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An early leader in biotherapeutics, Kossiakoff, who earned his Ph.D.
in physical chemistry at UD in 1972, started his career at Brookhaven
National Laboratory and went on to become a pioneering member of the
biotechnology corporation Genentech Inc. He chaired the Department of
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Chicago from
1998-2011.
“Looking back, I was encouraged to take chances and Brown Lab was the
site of many early ‘crash and burns,’ Kossiakoff said. “However, in
the end, I’ve always appreciated how well prepared I was to be able to
jump into entirely new fields as my research interests evolved. I
wouldn’t change a thing.”
In announcing his recent honor, University of Chicago News
called him “a structural biologist and protein engineer whose research
group is developing a molecular understanding of how molecular
recognition governs virtually all aspects of biological function. He did
pioneering work towards elucidating the mechanisms involved in
hormone-induced receptor activation and regulation.”
The article also notes that his group “has also pioneered a new
technology called “chaperone-assisted” structure determination, which
has facilitated the structural analyses of protein systems that had been
intractable by other approaches” and has been “at the forefront of
developing synthetic antibodies, which are more powerful than
traditional monoclonal antibodies and have the potential to replace them
for uses as biotherapeutics and in cell biological applications.”
In 2003, Kossiakoff was elected to UD’s Alumni Wall of Fame, which
honors alumni from around the nation and the world who have
distinguished themselves in professional and community endeavors.
He returned to his alma mater in 2012 to deliver the annual John C.
Wriston Memorial Lecture, and in 2019 he spoke at a biopharmaceutical
symposium, hosted by the Delaware Biotechnology Institute on the STAR
Campus.
Among his other honors, he received an honorary doctor of science
degree from his undergraduate alma mater Davis and Elkins College in
2011 and was named a fellow of the American Association for the
Advancement of Science in 2012.