Kenneth Roux is an American academic

biologist A biologist is a scientist who conducts research in biology. Biologists are interested in studying life on Earth, whether it is an individual Cell (biology), cell, a multicellular organism, or a Community (ecology), community of Biological inter ...

whose research addresses structural analysis of the AIDS viruses

HIV-1 The subtypes of HIV include two major types, HIV type 1 (HIV-1) and HIV type 2 (HIV-2). HIV-1 is related to viruses found in chimpanzees and gorillas living in western Africa, while HIV-2 viruses are related to viruses found in the sooty mangabey ...

and SIV, and the antibodies that neutralize them, as well as food-

allergen An allergen is a type of antigen that produces an abnormally vigorous immune response in which the immune system fights off a perceived threat that would otherwise be harmless to the body. Such reactions are called allergies. In technical terms ...

characterization and

immunoassay An immunoassay (IA) is a biochemical test that measures the presence or concentration of a macromolecule or a small molecule in a solution through the use of an antibody (usually) or an antigen (sometimes). The molecule detected by the immunoass ...

development. He is the Kurt G. Hofer Professor of Biological Science at Florida State University (FSU), where he is affiliated with the Institute of Molecular Biophysics. He has been a member of FSU's biological science faculty since 1978. Roux received his B.S. degree from Delaware Valley College (now

Delaware Valley University Delaware Valley University (DelVal) is a private university in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1896, it enrolls approximately 1,900 students on its suburban, 570-acre campus. DelVal offers more than 28 undergraduate majors, seven master's p ...

) in 1970 and then attended

Tulane University Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into a comprehensive pub ...

, from which he received his M.S. in 1972 and his Ph.D. in 1974. Roux was a member of the research team (along with his research associate Ping Zhu) that used

negative stain In microscopy, negative staining is an established method, often used in diagnostic microscopy, for contrasting a thin specimen with an optically opaque fluid. In this technique, the background is stained, leaving the actual specimen untouched, and ...

electron microscopy and

cryo-electron microscopy Cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) is a cryomicroscopy technique applied on samples cooled to cryogenic temperatures. For biological specimens, the structure is preserved by embedding in an environment of vitreous ice. An aqueous sample s ...

coupled with

tomography Tomography is imaging by sections or sectioning that uses any kind of penetrating wave. The method is used in radiology, archaeology, biology, atmospheric science, geophysics, oceanography, plasma physics, materials science, astrophysics, ...

to produce the first detailed 3-D images of the surface of the AIDS viruses, revealing spike

protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, res ...

s. They show that the three gp120 proteins in each spike consist of a lobed head and a three-legged stalk - and use comparisons with atomic structures to gain insight into the mechanism of fusion. The images produced in his research of HIV structure and genome provide important insights for the development of vaccines that will thwart infection by targeting and crippling the sticky HIV-1 spike proteins.nbcnews.com, "Scientists get inside look at viruses", June 5, 2006, accessed April 24, 2011.
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References

External links

Florida State University faculty profile

Account of image of AIDS virus
Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Florida State University faculty American virologists Delaware Valley University alumni Tulane University alumni {{US-academic-scientist-stub