Susquehanna Valley Section

November 2007 Meeting

The three hundred and seventy-third meeting of the Section will be held on Wednesday, 14 November 2007 at Bloomsburg University. A dinner will be followed by a guest presentation entitled "How Blood Clots, Studied One Molecule at a Time" by John W. Weisel, Ph.D. from the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

Dinner: 6:00 - 7:25 p.m. in the University Room in the Scranton Commons
Meeting and Presentation: 7:30 p.m. also in the University Room in the Scranton Commons

Dinner entrees will be a choice of grilled marinated London broil or grilled salmon with citrus butter, and will include a fall vegetable medley, roasted red potatoes, mixed greens, assorted rolls, a choice of apple pie or chocolate cream pie and beverage (coffee, tea, water, etc.). The cost will be $18.95. Please RSVP Sharlene Pollock by email (spollock@bloomu.edu) or phone (570) 389-5159 by noon on Monday, 12 November 2007.

Directions and parking: see below

How Blood Clots, Studied One Molecule at a Time
The primary focus of Dr. Weisel¢â¡Ás research is the molecular and cellular mechanisms of blood coagulation, fibrinolysis and atherosclerosis, as analyzed through the use of various biochemical and biophysical techniques, including visualization of molecules and supramolecular aggregates and measurements of mechanical properties of cellular and extracellular structures. Structural studies designed to elucidate the intermolecular interactions in all steps of fibrin clot formation and fibrinolysis are being carried out. A novel technique using optical trapping has been developed to study protein-protein binding/unbinding at the single molecule level. In addition, fibrin polymerization is being studied in real time by confocal and deconvolution microscopy. The determination of relationships between clot structure and mechanical properties is an important part of this work, including investigations into the molecular origins of clot mechanical properties. Atomic force microscopy is used to characterize the forced unfolding of individual molecules and its role in clot mechanics. The binding of integrins to fibrinogen is also a focus of research, especially in terms of the interactions that are responsible for platelet aggregation. The results of these studies have implications for basic mechanisms of protein-protein and protein-cell interactions as well as for clinical aspects of hemostasis, thrombosis and atherosclerosis.

Dr. John W. Weisel received his undergraduate degree in engineering from Swarthmore College and his Ph.D. in biophysics from Brandeis University. His graduate research was on muscle structure and assembly with Dr. Andrew G. Szent-Gyorgyi, and he was a post-doctoral fellow with Dr. Carolyn Cohen at the Rosenstiel Basic Sciences Research Center, Brandeis University, where he started working on the clotting protein fibrinogen. He is a Professor in the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA. He carries out basic research on a variety of aspects of blood clotting and hemostasis, which has clinical implications for many diseases including coronary heart disease, stroke, cancer, and diabetes.

Directions:

East of Bloomsburg: Use I-80 west to Exit 236A south.
West of Bloomsburg: Use I-80 east to Exit 236 south.
South of Bloomsburg:
From Central Pennsylvania, take Routes 11 and 15 north to the Town of Bloomsburg. Heading north on Main Street, you'll see Carver Hall directly ahead, and you'll arrive on the western end of the campus.
From southeast Pennsylvania, take Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-476) to I-80 west (Pocono Exit) to Exit 236A south.
North of Bloomsburg:
From the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area, take I-81 south to I-80 west to Exit 236A south.
From the Williamsport area, take I-180 south to I-80 east to Exit 236.

From Exit 236 on I-80, take Route 487 south and follow signs to campus, approximately one mile. You'll arrive on the eastern end of campus. The first sign on the left will be at Buckingham Maintenance Center; the second sign on the left will lead up a steep entry and onto campus facing Centennial Hall.

Attendees can park anywhere on campus after 5:00, except in the metered parking on Second St. (meters are active until 2 am). It is suggested that attendees may find it convenient to park in the parking garage on the corner of Penn St. and Second St.
If you park in the tri-level parking garage, the Scranton Commons is just across the street and up the hill about 100 yards.

The Bloomsburg University web site has more information on directions and also a campus map.