Marion S. Helfand, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Medicine and Biochemistry
Phone: (216) 791-3800
Fax: (216) 229-8509
E-mail: marion.helfand@va.gov
Education
B.S. Chemistry, Case Western Reserve University, May 1983
Ph.D. Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, November 1989
M.D. Case Western Reserve University, June 1996
Residency- 1996-1999
Fellowship Infectious Diseases University Hospitals of Cleveland, 19992002
Research:
My laboratory is interested in the structural basis of resistance to beta-lactamase inhibitors in a wide variety of beta-lactamase enzymes such as Class A beta-lactamases (SHV of Klebsiella pneumoniae; TEM of E. coli); Class C beta-lactamases (CMY-2 enzyme) and Class B metallo-beta-lactamases (VIM-2 of Pseudomonas).
In addition, she has an interest in specific HIV protease mutations that lead to high level protease inhibitor resistance.
Projects for fellows would include:
Site-saturation and site-directed mutagenesis of beta-lactamases and HIV proteases, microbiologic and kinetic characterization of these enzymes, further structural and spectroscopic characterization including vibrational spectroscopy and computer simulation
Collection and epidemiologic and microbiologic characterization of clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Development of high throughput screening assays for novel beta-lactamase inhibitor compounds
| 
