemical engineerswhose deaths have been reported to us.

Michael P. CrimminsMichael P. Crimmins of Randolph

died September 21, 2004 at age 50. Hegraduated from Randolph High Schooland Eastern Nazarene College, earneda master’s degree at MassachusettsCollege of Pharmacy and his doctoratein chemistry at Tufts University. Hewas a member of the American Chemi-cal Society and worked as a privateconsultant. He is survived by hismother, Clara A. (Creutz) Crimmins,two sisters and two brothers. by M.S.S.

Edward HensonEdward B. Henson died December

10, 2004. He was a member of theAmerican Chemical Society, had beena U.S. Army veteran, and had beenemployed as a chemist at Children’sHospital. He leaves his wife, Mary T.(McBarron) Henson and a son andmarried daughter. His wife writes thathe was” a wonderful human being wholoved his profession” by M.S.S.

Hollis L. LelandHollis L. Leland died May 6, 2004

at the age of 92. His chemical trainingincluded a Bachelor ’s Degree inChemical Engineering from the Uni-versity of Maine in 1933, a Master’sDegree in Chemistry from the Univer -sity of New Hampshire in 1935 and aPh.D. in Thermodynamics from OhioState University in 1937.

He worked in petroleum researchmanagement for Exxon Research andEngineering Company, retiring toDurham, NH in 1970.

He was a member of Tau Beta Pi,Phi Kappa Phi, Sigma Xi, AmericanChemical Society, Society of Automo-tive Engineers, American Society ofLubrication Engineers and Alpha ChiSigma.

by Mrs. Rosamond Lelandto be continued

coming years as they constitute a newand versatile form of separation andrecognition tool ideally suited forminiature formats, and amenable tomultiple applications.

In closing, I would like to thankmy numerous coworkers and collabo-rators as well as the funding agenciesand corporate sources that have madeall of this possible ◆◆

Macromolecules Continued from page 7

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The Nucleus May 2005 13

The meeting afforded the opportu-nity for the or ganizers of theNESACS-YCC and the GDCh-JCF tomeet and make plans for the programbeyond this exchange, which has beenan annual event since 2001.

Morton Hoffman, Chair of theACS Division of Chemical Education,met with his counterpart of the GDCh(Prof. Franz-Peter Montfors, Univer-sität Bremen) to plan cooperative edu-cational programs ◆◆

YCC NewsContinued from page 10

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Check the NESACS Homepagefor late additions:http://www.NESACS.orgNote also the Chemistry Department web pagesfor travel directions and updates. For example:http://web.mit.edu/chemistry/http://www-chem.harvard.edu/events/http://www.umassd.edu/cas/chemistry/ [new url]http://www.dartmouth.edu/~chem/

Notices for the NucleusCalendar should be sent to:Dr. Donald O. Rickter, 88 Hemlock St.,Arlington, MA 02474-2157e-mail: [email protected]

Have you seen the new NESACS website yet?Updated frequently. Late-breaking news, position postings and back issues of the Nucleus

WWW.NESACS.org

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nesacs annual election tournament · amy e. tapper j. donald smith term ends 12/31/2006 michaeline...

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