Fred Naider has spent 30
years studying how individual molecules communicate
Communication
and transport. These are Fred Naider's specialties.
He is not an engineer or linguist. He is not in
radio, television or transportation. The communication he studies
cannot be seen or heard: It is the conversation that occurs between
individual cells. The transport that fascinates him is microscopic:
It is the passage of molecules and microbes into cells.
A College of Staten Island Distinguished Professor
of Chemistry, Fred Naider, Ph.D., has spent 30 years studying the
tiny molecules, called peptides, that drive all life. For nearly 30
years, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has funded his
research. This year the NIH awarded Naider a $1.4 million grant to
continue his work for the next four years. Like the other NIH
grants, this one is shared with Naider's longtime collaborator,
Jeffrey Becker, Ph.D., who heads the microbiology department at the
University of Tennessee.
Fewer than 5 percent of American scientists receive
NIH funding for so long, said Jean Chin, a program director of the
Cell Biology and Biophysics Division at NIH.
The secret to the researchers' success? Enthusiasm,
flexibility and a willingness to work with others, she said.
Naider is "so enthusiastic, so committed," said Ms.
Chin. She said he was not afraid to learn new techniques.
"Some people have one tool, the hammer, and
everything gets hammered. He has a whole toolbox," she said.
His collaborator, Becker, agreed.
"We've always been not afraid to try new approaches
and new tools," he said. "To be current in science you have to be
willing to apply whatever modern tools, technologies and
methodologies are available."
THE IDEAL PATIENT
Their study subject, yeast, has also been the ideal
patient. Naider calls the one-celled yeast organism "a very old
friend of man," revered from ancient times for its contribution to
bread and beer. But yeast is also an excellent model for
understanding the human cell. It has many of the same attributes,
including the receptors and transporters that have fascinated Naider
and Becker for decades.
"We discovered a transporter system in yeast that
has a cousin in our intestines," said Naider. The transporter is a
gateway that only allows certain substances to pass through the cell
membrane. In humans, it carries short peptides -- chains of two or
three amino acids -- into the cells.
"It turns out that this transporter is important to
the uptake of antibiotics," said Naider.
By understanding how an individual cell chooses what
it will and will not allow to pass inside, drug designers can create
more efficient drugs.
One drug used to fight viruses, acyclovir, was very
poorly absorbed in the intestines. Certain amino acids attached to
certain drugs can increase their effectiveness.
Naider is one of the inventors of a patented
compound that "primes" acyclovir and other drugs for better
absorption in the intestines. Improving a drug's absorption also
decreases its cost, since it takes less of the drug to get the job
done.
Naider and Becker have also taken an interest in the
mating habits of yeast. Yes, the one-celled organisms have
interesting social lives. Instead of male and female, the different
mating types are called "alpha" and "a." Put only alpha-type yeast
in a container together and they divide asexually. But mix the
"alphas" with the "a's" and they reproduce sexually. Somehow the
yeast know when members of the opposite "sex" are around.
USEFUL RESEARCH
While trying to tease out how yeast cells talk to
one another, Naider and Becker have focused on another mysterious
gatekeeper to the cells, called the G-protein-coupled receptor. This
receptor allows the flow of information into the cell. It is present
in many systems of the body. Learning more about this family of
receptors could lead to advances in understanding metabolism, HIV
infection, taste, light sensitivity, pain management and blood
pressure.
"What people don't realize is that some basic
research projects can have profound effects on their life," said
Naider.
Those who know him say Naider's passion for science
extends far beyond the laboratory, however.
"It's not just about the research. It's also about
the people doing the research," said Becker. "He cares about his
students very deeply. He is trying to bring along the next
generation of scientists."
Naider has taught organic chemistry and biochemistry
to scores of undergraduate students. He has trained at least a dozen
Ph.D. students and about 30 new scientists pursuing post-doctoral
studies. His former students are medical residents, researchers in
pharmaceutical companies and entrepreneurs. One former student,
Robert A. Baffi, Ph.D., is a vice president of BioMarin
Pharmaceutical, Inc. Another, Michael A. Huchital, Ph.D., founded
Quality Antisera, a company that produces biological agents used in
research. Another former student was named research scientist of the
year at Dupont Laboratories.
"I feel fortunate to have worked with some of these
people," said Naider.
His students and collaborators also feel fortunate.
"It has been my great pleasure in life to have
Freddy Naider as my colleague," said Becker.
