:Mandë Holford
{{short description|American chemist}}
{{Infobox scientist
| name = Mandë Holford
| image = Mandë Holford at World Economic Forum.jpg
| caption = Holford in 2015
| birth_place = New York City, US{{Cite web|url=http://www.wingsworldquest.org/holford|title=Mandë Holford — WINGS WorldQuest|website=wingsworldquestion.org|access-date=16 December 2021}}
| fields = {{plainlist|
| workplaces = {{plainlist|
| alma_mater = {{plainlist|
| thesis_title = Site-Specific Incorporation of Biochemical and Biophysical Probes into Proteins Using Expressed Protein Ligation
| thesis_url = https://digitalcommons.rockefeller.edu/student_theses_and_dissertations/382/
| thesis_year = 2002
| doctoral_advisor = Tom Muir
| website = {{URL|holfordlab.com}}
}}
Mandë Holford is an associate professor in chemistry at Hunter College with scientific appointments at the American Museum of Natural History and Weill Cornell Medical College. Her interdisciplinary research covering 'mollusks to medicine' spans chemistry and biology and aims to discover, characterize, and deliver novel peptides from venomous marine snails as tools for manipulating cellular physiology in pain and cancer.{{Cite web|url=http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/chemistry/faculty/Holford/Mande|title=Mandë Holford, Ph.D. — Hunter College|website=www.hunter.cuny.edu|language=en|access-date=2018-06-17}}{{Cite web|url=http://vivo.med.cornell.edu/display/cwid-mah2061|title=Holford, Mande|website=vivo.med.cornell.edu|language=en|access-date=2018-06-17}}
Education and career
Holford received her BS in mathematics and chemistry from York College, City University of New York and her PhD in Synthetic Protein Chemistry from The Rockefeller University.{{Cite thesis|last=Mande|first=Holford|title=Site-Specific Incorporation of Biochemical and Biophysical Probes into Proteins Using Expressed Protein Ligation|date=2002|publisher=Rockefeller University|url=https://digitalcommons.rockefeller.edu/student_theses_and_dissertations/382/|language=en}} She did her postdoctoral research at The University of Utah in the lab of Baldomero Olivera.{{Cite journal|last1=Holford|first1=Mandë|last2=Zhang|first2=Min-Min|last3=Gowd|first3=Konkallu|last4=Azam|first4=Layla|last5=Green|first5=Brad|last6=Watkins|first6=Maren|last7=Ownby|first7=John-Paul|last8=Yoshikami|first8=Doju|last9=Bulaj|first9=Grzegorz|date=2008-11-01|title=Pruning Nature: Biodiversity-Derived Discovery of Novel Sodium Channel Blocking Conotoxins from Conus bullatus|journal=Toxicon|volume=53|issue=1|pages=90–8|doi=10.1016/j.toxicon.2008.10.017|pmid=18950653|pmc=2677393}} She was also a Science & Technology Policy Fellow through the American Association for the Advancement of Science.{{Cite news|url=https://www.aaas.org/page/stpf/mande-holford|title=Mande Holford|date=2013-06-14|work=AAAS - The World's Largest General Scientific Society|access-date=2018-06-17|language=en}} During her fellowship she worked under Kerri-Ann Jones in the National Science Foundation's Office of International Science and Engineering.
Research
Holford summarizes her research interests as moving "from mollusks to medicine" for drug discovery and delivery.{{Cite journal|last1=Verdes|first1=Aida|last2=Anand|first2=Prachi|last3=Gorson|first3=Juliette|last4=Jannetti|first4=Stephen|last5=Kelly|first5=Patrick|last6=Leffler|first6=Abba|last7=Simpson|first7=Danny|last8=Ramrattan|first8=Girish|last9=Holford|first9=Mandë|date=2016-04-19|title=From Mollusks to Medicine: A Venomics Approach for the Discovery and Characterization of Therapeutics from Terebridae Peptide Toxins|journal=Toxins|language=en|volume=8|issue=4|pages=117|doi=10.3390/toxins8040117|pmid=27104567|pmc=4848642|doi-access=free}}{{Cite journal|last1=Kelly|first1=Patrick|last2=Anand|first2=Prachi|last3=Uvaydov|first3=Alexander|last4=Chakravartula|first4=Srinivas|last5=Sherpa|first5=Chhime|last6=Pires|first6=Elena|last7=O’Neil|first7=Alison|last8=Douglas|first8=Trevor|last9=Holford|first9=Mandë|date=2015-10-09|title=Developing a Dissociative Nanocontainer for Peptide Drug Delivery|journal=International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health|language=en|volume=12|issue=10|pages=12543–12555|doi=10.3390/ijerph121012543|pmid=26473893|pmc=4626985|doi-access=free}} She and her research team extract peptides from venomous snails to identify possible treatments for pain and cancer.{{Cite web|url=https://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/51235/title/Prospecting-for-Painkillers/|title=Prospecting for Painkillers|website=The Scientist|access-date=2018-06-17}} Her work takes an interdisciplinary approach, leveraging biochemistry, genomics, proteomics, evolution, and cell biology to isolate, identify, and characterize novel venomous peptides and devise drug delivery strategies.{{Cite journal|last1=Anand|first1=Prachi|last2=O’Neil|first2=Alison|last3=Lin|first3=Emily|last4=Douglas|first4=Trevor|last5=Holford|first5=Mandë|date=2015-08-03|title=Tailored delivery of analgesic ziconotide across a blood brain barrier model using viral nanocontainers|journal=Scientific Reports|language=En|volume=5|issue=1|pages=12497|doi=10.1038/srep12497|pmid=26234920|issn=2045-2322|pmc=4522602|bibcode=2015NatSR...512497A}}{{Cite journal|last1=Leffler|first1=Abba E.|last2=Kuryatov|first2=Alexander|last3=Zebroski|first3=Henry A.|last4=Powell|first4=Susan R.|last5=Filipenko|first5=Petr|last6=Hussein|first6=Adel K.|last7=Gorson|first7=Juliette|last8=Heizmann|first8=Anna|last9=Lyskov|first9=Sergey|date=2017-09-05|title=Discovery of peptide ligands through docking and virtual screening at nicotinic acetylcholine receptor homology models|journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences|volume=114|issue=38|language=en|pages=E8100–E8109|doi=10.1073/pnas.1703952114|issn=0027-8424|pmid=28874590|pmc=5617267|doi-access=free}} Research projects in her lab takes advantage of inventive tools from chemistry and biology to: (1) investigate the evolution of venom in predatory marine snails, (2) discover disulfide-rich peptides from a venom source, (3) develop high-throughput methods for characterizing structure-function peptide interactions, and (4) deliver novel peptides to their site of action for therapeutic application.
Science diplomacy
Holford was first trained in science diplomacy as an AAAS Science & Technology Policy fellow at the National Science Foundation.{{Cite news|url=https://ostaustria.org/bridges-magazine/volume-6-july-13-2005/item/338-international-activities-and-the-us-national-science-foundation|title=International Activities and the US National Science Foundation|access-date=2018-06-17|language=en-gb|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180618052328/https://ostaustria.org/bridges-magazine/volume-6-july-13-2005/item/338-international-activities-and-the-us-national-science-foundation|archive-date=2018-06-18|url-status=dead}} Since that time, she has worked on several projects and initiatives to encourage early career scientists to think globally about their research impacts. These efforts include the Hurford Science Diplomacy Initiative, which is a six-week long program taught at The Rockefeller University by Jesse H. Ausubel, Rod Nichols, and Dr. Holford.{{Cite web|url=http://graduate.rockefeller.edu/science_diplomacy|title=The Rockefeller University » Science Diplomacy|website=graduate.rockefeller.edu|language=en|access-date=2018-06-17}}{{Cite news|url=http://www.sciencediplomacy.org/perspective/2018/EACIs|title=The Challenge of Building Science Diplomacy Capabilities for Early Career Academic Investigators|work=Science & Diplomacy|access-date=2018-06-17|language=en}} She has also worked with the AAAS Center for Science Diplomacy on their programs to train scientists for global leadership and advocacy.{{Cite news|url=https://www.aaas.org/sdl-summary-2017|title=Science Diplomacy and Leadership Workshop Trains Next Generation of Leaders and Advocates|date=2017-11-10|work=AAAS - The World's Largest General Scientific Society|access-date=2018-06-17|language=en}}
Her writing on the importance of training young scientists to leverage their expertise to build global connections has been featured in the World Science Forum and Scientific American.{{Cite journal|last1=Holford|first1=Mande|last2=Dalton|first2=Gordon|last3=Acevedo-Rocha|first3=Carlos|date=2013-12-03|title=Young Scientists and Social Innovators Making Science Sustainable for the Next Generation|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/259174424|doi=10.6084/m9.figshare.866820|type=Data Set|publisher=Figshare}}{{Cite news|url=https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/diplomacy-for-scientists/|title=Diplomacy for Scientists|last=Oni|first=Mandë Holford,Tolu|work=Scientific American Blog Network|access-date=2018-06-17|language=en}} She has also written about the role scientists played in re-establishing connections with Cuba in 2015 for Science magazine.{{Cite journal|last1=Holford|first1=Mandë|last2=Nichols|first2=Rodney|date=2015-07-31|title=A tale of two states|journal=Science|language=en|volume=349|issue=6247|pages=455|doi=10.1126/science.aaa9595|issn=0036-8075|pmid=26228115|bibcode=2015Sci...349..455H|s2cid=206636584}}
Holford is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations.{{Cite web|url=https://www.cfr.org/membership-roster-g-k|title=Membership Roster|website=Council on Foreign Relations|language=en|access-date=2018-06-17}}
Public engagement
Holford is actively involved in science education and is the co-founder of [http://KillerSnails.com KillerSnails.com], a learning games company supported by the National Science Foundation and the Small Business Innovation Research Fund.{{Cite web|url=https://nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1445413|title=NSF Award Search: Award#1445413 - I-Corps: Killer Snail: An interactive marine biodiversity learning tool|website=nsf.gov|access-date=2018-06-17}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.sbir.gov/sbirsearch/detail/714771|title=KILLER SNAILS LLC {{!}} SBIR.gov|website=www.sbir.gov|language=en|access-date=2018-06-17}} They have produced games like Killer Snails: Assassins of the Sea and Biome Builder, which won the International Serious Play Gold Medal.{{Cite web|url=http://seriousplayconf.com/april-30-2018-14-board-games-win-honors-in-serious-games-competition/|title=April 30, 2018 – Serious Play Conference|website=seriousplayconf.com|language=en-US|access-date=2018-06-17}} She has also appeared on The Moth, Science Friday, NBC Learn (where she was named a 21st Century Chemist in the NBC Learn [https://nbclearn.com/portal/site/learn/cuecard/53345 Chemistry Now] series), and You're the Expert, speaking about her research expertise and her experiences as a scientist.{{Citation|last=World Science Festival|title=The Moth - Mandë Holford: It's All Relative|date=2016-05-11|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hC880FDaAYU|access-date=2018-06-17}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.nbclearn.com/portal/site/learn/freeresources/chemistry-now/chemistry-of-biotoxins|title=NBC Learn|website=NBC Learn|language=en-US|access-date=2018-06-17}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.sciencefriday.com/person/mande-holford/|title=Mandë Holford - Science Friday|work=Science Friday|access-date=2018-06-17|language=en-US}}{{Citation|title=Killer Snails|url=https://soundcloud.com/youre-the-expert/killer-snails|language=en|access-date=2018-06-17}} Holford and her lab have also participated in a NYC based program led by the non-profit organization [https://www.ligoproject.org Ligo Project] called [https://www.ligoproject.org/art-of-science Art of Science] where her and her lab collaborated with NYC based artist [http://www.emerzingstars.com/jackie-lima-unplugged-by-ashis-pahi/ Jackie Lima] to [https://www.ligoproject.org/ligo-blog-1/2017/1/30/test create new works] that explore the exchange between two seemingly disparate disciplines and seeks to provide new and unique perspectives on science to the NYC community.{{Cite web|url=https://holfordlab.com/outreach|title=Holford Lab Outreach}}
Awards and honors
- NSF CAREER Award, 2012{{Cite web|url=https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1247550|title=NSF Award Search: Award#1247550 - CAREER: Development of a teretoxin neuropeptide array for investigating neuronal circuits|website=www.nsf.gov|access-date=2018-06-17}}
- The New Champion Young Scientist Award, World Economic Forum, 2014{{Cite web|url=https://www.weforum.org/communities/young-scientists|title=Young Scientists|website=World Economic Forum|access-date=2018-06-17}}
- Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award, 2013{{Cite web|url=https://www.gc.cuny.edu/News/All-News/Detail?id=24811|title=Mande Holford Wins Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award|website=www.gc.cuny.edu|access-date=2018-06-17}}
- Wings Worldquest Humanity Award, 2019{{Cite web|url=http://www.wingsworldquest.org/holford|title=Mandë Holford|website=WINGS WorldQuest|language=en-US|access-date=2019-03-16}}
- NIH Director's Pioneer Award, 2023{{Cite web |title=NIH Director's PA - 2023 Awardees {{!}} NIH Common Fund |url=https://commonfund.nih.gov/pioneer/AwardRecipients |access-date=2023-10-04 |website=commonfund.nih.gov}}
References
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Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
Category:21st-century American chemists
Category:American women chemists
Category:Hunter College faculty
Category:American science communicators
Category:York College, City University of New York alumni
Category:York College, City University of New York faculty