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Contributors

Rajendrani Mukhopadhyay

Rajendrani Mukhopadhyay
Rajendrani Mukhopadhyay is the former managing editor of ASBMB Today.

Articles by Rajendrani Mukhopadhyay

Meet Lila Gierasch, editor-in-chief of the Journal of Biological Chemistry
Interview

Meet Lila Gierasch, editor-in-chief of the Journal of Biological Chemistry

June 1, 2017
The 11th editor’s work on molecular chaperones has implications for neurodegenerative diseases.
Crazy for cryo-EM
Feature

Crazy for cryo-EM

May 1, 2017
The National Institutes of Health plans to fund national cryo-electron microscopy facilities to give biologists better access to the method.
Robinson honored for helping disadvantaged high-school students
Award

Robinson honored for helping disadvantaged high-school students

April 1, 2017
Douglas Robinson of Johns Hopkins University honored for helping disadvantaged high-school students.
A chain of events
Feature

A chain of events

Jan. 1, 2017
The discovery of an enzyme led researchers to a rare disease that involves linear ubiquitin chains.
Keeping it real
Feature

Keeping it real

Sept. 1, 2016
Carolyn Bertozzi isn't afraid to discuss "the petty humiliations of life" on social media.
Loaded questions
Feature

Loaded questions

Aug. 1, 2016
Certain questions are illegal to ask during job interviews. But some female job candidates still get asked about marital status, children and other matters that are off-limits during interviews for tenure-track faculty positions.
Enabling effective mentorship
Professional Development

Enabling effective mentorship

Aug. 1, 2016
In this Q&A, Christine Pfund of the University of Wisconsin–Madison describes why improving mentorship in the sciences so crucial.
JBC: Team effort to figure out a rare genetic disease
Journal News

JBC: Team effort to figure out a rare genetic disease

June 1, 2016
A medical geneticist whose whole-exome sequencing of a 17-year-old girl and her parents revealed a mutation responsible for a rare genetic disease creates a team of strangers to move research on the mutation forward.
A gut reaction
Feature

A gut reaction

June 1, 2016
Microbiologist and MacArthur prize winner Sarkis Mazmanian is at the forefront of work on gut–brain connections. He also travels each year to Armenia to teach and bring 21st-century science to his ancestral homeland.
Lively lysosomes
Feature

Lively lysosomes

May 1, 2016
The organelles aren’t just trash cans. As researchers now appreciate, lysosomes do much more for the cell’s well-being.
Meet Timothy Karr
Interview

Meet Timothy Karr

May 1, 2016
Timothy Karr, a visiting scientist at the Kyoto Institute of Technology in Japan and an adjunct professor at Arizona State University, recently joined the MCP as an associate editor.
Devoted to DNA
Profile

Devoted to DNA

April 1, 2016
Fyodor Urnov at Sangamo BioSciences helped coin the phrase "genome editing."
Bringing scientific rigor to issues of diversity
Diversity

Bringing scientific rigor to issues of diversity

Feb. 1, 2016
A rare Q&A with Hannah Valantine, the first chief officer for scientific workforce diversity at the National Institutes of Health.
The placenta: a mysterious organ
Feature

The placenta: a mysterious organ

Feb. 1, 2016
We take a close look at the goals of the National Institutes of Health's Human Placenta Project, what we do and don't know about this mysterious organ, and how efforts to study the placenta could lead to a better understanding of miscarriage.
Quantum biology continues to intrigue
Feature

Quantum biology continues to intrigue

Jan. 1, 2016
What if you were told that a single proton or electron can influence the behavior of an entire biological molecule? Would you snort with derision or give the idea some serious thought?
When science runs in the family
Generations

When science runs in the family

Dec. 1, 2015
Claes Dohlman established the basis for current clinical practice in corneal science. His son Henrik Dohlman at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, says his father is also a paragon of hard work and kindness.
Science on a visa
Feature

Science on a visa

Nov. 1, 2015
Rajendrani Mukhopadhyay writes about the complex legal pathway to work for foreign scientists in the U.S.
'Now look where we are'
Interview

'Now look where we are'

Oct. 1, 2015
Francis Collins doesn’t need an introduction to the biomedical research community. Before he became the 16th director to take the helm of the 27 institutes and centers that make up the National Institutes of Health in 2009, Collins served as directo…
Michael Rosen: Sliding into biology
Award

Michael Rosen: Sliding into biology

Oct. 1, 2015
How is the cell’s interior organized? That is the question that has interested Michael Rosen at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas since he started out as an independent researcher.
Peter Walter: An explorer of cells
Award

Peter Walter: An explorer of cells

Oct. 1, 2015
Peter Walter's lab has been at the forefront of identifying the machinery and mechanisms that oversee protein synthesis, folding and targeting as well as the signaling relays that allow organelles to communicate with each other.
Taking optical microscopy by STORM
Interview

Taking optical microscopy by STORM

Oct. 1, 2015
The Harvard professor is one of the pioneers in the field of super-resolution microscopy, which overcomes the problem of the diffraction limit in optical microscopy.
‘Trust your own imagination’
Annual Meeting

‘Trust your own imagination’

Oct. 1, 2015
Success in science comes when you stick with what you personally find most interesting, says the Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator.
Q&A with Jared Rutter
Annual Meeting

Q&A with Jared Rutter

Oct. 1, 2015
Jared Rutter at the University of Utah got hooked on cell metabolism early in his career. His laboratory focuses on understanding the dynamic nature of cell metabolism.
Let it shine
Feature

Let it shine

Sept. 1, 2015
The light-based technique known as optogenetics has caused a revolution in the field of neuroscience. Now biologists are using it to better understand basic cellular processes. Read chief science correspondent Raj Mukhopadhyay's cover story. 
Meet Patrick Sung
Interview

Meet Patrick Sung

Aug. 1, 2015
Patrick Sung at Yale University studies how cells repair double-stranded breaks in DNA.
Meet Raymond Cypess
Interview

Meet Raymond Cypess

Aug. 1, 2015
As a teenager, Raymond Cypess cut his teeth in business at his father’s bakery. These days, Cypess applies that business education as the current chair and chief executive officer of American Type Culture Collection, better known as ATCC.
JLR: Super-fast spins hurt lipoproteins
Journal News

JLR: Super-fast spins hurt lipoproteins

Aug. 1, 2015
Researchers in California decided to see how centrifuge speed affects high-density lipoproteins. 
A new angle
Feature

A new angle

June 1, 2015
A rare brain tumor kills 250 children every year in North America. But the discovery of a mutation in an unexpected gene has given researchers new drug targets and brings hope that someday this cancer can be tamed.
So, a biochemist walks into a comedy club …'
Defying Stereotypes

So, a biochemist walks into a comedy club …'

June 1, 2015
How did a Chinese immigrant who once studied neurotransmitters in fruit flies wind up on stage telling jokes at the expense of the second-highest ranking U.S. official? According to comedian Joe Wong, delivering jokes and getting data have more in c…
Analyze this: life as a sports journalist
Defying Stereotypes

Analyze this: life as a sports journalist

May 1, 2015
With the analytical mind of a scientist, Jaffe is part of a new generation of baseball scribes more interested in using objective statistics than hagiographic mythology in their reporting and commentary.
A curious mind
Defying Stereotypes

A curious mind

May 1, 2015
Once the head of an oncogene research laboratory, novelist Stephanie Laurens has chartered an unusual career path to become one of the most successful romantic fiction authors today.
The other lives of cheerleaders
Defying Stereotypes

The other lives of cheerleaders

April 1, 2015
A select group of women with training in STEM and successful careers demonstrate that there is more to cheerleading than glitz and glamour.
The scoop on Jerry Greenfield
Defying Stereotypes

The scoop on Jerry Greenfield

March 1, 2015
He poured his scientific training into the development of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream.
Something to talk about: Bonnie Bassler
ASBMB Annual Meeting

Something to talk about: Bonnie Bassler

March 1, 2015
Bonnie L. Bassler has been at the center of attention since 2002, when she received a MacArthur Foundation fellowship, also known as the “genius award.â€
Breaking dogma?
Feature

Breaking dogma?

Feb. 1, 2015
Researchers are trying to figure out if extracellular vesicles containing RNA represent a new way for cells to communicate. ASBMB Today's science writer, Rajendrani Mukhopadhyay, reports.
Beyond the finish line
Defying Stereotypes

Beyond the finish line

Feb. 1, 2015
ASBMB's Geoffrey Hunt and Rajendrani Mukhopadhyay continue our "Defying stereotypes" series with this profile of Olympic runner Nick Symmonds.
The Hollywood experiment
Defying Stereotypes

The Hollywood experiment

Jan. 1, 2015
Kevin Grevioux, star of the “Underworld†movie series, moved from a laboratory to an actor’s trailer.
A quantum leap
Defying Stereotypes

A quantum leap

Jan. 1, 2015
With a Ph.D. in theoretical physics, film director Mark Levinson’s résumé stands out from his Hollywood peers’
Generating the 3T3 cell line, the oncogene hypothesis and horses
Generations

Generating the 3T3 cell line, the oncogene hypothesis and horses

Jan. 1, 2015
George Todaro is the scientist behind the NIH 3T3 cell line, a mainstay of cell biology.
Put a smile around your neck
Defying Stereotypes

Put a smile around your neck

Dec. 1, 2014
For Raven Hanna, the motivation to launch a science-themed jewelry company came from a dark place.
‘Science and art mix so beautifully together’
Defying Stereotypes

‘Science and art mix so beautifully together’

Dec. 1, 2014
Michelle Grey aims to develop initiatives that bring together science with the arts into one synergistic experience for the Neuehouse patrons.
Going global with genomics
Feature

Going global with genomics

Dec. 1, 2014
Researchers at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum want to advance the genomics of as many life forms on Earth as possible, but first they need to figure out the small details that will make or break the effort.
The drug of good and evil
Feature

The drug of good and evil

Nov. 1, 2014
Thalidomide is a molecule with a split personality. Notorious as the drug that caused thousands of babies to be born with grotesque deformities in the 1950s, it now has become the frontline defense for some cancer and immune-compromised patients.
‘More than pretty’
Defying Stereotypes

‘More than pretty’

Nov. 1, 2014
Beauty. Glamour. Style. Miss America 2014 Nina Davuluri has these qualities in abundance. She also has a degree in brain behavior and cognitive science.
Insulin for all
Feature

Insulin for all

Oct. 1, 2014
Michael Weiss at Case Western Reserve University is working on developing an ultra heat-stable insulin analog that doesn’t require refrigeration.  
Against the grain
Defying Stereotypes

Against the grain

Sept. 1, 2014
Whether fronting the punk-rock band Bad Religion or delivering a lecture on evolution, Greg Graffin challenges his audiences to question convention.
A champion of the nerds
Defying Stereotypes

A champion of the nerds

Sept. 1, 2014
Milo Aukerman is both a molecular biologist and the lead singer of the punk-rock band Descendents.
Keep 'em separated
Defying Stereotypes

Keep 'em separated

Sept. 1, 2014
Dexter Holland, the lead singer of the punk-rock band The Offspring, has a lot of different interests. One of them is biology.
‘On the same wavelength’
Feature

‘On the same wavelength’

Aug. 1, 2014
In this 2014 profile, Rajendrani Mukhopadhyay writes about Jennifer Doudna’s pioneering work on CRISPR and her partnership with her lab manager, Kaihong Zhou.
Vitamin D: How much is enough?
Feature

Vitamin D: How much is enough?

June 1, 2014
Are we getting enough vitamin D? The answer, it seems, depends upon which expert you ask. In this cover story, science writer Rajendrani Mukhopadhyay explores a longstanding controversy over the dietary recommendations for vitamin D.
Propagating possibilities
Feature

Propagating possibilities

May 1, 2014
Norman Lewis at Washington State University began his scientific career as a natural product chemist. But his interests soon turned toward the biochemistry of plants.
The cockroach hunter’s spell
Feature

The cockroach hunter’s spell

April 1, 2014
The venom of the female jewel wasp renders her victims docile so that her offspring can feast. Scientists wonder if this strange brew might teach us a thing or two about human neurobiology.
Meet John Denu
Interview

Meet John Denu

March 1, 2014
John Denu at the University of Wisconsin-Madison joined the ranks of The Journal of Biological Chemistry associate editors in July 2014.
Meet Jonathan Weissman
Interview

Meet Jonathan Weissman

March 1, 2014
The University of California, San Francisco., researcher talks about his research on the dynamics of protein expression from single genomes.
Scourge below the surface
Feature

Scourge below the surface

Feb. 1, 2014
With a mortality rate of up to 100 percent, white spot syndrome virus can take out entire populations of shrimp — and economies.
Meet Roger Colbran
Interview

Meet Roger Colbran

Feb. 1, 2014
ASBMB Today science writer Rajendrani Mukhopadhyay interviewed Roger Colbran, who became an associate editor for The Journal of Biological Chemistry in September. In this Q&A, Colbran talks about his scientific interests, his career path from the Un…
Meet Velia Fowler
Interview

Meet Velia Fowler

Jan. 8, 2014
Her laboratory at The Scripps Research Institute focuses on the roles of the actin cytoskeleton in cell architecture and physiology in organs such as muscle, blood and eyes.
Medical illustrator puts a soft edge on the hard sciences
Art

Medical illustrator puts a soft edge on the hard sciences

Jan. 1, 2014
Biomedical illustrator Jennifer Fairman uses illustrations and schematics to convey the complexity of molecular biology and medical topics.
Meet Eric Fearon
Interview

Meet Eric Fearon

Dec. 1, 2013
In January 2013, Eric Fearon at the University of Michigan Medical School joined the ranks of the associate editors at The Journal of Biological Chemistry. Fearon has a longstanding interest in the molecular mechanisms underlying colorectal cancer.
An open letter to a professor who comforted me
Open Letters

An open letter to a professor who comforted me

Nov. 26, 2013
ASBMB Today science writer Rajendrani Mukhopadhyay gives thanks to someone who helped her navigate her first serious academic failure.
‘A good ambassador’
Profile

‘A good ambassador’

Nov. 19, 2013
Hudson Freeze, a recipient of the 2013 Golden Goose award for his discovery of a special bacterium and a world expert in glycosylation disorders, is said to go “beyond just science.â€
Meet Alex Toker
Interview

Meet Alex Toker

Nov. 1, 2013
Alex Toker at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School is an associate editor for the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
Counting carbs
Feature

Counting carbs

Oct. 29, 2013
Since its inception in 1981, the glycemic index — a measure of the changes in blood-glucose levels in response to the consumption of a food containing carbohydrates — has been a source of contention.
Meet Jeffrey Pessin
Interview

Meet Jeffrey Pessin

Oct. 1, 2013
Jeffrey Pessin, director of the Diabetes Research Center at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, is now an associate editor at The Journal of Biological Chemistry.
“Close to a miracleâ€
Feature

“Close to a miracleâ€

Sept. 23, 2013
Proteins carry signals and cargo, package and replicate DNA, give cells their shapes, break down and take up nutrients, and much more. But how often do we stop to ask: How did these diverse and sophisticated molecular machines come to be?
Science globetrotters
Feature

Science globetrotters

Aug. 26, 2013
These researchers have maintained simultaneous scientific endeavors in two parts of the world. Their motivations for doing so are all over the map.
Virginia Lee: notes on a career
Profile

Virginia Lee: notes on a career

June 28, 2013
“I never really had a role model,†said Virginia M-Y Lee, director at the Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research at the University of Pennsylvania.
Q&A with Stefan Schulz
Interview

Q&A with Stefan Schulz

June 1, 2013
For some spider species, love definitely is in the air. These arthropods emit sex pheromones, which are volatile compounds, to communicate with prospective mates, initiate courtship and accept partners.
Q&A with Steve Caplan
Interview

Q&A with Steve Caplan

June 1, 2013
Steve Caplan of the University of Nebraska Medical Center shares how he became a scientist, novelist and blogger.
Sperm matters
Feature

Sperm matters

April 23, 2013
While an assisted reproduction technique has helped create and change lives, concern is growing that its success has stymied fundamental research into the causes of male infertility.
The quiet creep of Alzheimer’s disease
Feature

The quiet creep of Alzheimer’s disease

March 19, 2013
As caregivers grapple with the grim changes in their loved ones, researchers race to stall this neurodegenerative disorder. For this cover story, ASBMB Today science writer Rajendrani Mukhopadhyay talked to caregivers and scientists.
The other malaria parasite
Feature

The other malaria parasite

Jan. 24, 2013
Researchers turn their attention to Plasmodium vivax, an ill understood parasite that causes most malaria cases outside of Africa.
Q&A with Jeremy Nicholson
Interview

Q&A with Jeremy Nicholson

Jan. 1, 2013
Jeremy Nicholson of Imperial College London is heading up the U.K.’s government-funded phenome center, which will undertake population-scale metabolic phenotyping and profiling.
Parched no more
Feature

Parched no more

Dec. 12, 2012
In 1991, dentist-biochemist Bruce Baum, stuck in a boring lecture, began to sketch out an idea he had for treating dry-mouth syndrome. Twenty years later, the idea came to fruition.
Meet Peter Cresswell
Interview

Meet Peter Cresswell

Dec. 1, 2012
The Yale immunologist is an associate editor for the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
An essential debate
Feature

An essential debate

Nov. 2, 2012
Is a particular dietary recommendation harming people in the U.S.? For almost 20 years, scientists have been arguing over whether Americans and others on a typical Western diet are eating too much of omega-6s, a class of essential fatty acids.
Discovering essential fatty acids
Feature

Discovering essential fatty acids

Oct. 4, 2012
In the early 1900s, dietary fat was viewed simply as a source of calories, interchangeable with carbohydrates. But in 1929 and 1930, a husband-and-wife team published two papers in the Journal of Biological Chemistry that turned the notion on its he…
At the forefront with Avanti
Feature

At the forefront with Avanti

Aug. 7, 2012
Rajendrani Mukhopadhyay profiles Walter Shaw of Avanti Polar Lipids.
Q&A with Jeremy Berg
Interview

Q&A with Jeremy Berg

July 1, 2012
Find out about Berg's views on the changing landscape of biochemistry and molecular biology, his advice for science students and how his family has influenced his career. 
Mom and iPOP
Feature

Mom and iPOP

July 1, 2012
With help from his mother, Michael Snyder takes personal profiling via -omics to a whole new level.
Stark raving mad for science
Profile

Stark raving mad for science

June 1, 2012
George Stark contributed to the development of both Western and Northern blotting and co-discovered gene amplification in mammalian cells and the JAK-STAT signaling cascade. 
Sports doping: an extreme game of biology
Feature

Sports doping: an extreme game of biology

May 25, 2012
Cheating athletes manipulate various aspects of molecular biology and medicine to improve their performance. ASBMB Today science writer Raj Mukhopadhyay covers the increasingly sophisticated techniques of sports doping and detection.    
Art

Living through art and science

May 1, 2012
Robert Schimke ditched pipettes and gels for paintbrushes and canvases.
Valid -omics data
Feature

Valid -omics data

March 29, 2012
How should the massive quantities of -omics data being produced today be validated?
Meet Paul E. Fraser
Interview

Meet Paul E. Fraser

March 1, 2012
The University of Toronto professor became an associate editor for the Journal of Biological Chemistry in 2011. Before that, he served as an editorial board member for more than eight years.
A 'mad race to the finish'
Feature

A 'mad race to the finish'

Feb. 1, 2012
Philip Leder talks about the genetic code experiments that he began 50 years ago.
Revamping the Western blot
Feature

Revamping the Western blot

Jan. 1, 2012
Rajendrani Mukhopadhyay reports on how academic and industrial researchers are pursuing efficiencies, automation and higher throughput.
The man behind the Western blot: W. Neal Burnette
Profile

The man behind the Western blot: W. Neal Burnette

Dec. 29, 2011
The postdoc who invented the Western blot went on to become an early Amgen employee and lifelong Army reservist. Science writer Raj Mukhopadyay talks to W. Neal Burnette about his seminal contribution and career since.
Five years of giving rural students second chances
Profile

Five years of giving rural students second chances

Dec. 1, 2011
Billy Hudson embraced the opportunities afforded him to direct his path toward success. He knew the path the rural children were headed down. Read about Hudson’s initiative to bring STEM education to rural school children.
Synthetic biology: edging toward the clinic
Feature

Synthetic biology: edging toward the clinic

Nov. 18, 2011
Whether you think synthetic biology is simply a more sophisticated form of genetic engineering might be beside the point. Synthetic biology is moving beyond proof-of-principle methodology and is looking toward providing benefits in the clinic.