Dr. Wang Delivers 2007 Discovery Park Lecture
Dr. Wang delivers his Discovery Park lecture
Dr. Wang makes a point in the question and answer period
Dr. Feng-Song Wang – 2007 Discovery Park
Dr. Feng-Song Wang, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences at PUC, delivered an invited Discovery Park Lecture to the university community on September 28th. His topic was “Real-Time Observation of the Effects of Protein Inactivation by Chromophore-Assisted Laser Inactivation (CALI) using Green Fluorescence Proteins (GFPs) as Indicators”
Dr. Wang was named the first Discovery Park scholar. In this capacity, he spent four months during the spring 2006 semester collaborating with Purdue University Professor J. Paul Robinson, of Purdue West Lafayette's Bindley Bioscience Center. Data from this collaboration was used for subsequent presentations and publications and contributed to obtaining a major research grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
This research involves studying the regeneration of damaged nerve connections by focusing on the regrowth of axons, or nerve fibers. Dr. Wang’s research group probes the function of important proteins in nerve cells by perturbing those proteins through a technique known as chromosome-assisted laser inactivation (CALI). Studying the effect of perturbation in live nerve cells reveals the function of those proteins, leading to a better understanding of their roles in the regrowth of never fibers. Such research helps in finding cures for nerve damages and spinal cord injuries. More than a quarter of a million Americans have spinal cord injuries according to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center. Each year, an additional 10,000 to 12,000 cases are reported. Most injuries come from accidents involving cars, sports, falls, and industrial mishaps.
Dr. Wang received his master's and doctoral degrees from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. He was a post-doctoral and research fellow at Harvard University, under the supervision of Professors Thomas Shea and Daniel Jay. Wang has authored and co-authored numerous research articles published in journals such as Science, Journal of Cell Biology, Journal of Neuroscience and Biophysical Journal. He joined the Purdue Calumet faculty in 1998 and teaches courses for biology majors and serves as an academic advisor for pre-pharmacy and medical technology students. Many undergraduate and graduate students participate in his research projects and they have presented their work at university, state, and society scientific conferences.
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