Chemical immunologist recruited to head new Rockefeller lab

A faculty search process begun last year has yielded its second successful recruit, the chemical immunologist Howard Hang, who will join The Rockefeller University as assistant professor and head of the Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Microbial Pathogenesis in early 2007.

Hang, who comes to Rockefeller following a postdoc at the Whitehead Institute in Boston, will be exploring pathogenic virulence from the perspectives of both the invading organism and the host immune system. As both microbial and viral pathogens continue to pose tremendous health concerns, an understanding of their mechanisms of infection, specifically the complex protein interactions between the host and pathogen, will aid in the development of novel therapies and preventative treatments.

Hang is interested in achieving two long term goals in his research, both of which will draw on his skills as a chemist. First, he will be developing new chemical tools for studying post-translational modifications of proteins, which he will then apply toward dissecting the mechanisms of microbial infection. Second, he is looking to identify antigens from different microbial infections with the intent of studying their mechanisms of processing and presentation during the host immune response.

“Both of these objectives will require a multidisciplinary approach,” says Hang, “combining chemical synthesis, biochemistry, molecular and cell biology, mass spectrometry-based proteomics, bacterial genetics and immunology. Using this kind of approach, I hope to uncover novel mechanisms of microbial pathogenesis for the development of antimicrobials and discover new antigens for the generation of vaccines.”

Hang’s imagination was first captured by organic chemistry at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where he was an undergrad. During his graduate work on glycoprotein biosynthesis and function at UC Berkeley, he integrated his knowledge of chemical synthesis with biology. “I began to appreciate the roles of post-translational modifications on protein function,” says Hang, “and realized that new tools would be needed to further our understanding. I think that chemical tools can complement genetic methods for the analysis of post-translational modifications.”

Knowledge of how post-translational modifications affect protein function has advanced rapidly in the past years, most notably in the area of histone modification, where different chemical modifications such as acetylation or methylation can turn on, or shut down, areas of the genome. Hang is interested in how glycosylation, the addition of sugar groups, and lipidation, the attachment of fats or fatlike compounds, contributes to the function of a protein in host-pathogen interactions.

“I couldn’t help but notice the role of post-translational modifications in host-pathogen interactions,” says Hang. “We are only beginning to understand the complex interplay between host and pathogen, which I believe will require new tools to dissect at the molecular level. Ultimately, an understanding of the mechanisms of microbial pathogenesis will provide new opportunities to fight infectious diseases.”

“Howard is an imaginative and highly productive young scientist who is using chemistry to study important biological problems, including how chemical interactions affect the relationship between invading bacteria and a host’s immune system,” says Rockefeller President Paul Nurse. “This is an important area of biology, as it has implications for the treatment of infectious diseases, which each year cause over a quarter of all deaths worldwide.”

Hang’s arrival at Rockefeller, in early February 2007, adds to the institution’s already strong tradition in immunology. He attributes the exciting and nurturing environment, which he felt during his meetings with students, postdocs and faculty, with his decision to come to Rockefeller. “It appeared to me that Rockefeller is committed to removing as many obstacles as possible for scientists to focus on their work, the results of which have produced some of the best scientists in the world.”