Four UNC researchers, including leading coronavirus expert Ralph Baric, recently earned one of the most prestigious honors for scientists and engineers in the United States.

The National Academy of Sciences inducted Baric, as well as Kerry Bloom, Joseph Kieber and Edward Salmon, into its ranks on April 26, announcing the quartet as part of an incoming class of 120 new members and 30 international members. The institution recognizes individual researchers each year for their achievements in science and contributions with original research.

Baric’s work rose to prominence during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The professor of epidemiology, microbiology and immunology is one of the foremost researchers on infectious viruses, having spent more than 30 years studying illnesses like coronaviruses and noroviruses. The Baric Lab at UNC’s Gillings School of Public Health uses coronaviruses as models to study the genetics of how viruses replicate and remain resilient, which can influence how vaccines and treatments are developed.

As the United States grappled with an initial rise in hospitalizations due to COVID-19, the Baric Lab helped lead the development of the treatment drug remdesivir, which received emergency approval from the Food and Drug Administration and was administered to coronavirus patients to shorten their recovery time. The lab also contributed to research on the treatment drug EIDD-2801, which Baric said at the time had potential to treat additional coronavirus infections beyond COVID-19. As vaccines began to be development, Baric also collaborated with the National Institutes of Health to test various candidates.

The other UNC faculty inducted into the National Academy of Sciences all work in the university’s biology department.

Bloom, who chairs the department, serves as the Thad L. Beyle Distinguished Professor and is known for his research on chromosomes. His personal work, and the research completed at the Bloom Lab, has led to improved insight on how chromosomes are organized and distributed during the life of a cell.

Kieber is the Kenan Distinguished Professor of Biology, whose research largely studies hormone signaling and examines it through genetic, molecular and biochemical methods. The Kieber Lab at UNC leads these efforts by exploring how hormones coordinate physical changes in plants as they grow and adapt to various environments.

Salmon, a retired James Larkin and Iona Mae Ballou Distinguished professor of biology, worked at UNC as a cell biologist and biophysicist. He is known for being a leader in the development of digital imaging microscopy to analyze the structural dynamics in living cells.

The National Academy of Sciences, a private institution established in 1863, provides science, engineering and health policy advice to the United States government and other organizations across the country. With this year’s elected class, the nonprofit’s active membership increases to more than 2,400 people and 501 international, non-voting members.

 

Photo via Megan May/UNC Research.

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