Ronald T. Raines
Encyclopedia
Ronald T. Raines is an American chemical biologist. He is the Henry Lardy Professor of Biochemistry and a Professor of Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
.
in North Caldwell, New Jersey. He received Sc.B. degrees in chemistry and biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
, doing undergraduate research with Christopher T. Walsh
. He earned A.M. and Ph.D. degrees in chemistry at Harvard University
with Jeremy R. Knowles
, the title of his doctoral thesis being Energetics of Enzymatic Catalysis: Triosephosphate Isomerase. He was a Helen Hay Whitney
postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the University of California, San Francisco
with William J. Rutter
. He joined the faculty at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
in 1989, and was a Visiting Associate in Chemistry at Caltech in 2009.
Raines is an author of more than 250 peer-reviewed journal articles, and an inventor on over 25 issued U.S. patents. He has delivered more than 200 invited lectures in over 20 countries. He is a founder of Quintessence Biosciences, Inc. and Hyrax Energy, Inc., and he serves on the editorial advisory boards of the journals ACS Chemical Biology
; Peptide Science; Protein Engineering, Design & Selection; and Protein Science
; and on the scientific advisory board of the Keystone Symposia.
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
.
Education
Raines graduated in 1976 from West Essex High SchoolWest Essex High School
West Essex High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school in North Caldwell, New Jersey in the United States. The high school is part of the West Essex Regional School District, which serves students from four municipalities in western Essex County. Communities served by the district's...
in North Caldwell, New Jersey. He received Sc.B. degrees in chemistry and biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
, doing undergraduate research with Christopher T. Walsh
Christopher T. Walsh
Christopher T. Walsh is a Hamilton Kuhn professor of biological chemistry and pharmacology at Harvard Medical School. His research focuses on enzymes and enzyme inhibition, and most recently he is focused on the problem of antibiotic resistance. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in...
. He earned A.M. and Ph.D. degrees in chemistry at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
with Jeremy R. Knowles
Jeremy R. Knowles
Jeremy Randall Knowles, CBE, FRS was a professor of chemistry at Harvard University, was Dean of the Harvard University Faculty of Arts and Sciences from 1991 to 2002. He joined Harvard in 1974, received many awards for his research, and remained at Harvard until his death, leaving the faculty...
, the title of his doctoral thesis being Energetics of Enzymatic Catalysis: Triosephosphate Isomerase. He was a Helen Hay Whitney
Helen Hay Whitney Foundation
The Helen Hay Whitney Foundation is a New York City based charitable foundation which supports early postdoctoral research training in all basic biomedical sciences....
postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the University of California, San Francisco
University of California, San Francisco
The University of California, San Francisco is one of the world's leading centers of health sciences research, patient care, and education. UCSF's medical, pharmacy, dentistry, nursing, and graduate schools are among the top health science professional schools in the world...
with William J. Rutter
William J. Rutter
William J. Rutter is an American biochemist who cofounded the early biotechnology Chiron Corporation together with Edward Penhoet and Pablo DT Valenzuela...
. He joined the faculty at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
in 1989, and was a Visiting Associate in Chemistry at Caltech in 2009.
Career
Raines has had a wide-ranging impact on science at the interface of chemistry and biology. His efforts have led to both profound understanding and real-world applications, as summarized below.- Revelation of the basis for the conformational stability of collagen, which is the most abundant protein in animals. This work led Raines to discover a new chemical force—the n→π* interaction—that contributes to the stability of nearly every protein. His hyperstable collagens are in preclinical trials as wound-healing agents.
- Discovery of how to endow an otherwise innocuous human RNA-cleaving enzyme with toxicity that is specific for cancer cells. His ribonuclease is in a human clinical trial as an anti-cancer agent.
- Mechanistic insight on cellular redox homeostasis and on imperatives for the uptake of cationic proteins and peptides by mammalian cells.
- Invention of efficient chemical processes to synthesize proteins and to convert crude biomass into useful fuels and chemicals, and fluorogenic probes to image the uptake of molecules into living cells.
Raines is an author of more than 250 peer-reviewed journal articles, and an inventor on over 25 issued U.S. patents. He has delivered more than 200 invited lectures in over 20 countries. He is a founder of Quintessence Biosciences, Inc. and Hyrax Energy, Inc., and he serves on the editorial advisory boards of the journals ACS Chemical Biology
ACS Chemical Biology
ACS Chemical Biology is a peer-reviewed scientific journal published since 2006 by the American Chemical Society. The journal covers research at the interface between chemistry and biology spanning all aspects of chemical biology...
; Peptide Science; Protein Engineering, Design & Selection; and Protein Science
Protein Science
Protein Science is a peer-reviewed scientific journal publishing research on the structure, function, and biochemical significance of proteins, their role in molecular and cell biology, genetics, and evolution, and their regulation and mechanisms of action...
; and on the scientific advisory board of the Keystone Symposia.