School of Medicine
Joe Lutkenhaus Named University Distinguished Professor
Apr 18, 2006
 |
| Colleagues Paul Cheney (center) and Jim Voogt (right) congratulated Joe Lutkenhaus, KUMC's newest University Distinguished Professor, during a reception April 14 in the School of Nursing Atrium. |
Joe specializes in bacterial cell division and in 1991 announced a discovery that has changed the way scientists all over the world look at bacterial cell division. He discovered that a component named FtsZ forms a ring, the Z ring, in the middle of a cell and leads the division of the cell. Ultimately, Joe's research may contribute to the development of new antibiotics.
Joe pioneered the entire field of bacterial cell division, said Richard Losick, PhD, Maria Moors Cabot Professor of Biology at Harvard University. "Before his research, we had no idea how bacterial cell division occurred."
University Distinguished Professors meet strict criteria. The chosen professor must be a distinguished scholar in his/her field, invest time with students, colleagues and the community and show interest in other related fields. Joe joins past winners of this award: Jared Grantham, MD, for his work in the field of nephrology and hypertension; Joan Hunt, PhD, for her accomplishments in anatomy and cell biology; Curtis Klaassen, PhD, for his work in the field of pharmacology, toxicology and therapeutics; and Marc Asher, MD for his achievements in orthopedics.
Email this article | View All School of Medicine News | School of Medicine web site
