In honor of the 80th birthday of chemistry Prof. John Katzenellenbogen, several alumni of his research group organized a scientific symposium that was held Nov. 8-9 on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus where he has been a faculty member for over 50 years.
More than 70 alumni of the Katzenellenbogen research group returned for the event that included a one-day symposium featuring more than a dozen presentations by alumni in four areas – Radiopharmaceuticals; Clinical Sciences; Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Discovery; and Receptor Structural and Molecular Biology. Afterward, a reception and dinner were held in the Levis Faculty Center on the Illinois campus.
“Dr. K”, as he is affectionately known by his group alumni, has led a distinguished career in Chemistry at Illinois, training over 200 graduate students and postdocs as well as many undergraduates. Many of his former students have carried on his legacy through important contributions in their own careers. Those contributions include the formation of several start-up companies and advancements in many scientific areas, including Positron Emission Tomography imaging of receptors involved in cancer and targeted radiotherapy, medicinal chemistry, drug development, and estrogen receptor structural and molecular biology.
A final tribute arranged by Drs. Michael Sofia (PhD, ’84), Terry Moore (PhD, ’08), and Martin Pomper (BS, ’82; PhD, ’89; MD, ‘90) will be an upcoming special issue of the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, honoring Katzenellenbogen, who published more than 40 of his 400-plus articles in the journal. The special issue will include many of his articles.
The three alums also organized the symposium event. Sofia is a medicinal chemist and chief scientific officer at the biopharmaceutical company Arbutus. Moore is an associate professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Illinois Chicago. And Pomper is now a professor and chair of radiology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.
“It was important to show our respect, affection, and gratitude to Dr. K for all he has done for us and for science and medicine over the course of his career. He has proved to be an enduring mentor and friend to his former students and trainees,” Pomper said.
Moore said Dr. K has played a crucial role in his professional growth and in the growth of other K-lab alumni.
“It was only fitting to honor him and ensure he knows the significant impact he has made,” Moore said. “One of the highlights of the symposium was reconnecting with old friends and lab mates from my time in Champaign-Urbana. Being back on campus made me realize how influential my time at UIUC was on both my career and personal life.”
Pomper said a highlight of the event was seeing Dr. K and his family and that they are happy and healthy.
“It was also good to reconnect with old friends and classmates after 40 years,” Pomper said. “And seeing changes to the topography of Urbana-Champaign was interesting.”
Shaun R. Stauffer (PhD, '99), director of the Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Lerner Research Insitute at Cleveland Clinic, said it was a true honor to participate in the symposium to express gratitude to Dr. K and to hear from others the impact Illinois and Dr. K made in their lives as individuals and scientists.
"The symposium represented a long overdue recognition for Dr. K and the legacy of his research program, and the amazing environment of discovery and curiosity he so quietly cultivated in all of us," said Stauffer, who also shared the enjoyment of reconnecting with fellow lab mates. "But perhaps the bigger surprise was meeting alumni I had never met in person but knew much about from their work and time in the K-lab. The breadth of the career paths and research that alumni followed after Illinois was inspiring. In hindsight I now realize I missed out not staying more connected to the K’bogen network. Everyone was so kind and generous sharing memories and lessons from their time at Illinois and I have a renewed connection to campus and my time there. I look forward to returning soon to spend more time wondering the halls and visit Dr. K and team."
Katzenellenbogen received his B.A. in chemistry at Harvard University and went on to complete his Ph.D. in chemistry at Harvard in 1969 under the mentorship of Prof. E.J. Corey, a Nobel Laureate who served on the Illinois chemistry faculty from 1951 to 1959.
After completing his doctoral degree, Dr. K joined the University of Illinois faculty as an assistant professor of chemistry and was promoted to full professor in 1979. His research interests have involved organic and inorganic chemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology, and radiochemistry with applications in endocrine disorders, neurological diseases, and cancer medicine, particularly breast and prostate cancers.
His contributions to chemistry have been recognized with numerous prestigious awards, including induction into the Medicinal Chemistry Hall of Fame by the American Chemical Society in 2018, and the Fred Conrad Koch Lifetime Achievement Award from the Endocrine Society in 2016.
