Norma J. Nowak, Ph.D.
Director of Science and Technology
New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics & Life Sciences
Norma Jean Nowak, Ph.D., is recognized as a leader in the field of genomics. Her research contributed directly to the Human Genome Project, as well as to microarray-based approaches to understanding heritable disorders and cancer. In 2003, she was named director of science and technology for the New York State Center for Excellence in Bioinformatics & Life Sciences.
A graduate of the State University of New York at Buffalo (UB), where she received her Ph.D. in Experimental Pathology, Dr. Nowak has spent her career contributing to the vibrancy of the Western New York life sciences industry. She previously served since 1999 as director of the Microarray and Genomics Facility, a collaborative research lab shared by Roswell Park Cancer Institute and the UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, headquartered at RPCI. Prior to that, she was involved for 14 years in research at RPCI developing physical clone resources for cloning disease genes and mapping the human genome.
Among her major achievements, Nowak has authored landmark papers describing the cloning of several heritable cancer disorders, including a form of Ataxia Telangiectasia (Nijmegen Breakage Syndrome). Her work on the Human Genome Project was published in the genome issue of Nature. Dr. Nowak led and coordinated the three groups for the NCI extramural Cancer Chromosome Aberration Project. As part of this project, Dr. Nowak also developed BAC based array CGH (Comparative Genomic Hybridization) a microarray-based method for identifying numerical differences in DNA between tumor and normal cells and cells from individuals with genetic disorders. The results of this work were published in Nature Genetics. She also was a key member of the GENSAT project studying spatial and temporal gene expression during development of the central nervous system in mice, and this work was published in the 2003 genome edition of Nature.
Nowak, who has received more than $4 million in research grants from the National Institutes of Health and various foundations, has authored or co-authored 80 research articles in leading scientific journals and has served as an associate editor of Physiological Genomics. She recently joined the editorial board of Cytogenetics and Genome Research as an Associate Editor.
News
Invitrogen Foundation Supports UB's Life Sciences Initiatives in Buffalo
11/07/2008 - BUFFALO, N.Y. -- "The Invitrogen Foundation headquartered in Carlsbad, Calif., has given the University at Buffalo $50,000 to support marketing and outreach efforts for UB's iSci: Career Pathways in the Life Sciences program..." [Read On...]
CoE Researchers Apply Systems Biology and Glycomics to Study Human Inflammatory Diseases
10/28/2008 - BUFFALO, N.Y. -- "It's an extremely valuable way to apply engineering principles to biology, it's critical to merge both approaches..." [Read On...]
Initiative to Develop Groundbreaking Medical Devices, Boost Industry
09/17/2008 - BUFFALO, N. Y. -- "Launch made possible by $3 million Oishei Foundation grant...UB is establishing a Dept. of Biomedical Engineering with a focus on developing groundbreaking medical devices and therapies to address society's most pressing health problems..." [Read On...]
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Events
November 20 - Life Sciences Commercialization Series
"CTG in the Center of Excellence: What this Collaboration is All About!" presented by Michael Colson, Sr. VP of Solutions Development. To learn more, click here.
November 20 - Biotechnology and Entrepreneurship Seminar Series
"Biotech Business Models for Sustained Survival and Success: Why do so Few Biotech Companies Survive and Succeed?" presented via live interactive video conference by Daniel P. vanPlew, Sr. VP and General Manager, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. To learn more, click here.
FREE BOOK RAFFLE FOLLOWING EVENT!
November 25 - WNY Career Fair
Interested in Advanced Manufacturing and Life Sciences careers? Join over 50 participating businesses and educational organizations to help make your career goal a reality. To learn more, click here.
To view the complete list of events and event details, please visit our Events page
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