From Plant to Patient: Thapsigargin, a Tool for Understanding …
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included a series of studies on the biological effects of the
plant-derived compound thapsigargin, and various chemical
analogs thereof, in human cancer cells.
Poul Nissen obtained his Ph.D. degree in structural biology in
1997 from Aarhus University (AU), supervised by Prof. Jens
Nyborg and working on translation GTPases. He then held a
postdoctoral position from 1997 to 2000 with Professor Thomas
A. Steitz at Yale University (Nobel laureate 2009) on the ribosome structure. After that, he initiated his own research at AU
on membrane transporters, in particular P-type ATPases, first
through a Ole Rømer stipend of the Danish Research Council,
and since 2006 as a Professor of Protein Biochemistry at AU.
He is currently the Director of the Danish Research Institute of
Translational Neuroscience – DANDRITE of the Nordic EMBL
Partnership for Molecular Medicine and Director of the Danish
research infrastructure for cryo-EM research. The main topics
of his research program are on membrane transporters in brain
cells and higher-order membrane structures in neurons.
Jesper Vuust Møller graduated as Master of Medicine in 1966
and as Dr. Med. in 1968 from Aarhus University. He was
Associate Professor from 1966 until 1990 and from 1990 to
2008 he was Professor at the Department of Biophysics at
Aarhus University. His employment at this university was interrupted temporarily when he was Visiting Professor at Manchester University, UK 1968–1969 (with W.D. Stein), and from
1973 to 1974 when he was Visiting Professor at Duke University
Medical Center, USA (with C. Tanford). He has been Chairman
of the Danish Biomembrane Center (1993–1996). His studies
have been focused on transport over membranes, in particular,
of SERCA, and the role of this intracellular Ca 2+ -ATPase as
a target to combat prostate cancer. After his retirement from
Aarhus University, he has continued his research on transport
over cell membranes as Professor Emeritus. He has authored or
coauthored more than 175 articles and reviews in international
scientific journals.
Samuel R. Denmeade obtained his medical M.D. degree from
Columbia University in New York City. He completed a residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Chicago. He
then completed a clinical Medical Oncology Fellowship at Johns
Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD in 1995 and then pursued a
postdoctoral fellowship in prostate cancer research in the laboratory of Dr. John Isaacs. He joined the faculty of Johns Hopkins
in 1998 and is currently Professor of Oncology, Urology, Pharmacology, and Molecular Sciences. He is also the Director of
the Genitourinary Oncology Program at Johns Hopkins. As a
laboratory scientist, Dr. Denmeade leads a team focused on
developing targeted therapies for prostate cancer. He is the
author of 170 papers and co-inventor on 22 US patents. A
PSMA-activated prodrug, a PSA-activated protein toxin, and a
113
included a series of studies on the biological effects of the
plant-derived compound thapsigargin, and various chemical
analogs thereof, in human cancer cells.
Poul Nissen obtained his Ph.D. degree in structural biology in
1997 from Aarhus University (AU), supervised by Prof. Jens
Nyborg and working on translation GTPases. He then held a
postdoctoral position from 1997 to 2000 with Professor Thomas
A. Steitz at Yale University (Nobel laureate 2009) on the ribosome structure. After that, he initiated his own research at AU
on membrane transporters, in particular P-type ATPases, first
through a Ole Rømer stipend of the Danish Research Council,
and since 2006 as a Professor of Protein Biochemistry at AU.
He is currently the Director of the Danish Research Institute of
Translational Neuroscience – DANDRITE of the Nordic EMBL
Partnership for Molecular Medicine and Director of the Danish
research infrastructure for cryo-EM research. The main topics
of his research program are on membrane transporters in brain
cells and higher-order membrane structures in neurons.
Jesper Vuust Møller graduated as Master of Medicine in 1966
and as Dr. Med. in 1968 from Aarhus University. He was
Associate Professor from 1966 until 1990 and from 1990 to
2008 he was Professor at the Department of Biophysics at
Aarhus University. His employment at this university was interrupted temporarily when he was Visiting Professor at Manchester University, UK 1968–1969 (with W.D. Stein), and from
1973 to 1974 when he was Visiting Professor at Duke University
Medical Center, USA (with C. Tanford). He has been Chairman
of the Danish Biomembrane Center (1993–1996). His studies
have been focused on transport over membranes, in particular,
of SERCA, and the role of this intracellular Ca 2+ -ATPase as
a target to combat prostate cancer. After his retirement from
Aarhus University, he has continued his research on transport
over cell membranes as Professor Emeritus. He has authored or
coauthored more than 175 articles and reviews in international
scientific journals.
Samuel R. Denmeade obtained his medical M.D. degree from
Columbia University in New York City. He completed a residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Chicago. He
then completed a clinical Medical Oncology Fellowship at Johns
Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD in 1995 and then pursued a
postdoctoral fellowship in prostate cancer research in the laboratory of Dr. John Isaacs. He joined the faculty of Johns Hopkins
in 1998 and is currently Professor of Oncology, Urology, Pharmacology, and Molecular Sciences. He is also the Director of
the Genitourinary Oncology Program at Johns Hopkins. As a
laboratory scientist, Dr. Denmeade leads a team focused on
developing targeted therapies for prostate cancer. He is the
author of 170 papers and co-inventor on 22 US patents. A
PSMA-activated prodrug, a PSA-activated protein toxin, and a