School of Pharmacy Professor Samit Shah publishes research results in leading journal
Tuesday, January 05, 2010
South University School of Pharmacy Professor, Samit Shah, Ph.D., R.Ph., was part of a research team whose results were recently published in and featured on the cover of Nucleic Acids Research (Vol. 37, Issue 13, 2009), a leading journal published by The Oxford University Press (www.nar.oxfordjournals.org). The research represents an important advancement in the field of chemical biology in that they described a detailed and ground breaking analysis of the chemistry associated with modifying nucleic acids. Specifically, the research uses methods such as LC-MS/MS to discover key features about the chemical reaction of caging groups with nucleic acids and helps in further refining a method used to control the process of RNA interference (RNAi) with light.
As a result of the team's findings, genetic researchers now have an unprecedented control over the spacing, timing, and degree of gene expression, which could be beneficial in a range of genetic research applications. The research, previously published in a leading international chemistry journal, Angewandte Chemie, generated widespread interest, achieving status as the most-viewed article in the world in the field of chemical biology. The distinction was determined by Faculty of 1000, an independent research service that reviews the most important papers in the biological sciences.
"Eventually, the results of the research could be beneficial for a range of applications such as tissue engineering and targeted chemotherapy," says Dr. Shah. "But at present, the results allow researchers to better understand the effects of gene expression because they now will be able to manipulate it more effectively. I think the enthusiasm with which the results have been received indicates the potential for additional research with meaningful conclusions."
The research team, led by Professor Simon Friedman of the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) School of Pharmacy, comprised of four researchers: Samit Shah, who at the time was a graduate student studying on the prestigious Dissertation Research Fellowship, Piyush Jain, Ashish Kala and Dipu Karunakaran.
Dr. Shah joined South University in July 2008, where he teaches Medicinal Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Molecular Biology. He earned his bachelor's degree in pharmacy from North Gujarat University in Patan, India. He continued his studies at UMKC, where he earned a Ph.D. degree and received the Chancellor's Non-resident Award and the Dissertation Research Fellowship. He is the recipient of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) UMKC student chapter Outstanding Seminar Award, the American Chemical Society (ACS) Travel Award, and the AAPS Graduate Symposium in Biotechnology Award sponsored by Pfizer Global Biologics. His students in the Class of 2011 at South University elected him to receive their Mortar and Pestle Award, which recognizes the Classes' Teacher of the Year, and he was voted to receive the Bowl of Hygeia award recognizing him as the 2008-2009 Teacher of the Year for the School of Pharmacy.
About South University
Established in 1899, South University is a private academic institution dedicated to providing educational opportunities for the intellectual, social and professional development of a diverse student population. South University offers educational programs
at the associate, bachelor's, master's and doctorate levels with campuses located in Columbia, S.C.; Montgomery, Ala.; Richmond and Virginia Beach, Va.; Savannah, Ga.; Tampa and West Palm Beach, Fla. Further information on South University is available at: www.southuniversity.edu.
About The School of Pharmacy
The School of Pharmacy was established in 2002 and is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE). The Doctor of Pharmacy degree (Pharm.D.) program provides progressive, quality post-graduate education for the pharmacy profession's future practitioners. The curriculum is structured to produce graduates who can adapt to the profession's changes while also maintaining high standards of contemporary pharmacy practice.