Charles DeLisi
Encyclopedia
Charles DeLisi is the Metcalf Professor
of Science and Engineering at Boston University
, and also served as Dean of the College of Engineering from 1990 to 2000. Prior to moving to Boston University, he was Professor and Chair of Biomathematical
Sciences and Professor of Molecular Biology
at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine
(1987–1989), Director of the United States Department of Energy
's Health and Environmental Research Programs (1985–1987), Section Chief at National Institutes of Health
(1975–1985), and Theoretical Division Staff Scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory
(1972–1975).
In 1999 he initiated the Boston University graduate program in Bioinformatics
, which now includes approximately 120 students and 50 faculty from across the university.
DeLisi was an early champion of the controversial idea that in cell biology, just as in the physical sciences, the mathematical formulation of concepts could predict phenomena that would not otherwise be apparent, and could thereby drive experimental research in new directions. The approach is seen in a number of investigations. His 1979 paper predicted, several years in advance of experimental demonstration, that the signal generated when nerve growth factor binds its plasma membrane receptor is transduced by receptor dimerization.
In immunology, DeLisi was a strong proponent of the controversial hypothesis that the response of T-cells to antigenic stimulation involves formation of a ternary complex. Predictions based on the mathematical formulation of that idea, the amphipathic hypothesis, provided strong support for what was ultimately demonstrated conclusively by X-ray crystallogrphy. The mathematical methods, developed initially with Jay Berzofsky, were subsequently extended and modified by many others, presaging the now widely used bioinformatic approaches to guide the design of peptide vaccines.
At the same time, the Section on Theoretical Immunology (STI), which DeLisi founded several years earlier at the NIH, had introduced the use of supervised learning algorithms for the identification of functional regions in DNA and proteins. The first database integrating DNA and protein sequences with analytical tools was developed in collaboration with Minoru Kanehisa, who was then a Visiting Fellow at STI.
In 1985, as Director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Health and Environmental Research Programs, DeLisi and his advisors proposed, planned and defended before the White House Office of Management and Budget and the Congress, the Human Genome Project
. The proposal created a storm of controversy, but was included in President Ronald Reagan
’s FY 1987 budget submission to the Congress, and subsequently passed both the House and the Senate, the latter with the essential support of Senator Pete Domenici
(R, NM).
In the spring of 1987, shortly before leaving the DOE, DeLisi established an ethical studies component of the Project. The goal was to set aside 3-5 % of the funding in order to engage the best minds in the humanities and social sciences to develop a body of thought that would inform decisions about the development and deployment of the radically new technologies destined to emerge from the completion of the Project. In taking this step DeLisi was likely influenced by the fact that he was working for an agency that provided the vast majority of the Nation’s nuclear physics budget, and the awareness that the consequences of the rapid development of nucelar energy some four decades earlier continued to plague the planet.
In addition to the technical and scientific advances engendered by the Human Genome Project, it and its progeny have had a profound effect on the sociology and culture of cell biology. The computer science
community in particular moved with extraordinary dexterity into cell biology, transforming the field and creating a record of discovery destined to provide material for a remarkable story in the sociology of late 20th and early 21st Century science. Computational and mathematical methods are now widely viewed as central to progress in cell biology, a change that is forcing even the most conservative universities to respond to a new paradigm in biological education.
Commemorating the significance of the Human Genome Project
, the DOE installed a bronze plaque outside room F-202 at its Germantown, Maryland facility. The plaque reads, “FROM THIS ROOM THE HUMAN GENOME PROJECT EVOLVED FROM A MERE CONCEPT TO A REVOLUTIONARY RESEARCH PROGRAM THROUGH THE VISION AND DETERMINATION OF DR. CHARLES DELISI ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF ENERGY RESEARCH FOR HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 1985 TO 1987.”
DeLisi is recipient of numerous awards including the Presidential Citizens Medal
, awarded to him by President Clinton
for his seminal role in initiating the Human Genome Project
.
DeLisi later went on to make many achievements at several different college campuses as well as elsewhere. Some of these include being a post-doctoral fellow at Yale for three years and being hired as a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of Science and Engineering at Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
, and also served as Dean of the College of Engineering from 1990 to 2000. Prior to moving to Boston University, he was Professor and Chair of Biomathematical
Mathematical biology
Mathematical and theoretical biology is an interdisciplinary scientific research field with a range of applications in biology, medicine and biotechnology...
Sciences and Professor of Molecular Biology
Molecular biology
Molecular biology is the branch of biology that deals with the molecular basis of biological activity. This field overlaps with other areas of biology and chemistry, particularly genetics and biochemistry...
at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine
Mount Sinai School of Medicine
Mount Sinai School of Medicine is an American medical school in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, currently ranked among the top 20 medical schools in the United States. It was chartered by Mount Sinai Hospital in 1963....
(1987–1989), Director of the United States Department of Energy
United States Department of Energy
The United States Department of Energy is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government concerned with the United States' policies regarding energy and safety in handling nuclear material...
's Health and Environmental Research Programs (1985–1987), Section Chief at National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
The National Institutes of Health are an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and are the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research. Its science and engineering counterpart is the National Science Foundation...
(1975–1985), and Theoretical Division Staff Scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Los Alamos National Laboratory is a United States Department of Energy national laboratory, managed and operated by Los Alamos National Security , located in Los Alamos, New Mexico...
(1972–1975).
In 1999 he initiated the Boston University graduate program in Bioinformatics
Bioinformatics
Bioinformatics is the application of computer science and information technology to the field of biology and medicine. Bioinformatics deals with algorithms, databases and information systems, web technologies, artificial intelligence and soft computing, information and computation theory, software...
, which now includes approximately 120 students and 50 faculty from across the university.
DeLisi was an early champion of the controversial idea that in cell biology, just as in the physical sciences, the mathematical formulation of concepts could predict phenomena that would not otherwise be apparent, and could thereby drive experimental research in new directions. The approach is seen in a number of investigations. His 1979 paper predicted, several years in advance of experimental demonstration, that the signal generated when nerve growth factor binds its plasma membrane receptor is transduced by receptor dimerization.
In immunology, DeLisi was a strong proponent of the controversial hypothesis that the response of T-cells to antigenic stimulation involves formation of a ternary complex. Predictions based on the mathematical formulation of that idea, the amphipathic hypothesis, provided strong support for what was ultimately demonstrated conclusively by X-ray crystallogrphy. The mathematical methods, developed initially with Jay Berzofsky, were subsequently extended and modified by many others, presaging the now widely used bioinformatic approaches to guide the design of peptide vaccines.
At the same time, the Section on Theoretical Immunology (STI), which DeLisi founded several years earlier at the NIH, had introduced the use of supervised learning algorithms for the identification of functional regions in DNA and proteins. The first database integrating DNA and protein sequences with analytical tools was developed in collaboration with Minoru Kanehisa, who was then a Visiting Fellow at STI.
In 1985, as Director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Health and Environmental Research Programs, DeLisi and his advisors proposed, planned and defended before the White House Office of Management and Budget and the Congress, the Human Genome Project
Human Genome Project
The Human Genome Project is an international scientific research project with a primary goal of determining the sequence of chemical base pairs which make up DNA, and of identifying and mapping the approximately 20,000–25,000 genes of the human genome from both a physical and functional...
. The proposal created a storm of controversy, but was included in President Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
’s FY 1987 budget submission to the Congress, and subsequently passed both the House and the Senate, the latter with the essential support of Senator Pete Domenici
Pete Domenici
Pietro Vichi "Pete" Domenici is an American Republican politician, who served six terms as a United States Senator from New Mexico, from 1973 to 2009, the longest tenure in the state's history....
(R, NM).
In the spring of 1987, shortly before leaving the DOE, DeLisi established an ethical studies component of the Project. The goal was to set aside 3-5 % of the funding in order to engage the best minds in the humanities and social sciences to develop a body of thought that would inform decisions about the development and deployment of the radically new technologies destined to emerge from the completion of the Project. In taking this step DeLisi was likely influenced by the fact that he was working for an agency that provided the vast majority of the Nation’s nuclear physics budget, and the awareness that the consequences of the rapid development of nucelar energy some four decades earlier continued to plague the planet.
In addition to the technical and scientific advances engendered by the Human Genome Project, it and its progeny have had a profound effect on the sociology and culture of cell biology. The computer science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
community in particular moved with extraordinary dexterity into cell biology, transforming the field and creating a record of discovery destined to provide material for a remarkable story in the sociology of late 20th and early 21st Century science. Computational and mathematical methods are now widely viewed as central to progress in cell biology, a change that is forcing even the most conservative universities to respond to a new paradigm in biological education.
Commemorating the significance of the Human Genome Project
Human Genome Project
The Human Genome Project is an international scientific research project with a primary goal of determining the sequence of chemical base pairs which make up DNA, and of identifying and mapping the approximately 20,000–25,000 genes of the human genome from both a physical and functional...
, the DOE installed a bronze plaque outside room F-202 at its Germantown, Maryland facility. The plaque reads, “FROM THIS ROOM THE HUMAN GENOME PROJECT EVOLVED FROM A MERE CONCEPT TO A REVOLUTIONARY RESEARCH PROGRAM THROUGH THE VISION AND DETERMINATION OF DR. CHARLES DELISI ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF ENERGY RESEARCH FOR HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 1985 TO 1987.”
DeLisi is recipient of numerous awards including the Presidential Citizens Medal
Presidential Citizens Medal
The Presidential Citizens Medal is the second highest civilian award in the United States, second only to the Presidential Medal of Freedom. It is awarded by the President of the United States, and may be given posthumously....
, awarded to him by President Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
for his seminal role in initiating the Human Genome Project
Human Genome Project
The Human Genome Project is an international scientific research project with a primary goal of determining the sequence of chemical base pairs which make up DNA, and of identifying and mapping the approximately 20,000–25,000 genes of the human genome from both a physical and functional...
.
Earlier years
Charles DeLisi grew up in the Bronx, New York, going to New York public schools and living with his maternal grandparents. He earned a Bachelor's Degree in 1963 from CCNY and later continued his educational career at NYU, where he earned his PhD in physics.DeLisi later went on to make many achievements at several different college campuses as well as elsewhere. Some of these include being a post-doctoral fellow at Yale for three years and being hired as a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Engineering and Applied Sciences.