Thomas Ellenberger, D.V.M., Ph.D., has been named the Raymond H. Wittcoff Professor and head of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics.
The appointment was announced by Larry J. Shapiro, M.D., executive vice chancellor for medical affairs and dean of the School of Medicine, and will become effective Jan. 1.
Ellenberger comes to the University from Harvard Medical School, where he was the Hsein Wu and Daisy Yen Wu Professor of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology.
“We are pleased to welcome Dr. Ellenberger to the University,” Shapiro said. “Not only has he proven himself an outstanding teacher and scientific mentor, but also his expertise in a key area of biochemical investigation establishes him as a pre-eminent researcher. Under his leadership, the department will continue to play a pivotal role in the BioMed 21 initiative, which calls for converting knowledge of the genetic blueprint into practical applications.”
Ellenberger will succeed Carl Frieden, Ph.D., professor of biochemistry and molecular biophysics, who has served as department head since 1996.
“I am absolutely delighted that Tom is taking over,” Frieden said. “This will be an exciting time for the department as new faculty are added and as we develop new areas of research. Tom is the perfect person to guide us into the future.”
The Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics has a long and distinguished history at the School of Medicine, and its achievements include pioneering research by eight Nobel Prize winners.
“I am thrilled by the opportunity to lead a department with a storied past that today has unparalleled strengths in computational and experimental analyses of biomolecular structure and function,” Ellenberger said. “We are poised to use these molecular-scale insights to develop new tools for the diagnosis and treatment of human diseases.
“I am especially attracted to the richly talented and collegial environment of Washington University School of Medicine, where clinical insights can significantly shape the basic research enterprise.”
The School of Medicine’s ability to attract a professor of Ellenberger’s caliber was enhanced by a $6 million grant from the Danforth Foundation, a St. Louis-based, private foundation that supports plant and life sciences development in the region.
The funds established an endowment that will provide the new department head with the resources to fund research projects, acquire equipment and train the next generation of leading scientists.
The Danforth Foundation’s gift recognizes the department’s contributions to medical advancements and, more specifically, in supporting the mission of the BioMed 21 initiative. The department’s faculty members possess a wide range of expertise in the physical chemistry and structure of the biological macromolecules (proteins, lipids, DNA and RNA) of which cells are made. These molecular-level investigations are essential for understanding the basis of disease and translating that knowledge into treatments.
Ellenberger is known for pioneering research in elucidating the structures of proteins that replicate DNA or repair DNA damage and thereby ensure the faithful transmission of our genetic blueprint from generation to generation. He recently co-authored the second edition of the textbook DNA Repair and Mutagenesis.
His research has provided a foundation for understanding the body’s normal defenses against disease-producing mutations and the molecular bases of inherited diseases that cause chromosomal instability and/or cancer. He now hopes to target some of these same vital processes for the development of selective antibiotics and other treatments of infectious diseases.
Ellenberger earned a Ph.D. in pharmacology from Harvard Medical School in 1989, where he studied with Stephen M. Beverley, Ph.D., now the Marvin A. Brennecke Professor and head of the University’s Department of Molecular Microbiology. Ellenberger’s focus during his doctoral work was on the genetic mechanisms of acquired drug resistance in Leishmania major, a parasite that infects approximately 12 million people worldwide.
Before his graduate studies at Harvard, Ellenberger earned a doctorate in veterinary medicine from Iowa State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, where he developed an abiding interest in pharmacology and medicine.
Ellenberger has published more than 60 scientific papers and reviews and has served on the editorial boards of several prestigious scientific journals. He serves on the scientific advisory boards of several synchrotron light sources that support research in structural biology, materials science and particle physics.
During 12 years at Harvard, Ellenberger mentored 40 postdoctoral and graduate students and taught a variety of graduate and medical courses.
In recent years, Ellenberger received several awards, including his favorite, the Stange Award for Outstanding Professional Achievements from Iowa State’s College of Veterinary Medicine.