James Collins (Boston University)

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For the football player of the same name see Jim Collins (football player).
Jim Collins

Born June 26, 1965 (1965-06-26) (age 42)
New York City, New York, U.S.
Residence Flag of the United States U.S., Flag of the United Kingdom UK (1987-90)
Citizenship Flag of the United States United States
Fields biomedical engineering
Institutions Boston University
Alma mater University of Oxford (Ph.D.)
Holy Cross (BA)
Notable awards Rhodes Scholar,

MacArthur Fellow[1],

NIH Director's Pioneer Award

James J. Collins (June 26, 1965) is an American bioengineer and Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Boston University. He is one of the founders of the emerging field of synthetic biology, and a pioneering researcher in systems biology, stochastic resonance, biological dynamics and neurostimulation.[2]

Contents

[edit] Biography

Collins received a bachelor's degree in Physics (summa cum laude; class valedictorian) from the College of the Holy Cross in 1987 and a doctorate in Medical Engineering from the University of Oxford in 1990. From 1987 to 1990, he was a Rhodes Scholar. Since 1990, he has been a faculty member in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Boston University. Currently, Collins is a University Professor, Professor of Biomedical Engineering, and Co-Director of the Center for BioDynamicsat Boston University.

Collins' scientific accomplishments have been recognized by numerous awards. For example, in 1999, he was selected for Technology Review's inaugural TR100 - 100 young innovators who will shape the future of technology[3]. In 2003, he received a MacArthur Foundation "Genius Award"[1], becoming the first bioengineer to receive this honor. Collins award citation noted, "Throughout his research, Collins demonstrates a proclivity for identifying abstract principles that underlie complex biological phenomena and for using these concepts to solve concrete, practical problems." In 2005, Collins was selected for the Scientific American 50 - the top 50 outstanding leaders in science and technology[4]. In 2007, Collins received the NIH Director's Pioneer Award and the Ellison Medical Foundation Senior Scholar Award in Aging. Additionally, he is a Fellow of the American Physical Society, the Institute of Physics, and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering.

Collins is also a gifted and committed teacher. He has won numerous teaching awards at Boston University, including the Biomedical Engineering Teacher of the Year Award, the College of Engineering Professor of the Year Award, and the Metcalf Cup and Prize for Excellence in Teaching, which is the highest teaching honor awarded by Boston University[5].

Collins has co-founded two companies based on his technologies: Afferent Corporation, a medical device company, and Cellicon Biotechnologies, a drug discovery company. Afferent is using Dr. Collins' noise-based sensory enhancement technology to create a new class of medical devices to address complications resulting from diabetic neuropathy, restoring brain function following stroke, and improving elderly balance. Cellicon Biotechnologies is using Dr. Collins' systems biology and synthetic biology technology platforms to develop novel antibiotics for overcoming resistance. Dr. Collins also co-chairs the Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) of Gene Network Sciences, and serves on the SAB of Codon Devices, Inc., Epitome Biosystems and Joule Biotechnologies. Additionally, he has served on the SAB of Mannkind Corporation (Nasdaq: MNKD) and Bios Group Inc.

[edit] Work

Collins' research focuses on developing nonlinear dynamical techniques and devices to characterize, improve and mimic biological function. His specific interests include:

  • systems biology - reverse engineering naturally occurring gene regulatory networks,
  • synthetic biology - modeling, designing and constructing synthetic gene networks, and
  • developing noise-based sensory prosthetics.

Collins has invented a number of novel devices and techniques, including vibrating insoles for enhancing balance[6], bistable genetic toggle switches[7] for biotechnology and bioenergy applications, dynamical control techniques for eliminating cardiac arrhythmias, and systems biology techniques for identifying drug targets[8][9] and disease mediators[10].

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b MacArthur Fellows, October 2003. John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Retrieved on 2007-04-15.
  2. ^ Reardon, Michael (winter 2007), “The Profile: James J. Collins Jr. '87”, Holy Cross Magazine 41 (1): 80, <http://www.holycross.edu/departments/publicaffairs/hcm/winter07/GAA/gaa8.html>. Retrieved on 15 April 2007 
  3. ^ 1999 Young Innovator, James Collins. Technology Review (November/December 1999). Retrieved on 2007-04-15.
  4. ^ Scientific American 50: SA 50 Winners and Contributors. Scientific American (2005-11-21). Retrieved on 2007-04-15.
  5. ^ Brick, Tricia (spring 2006), “Genius at Work”, Bostonia: 20-25, <http://www.bu.edu/alumni/bostonia/2006/spring/collins/index.html>. Retrieved on 15 April 2007 
  6. ^ Priplata, A; Niemi J, Harry J, Lipsitz LA and Collins JJ (04 Oct 2003). "Vibrating insoles and balance control in elderly people". The Lancet 362 (9390): 1123–1124. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(03)14470-4. PMID 14550702. 
  7. ^ Gardner, TS; Cantor CR and Collins JJ (20 Jan 2000). "Construction of a genetic toggle switch in Escherichia coli". Nature 403: 339–342. doi:10.1038/35002131. PMID 10659857. 
  8. ^ Gardner, TS; di Bernardo D, Lorenz D and Collins JJ (04 Jul 2003). "Inferring genetic networks and identifying compound of action via expression profiling". Science 301: 102–1005. doi:10.1126/science.1081900. PMID 12843395. 
  9. ^ di Bernardo, D; Thompson MJ, Gardner TS, Chobot SE, Eastwood EL, Wojtovich AP, Elliot SJ, Schaus SE and Collins JJ (Mar 2005). "Chemogenomic profiling on a genome-wide scale using reverse-engineered gene networks". Nature Biotechnology 23: 377–383. doi:10.1038/nbt1075. PMID 15765094. 
  10. ^ Ergun, A; Lawrence CA, Kohanski MA, Brennan TA and Collins JJ (2007). "A network biology approach to prostate cancer". Molecular Systems Biology 3: 82. doi:10.1038/msb4100125. PMID 17299418. 

[edit] External links


Persondata
NAME Collins, James J.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION professor, biomedical engineering
DATE OF BIRTH June 26, 1965
PLACE OF BIRTH New York City, New York, U.S.
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH