User:LLMHoopes/sandbox2
Bette Korber[edit]
Bette Korber is a computational biologist focusing on the molecular biology and population genetics of the HIV virus that causes AIDS. She has contributed heavily to the efforts to obtain an effective HIV vaccine. Korber is a Scientist in Theoretical Biology and Biophysics [1] at Los Alamos National Laboratory. She has received the Edward Orlando Lawrence Award, the Department of Energy's highest award for scientific achievement.[2]
Bette Korber | |
|---|---|
| Alma mater | California State University Long Beach,California Institute of Technology |
| Known for | designing AIDS vaccines using HIV virus database |
| Spouse(s) | James Theiler, physicist |
| Children | 3 sons |
| Awards | Richard Feynman Award for Innovation 2018, Thomson Reuters Corporation 100 most influential scientists of decade 2014,Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award 2004,Distinguished Alumna of CSULB 2001,Elizabeth Glaser Scientist for pediatric AIDS 1997 |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | computational biology, molecular biology, population genetics, virology |
| Institutions | Los Alamos National Laboratory, Santa Fe Institute |
| Thesis | (1988) |
| Doctoral advisor | Leroy Hood,Iwona Stroynowski |
Early Life and Education[edit]
Bette Korber grew up in Southern California and received the BS in Chemistry in 1981 from California State University, Long Beach, where her father was a sociology professor, her mother graduated in nursing, and her sister graduated in journalism.[3] From 1981-1988, she worked with Iwona Stroynowski in Leroy Hood's laboratory on her graduate project at California Institute of Technology. She received the PhD in Chemistry in 1988.[4] From 1988-1990 she was a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard School of Public Health. She became a Visiting Faculty member at the Santa Fe Institute in 1991, continuing in that visiting position until 2011.[4]
Research[edit]
Bette Korber conducts her research at Los Alamos National Laboratory, where she began in 1990 and became a Fellow in 2002.[5] Her approach involves applying computational biology to the design of a vaccine against HIV, the AIDS virus.[6] She first became interested in HIV when a close friend of Korber's and her fiancé's at California Institute of Technology contracted one of the first cases of AIDS in Pasadena, CA. She said,“We learned a lot about HIV while he was sick. But there was no treatment for him and he died in 1991. I decided when I graduated from my PhD program that I wanted to work on HIV.”[7] Several years later, looking back on this event, she described its effects this way: “I hate HIV,” she says, her voice rising with emotion. “I lost a couple friends to it. HIV kills in horrible ways. I think of what the epidemic has done to Africa and it motivates me.”[7]
Korber oversees the HIV Database and Analysis Project at Los Alamos.[7] She and her team have built a global HIV database of over 840,000 sequences from publications of the viral genome.[8] In addition, the database focuses on the small regions (called epitopes) within the virus that can be recognized by antibodies, and evaluates the evidence for the strength of each epitope. Also, there are data on the immunological profiles of individuals resistant to HIV.[7] She and many other researchers have applied the data to devise possible treatments and vaccines against HIV. Her work has resulted in design of vaccines now being tested in clinical trials. In recognition of her research, Korber received the 2018 Feynman Award for Innovation, the first woman at Los Alamos to receive one.[5] She recalled that at CalTech when few women were there, she took a class with physicist Richard Feynman and became friends with him. She said, "'At a time when kindness seemed rare, I really appreciated his generous spirit and encouragement. I think he would have been pleased about this award.'”[8]
Personal Life[edit]
Bette Korber married physicist James Theiler in 1988.[7]They have two sons.[3] In addition to her absorption with HIV science, Korber performs on Irish flute and Celtic drum and has made several recordings.[7] Out of her concern for the impact of AIDS on those with few financial resources, she contributed $50,000 from her EO Lawrence Award to help establish, along with family and friends, an AIDS orphanage in South Africa, working through Nurturing Orphans of AIDS for Humanity (NOAH).[7] She has joined the Board of NOAH.[9] She also contributed to the distribution of Earth Boxes of maintenance-free portable gardens to orphanages, clinics, and schools in Africa.[7]
Awards and Honors[edit]
2018 Richard Feynman Award for Innovation[8]
2014, selected to Thomson Reuters Corporation's 100 Most Influential Minds of the Decade[10]
2004, Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award [2]
2001, Distinguished Alumna of CSULB[3]
1997, Elizabeth Glaser Scientist, for work on pediatric AIDS, presented by Hillary Clinton[3]
References[edit]
- ^ B Korber and C Kuiken (2002) "The HIV Databases: History, Design, and Function" in T. Leitner, Ed, The Molecular Epidemiology of Human Viruses, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Boston, MA.
- ^ a b "The Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award". US Department of Energy, Office of Science. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
- ^ a b c d "2001 Distinguished Alumna Bette Korber". California State University at Long Beach. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
- ^ a b "Bette Korber". Linked in. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
- ^ a b "A short history of women at Los Alamos". Los Alamos National Laboratory. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
- ^ B Korber and S Gnanakaran. (2011) "Converging on an HIV Vaccine" Science 333: 1589-1590.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Regina McEnerny (2010) "Tracking HIV Evolution" IAVI Report 14(3): 4-9.
- ^ a b c "Promising Los Alamos Innovations Take the Spotlight: Bette Korber receives 2018 Richard P Feynman Innovation Award for HIV vaccine designs". Newswise Los Alamos. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
- ^ "Meet Our Board: Dr. Bette Korber, Director". NOAH. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
- ^ "Three LANL Scientists Noted Among Decade's Most Influential 'minds'". Retrieved August 31, 2018.