Thursday, February 26    12:15-2:00 p.m.

Location:  LA205

Lecture Series Sponsor: MSU-Billings Library

Speaker:        Dr. David Butler, Associate Professor, Biology

                       Dr. Kurt Toenjes, Assistant Professor, Biology

                       Department of Biological & Physical Sciences

Lecture Title: “Just Say No to Fungus:  Drug Discovery Research @ MSU Billings”

Speaker Bios:

Kurt A. Toenjes has a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the University of Arizona (1998).  KAT was a post-doctoral fellow and research faculty at the University of Vermont (1997-2005).  KAT has been a faculty member at Montana State University-Billings since 2005. While on the faculty at the University of Vermont and at Montana State University-Billings, KAT has received approximately $900,000 in grant funding.  KAT has 4 first-author publications, 1 senior-author publication and three patent applications. In the fall of 2008, he was the co-recipient of the Walter and Charlotte Pippenger Excellence in Innovation award.

David K. Butler has a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin (1991).  DKB was an NIH post-doctoral fellow at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington (1991-1995).  DKB has been a faculty member at Montana State University-Billings since 1995.  While on the faculty at Montana State University-Billings, DKB has received over $1,000,000 in grant funding.  DKB has eight first-author publications and one patent application. In the fall of 2008, he was the co-recipient of the Walter and Charlotte Pippenger Excellence in Innovation award.

Lecture Summary: 

Human fungal infections are commonly caused by an organism called C. albicans. This organism is a major opportunistic pathogen of immunocompromised hosts, including individuals with immunodeficiency diseases, and those undergoing chemotherapy and organ transplants. Approximately 10,000  people die each year from C. albicans infections. In normal healthy humans, C. albicans exists in our bodies in a nonpathogenic state that does us no harm. One important aspect of infections by C. albicans is that it forms tubes that spread out like unchecked urban sprawl, eventually causing organ destruction. Our research projects revolve around a drug (called BH3I-1) that blocks the "sprawl" and potentially stops infections. Because of this activity, BH3I-1 has the potential to be an important tool in C. albicans research, as well as form the basis for a novel approach to controlling fungal infections in humans. To develop this potential, the molecular target of BH3I-1 in fungal cells must be identified.  We are utilizing Proteomic, Genomic and Molecular approaches identify potential BH3I-1 targets in C. albicans.