Avery August
Encyclopedia
Avery August, Scientist and Professor of Immunology at The Pennsylvania State University, was born in Belize City
, Belize.
. There he attended California State University
, Los Angeles, where he earned a B.S. degree in Medical Technology. While at California State University, he got involved in undergraduate research in the laboratory of Dr. Phoebe Dea, then Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry at California State University (see Scientific Career below for details). This first exposure to research pushed him to attend graduate school at Cornell University's Weill Graduate School of Medical Sciences in New York City
. There he worked at the Sloan Kettering
Institute (an Institute within the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center) with Immunologist Dr. Bo Dupont, and where he earned PhD degree in Immunology. He then gained post-doctoral experience at The Rockefeller University
, working with renowned virologist and National Academy of Science
member, Dr. Hidesaburo Hanafusa.
Upon moving to Cornell University, Dr. August initiated work on his PhD thesis, to understand the molecular basis of activation of T cell
s. T cells are major players in regulating the development of an immune response. The importance of these cells is illustrated by the fact that the virus HIV infects helper T cells
, and thus disables effective immunity against the virus, resulting in Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
or AIDS.
At Cornell, Dr. August worked with Dr. Bo Dupont, working on unraveling the molecular basis for T cell costimulation by the cell surface protein CD28. This work resulted in 9 publications (see references at PubMed). This work also led to the production of his PhD thesis entitled "On the molecular basis of the two signal hypothesis of T cell activation: Signaling by CD3 and CD28".
Following graduation, Dr. August joined the Laboratory of Molecular Oncology at The Rockefeller University, headed by Dr. Hidesaburo Hanafusa. At The Rockefeller, Dr. August worked on a number of areas, including analysis of the BRCA1
oncogene that when mutated, results in much increased risk for breast cancer
. This work was the first to show that this protein could regulate the transcription of genes and could potentially regulate the development of Breast cancer in this fashion. He also continued working on analysis of the regulation of Tec family kinases, work which he had started as a PhD student and was the first to show that this family of kinases are regulated by upstream signals from Src and PI3-kinase. This work had direct implications for manipulating T cell activation and thus the immune response.
Belize City
Belize City is the largest city in the Central American nation of Belize. Unofficial estimates place the population of Belize City at 70,000 or more. It is located at the mouth of the Belize River on the coast of the Caribbean. The city is the country's principal port and its financial and...
, Belize.
Education
Avery August attended government primary schools, and subsequently attended St. Michael's College for Boys (as High Schools in Belize are called), where he earned a High School Diploma. Following one year at the Belize Technical College, he emigrated with his family to Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. There he attended California State University
California State University
The California State University is a public university system in the state of California. It is one of three public higher education systems in the state, the other two being the University of California system and the California Community College system. It is incorporated as The Trustees of the...
, Los Angeles, where he earned a B.S. degree in Medical Technology. While at California State University, he got involved in undergraduate research in the laboratory of Dr. Phoebe Dea, then Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry at California State University (see Scientific Career below for details). This first exposure to research pushed him to attend graduate school at Cornell University's Weill Graduate School of Medical Sciences in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. There he worked at the Sloan Kettering
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Memorial Sloan–Kettering Cancer Center is a cancer treatment and research institution founded in 1884 as the New York Cancer Hospital...
Institute (an Institute within the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center) with Immunologist Dr. Bo Dupont, and where he earned PhD degree in Immunology. He then gained post-doctoral experience at The Rockefeller University
Rockefeller University
The Rockefeller University is a private university offering postgraduate and postdoctoral education. It has a strong concentration in the biological sciences. It is also known for producing numerous Nobel laureates...
, working with renowned virologist and National Academy of Science
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
member, Dr. Hidesaburo Hanafusa.
Scientific career
Avery August first worked in the catalytic synthesis of fatty acids and other lipids as an undergraduate student in Prof. Dea's laboratory at The California State University at Los Angeles. This work resulted in the publication on methods to easily catalyze the insertion of deuterium into unsaturated fatty acids, which could then be used as probes of membrane structure.Upon moving to Cornell University, Dr. August initiated work on his PhD thesis, to understand the molecular basis of activation of T cell
T cell
T cells or T lymphocytes belong to a group of white blood cells known as lymphocytes, and play a central role in cell-mediated immunity. They can be distinguished from other lymphocytes, such as B cells and natural killer cells , by the presence of a T cell receptor on the cell surface. They are...
s. T cells are major players in regulating the development of an immune response. The importance of these cells is illustrated by the fact that the virus HIV infects helper T cells
T helper cell
T helper cells are a sub-group of lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell, that play an important role in the immune system, particularly in the adaptive immune system. These cells have no cytotoxic or phagocytic activity; they cannot kill infected host cells or pathogens. Rather, they help other...
, and thus disables effective immunity against the virus, resulting in Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
or AIDS.
At Cornell, Dr. August worked with Dr. Bo Dupont, working on unraveling the molecular basis for T cell costimulation by the cell surface protein CD28. This work resulted in 9 publications (see references at PubMed). This work also led to the production of his PhD thesis entitled "On the molecular basis of the two signal hypothesis of T cell activation: Signaling by CD3 and CD28".
Following graduation, Dr. August joined the Laboratory of Molecular Oncology at The Rockefeller University, headed by Dr. Hidesaburo Hanafusa. At The Rockefeller, Dr. August worked on a number of areas, including analysis of the BRCA1
BRCA1
BRCA1 is a human caretaker gene that produces a protein called breast cancer type 1 susceptibility protein, responsible for repairing DNA. The first evidence for the existence of the gene was provided by the King laboratory at UC Berkeley in 1990...
oncogene that when mutated, results in much increased risk for breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
. This work was the first to show that this protein could regulate the transcription of genes and could potentially regulate the development of Breast cancer in this fashion. He also continued working on analysis of the regulation of Tec family kinases, work which he had started as a PhD student and was the first to show that this family of kinases are regulated by upstream signals from Src and PI3-kinase. This work had direct implications for manipulating T cell activation and thus the immune response.