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John D. Lambris , Ph.D.
Professor of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine
Director of the Protein Chemistry Laboratoy
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA

The Speaker: John D. Lambris , Ph.D., Professor of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Director of the Protein Chemistry Laboratoy
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA lambris@mail.med.upenn.edu
BS from University of Patras, Greece (Biology)
PhD from University of Patras, Greece (Biochemistry)
Postdoctoral training at Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina
Professor in Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania (1990- present). He is currently serving as Director of the Protein Chemistry Laboratory, University of Pennsylvania.
Councilor of the International Complement Society 1997-2002
President Elect of the International Complement Society, 2002-present
His research is currently funded by seven NIH grants totaling over $6,000,000. He has published 171 scientific papers and authored four books. He has made 87 invited talks and made 144 other presentations.

The Talk: Although complement is an important line of defense against pathogenic organisms, its inappropriate activation may lead to host cell damage. Complement-mediated tissue injury has been reported in a wide variety of diseases and clinical conditions including ischemia/reperfusion injuries, bum injuries, asthma, stroke, hemodialysis, and a number of auto-immune diseases. The complexity of the complement activation process indicates that there are several control points to consider for therapeutic regulation. Several pharmacological agents that regulate or modulate complement activity have been identified by in vitro assay but most have been shown in vivo to be toxic or of low activity. To date there are no inhibitors of complement activation used in the clinic. However, the most promising candidates for clinical use is a recombinant form of complement receptor 1 a humanized monoclonal anti-C5 antibody (5G1.1-scFv), two C5aR antagonists, and a small molecular molecule known as Compstatin. Compstatin has been tested in different clinically relevant models. It inhibited complement activation and its indirect effects on cellular responses in whole blood in in-vitro models for extracorporeal circulation, in an ex-vivo model of hyperacute pig-to-human kidney rejection, and in an in vivo heparin-protamine complex induced primate complement activation. Our recent data on the structure-activity relationship, biotransformation, molecular dynamics, 200x activity improvement using computational and experimental approaches, and in vivo use of Compstatin will be discussed.

The September meeting will be held at Adelphia Restaurant in Deptford.

The restaurant is located at 1750 Clements-Bridge Road, Deptford NJ 08096

From North Jersey, Philly, take I295 to exit 26, take Highway 42/Atlantic City Expressway south towards Atlantic City, and exit onto Highway 55. Take the first exit. Go left at the light and proceed to Clements-Bridge Road. Turn right. The restaurant is on the left side of the road and will require you to do a U-turn.

From Atlantic City, take the AC Express way to the Route 322 exit. Go through Rowan campus to route 55. Take Route 55 north to the Deptford Mall exit. Use directions above.

From Rowan, use Route 55 to go to the Deptford Mall, exit and then use the directions above.

Please call the restaurant at 856-845-8200 for directions if needed. You can also check their web site at www.adelphiarestaurant.com.

Dinner selections:
Fruit Cup, Fresh Garden Salad
Entree choices
Grilled Salmon with Olive Oil and Lemon Butter
Veal Piccante in Lemon Butter Sauce
Vegetarian meal - Egg Plant Wrap with spinach, asparagus, etc.
Entrees choices include Parfait potatoes and Vegetable Medley
Dessert: Sherbet
Beverage: Coffee or Tea
Special orders such as low-salt meals must be ordered in advance and may
exceed the $20.00 price.

Please contact one of the people below by Friday, September 12.

Thomas Colacot (856) 384-7185 or ‘colactj@jmusa.com’
Peter Mlynek (856) 787-0770 or ‘pdmlynek@yahoo.com’
Guenter Niessen (856) 423-6300 or ‘gniessen@emscience.com’