American Philosophical Society
Member History

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Residency
Resident (1)
Class
1Name:  Dr. Pamela J. Bjorkman
 Institution:  California Institute of Technology
 Year Elected:  2002
 Class:  2. Biological Sciences
 Subdivision:  206. Physiology, Biophysics, and Pharmacology
 Residency:  Resident
 Living? :   Living
 Birth Date:  1956
   
 
Pamela J. Bjorkman is the Max Delbrück Professor of Biology the California Institute of Technology. She was an HHMI Investigator from 1989-2015. She received a B.A. degree in chemistry from the University of Oregon and a Ph.D. degree in biochemistry from Harvard University. As a graduate student and postdoctoral fellow in Don Wiley's laboratory, she solved the crystal structure of a human histocompatibility molecule. She continued her postdoctoral training at Stanford University with Mark Davis, where she worked on T cell receptors. Dr. Bjorkman is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and has received the William B. Coley Award for Distinguished Research in Fundamental Immunology from the Cancer Research Institute (shared with Don C. Wiley and Jack L. Strominger), the James R. Klinenberg Science Award from the Arthritis Foundation, the Gairdner Foundation International Award for achievements in medical science (shared with Don C. Wiley), and the Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Award (shared with Jack L. Strominger and Hans-Georg Rammensee). Dr. Bjorkman's laboratory is interested in protein-protein interactions, particularly those mediating immune recognition. The laboratory uses X-ray crystallography and biochemistry to study purified proteins, and is beginning to include confocal and electron microscopy (EM) to examine protein complexes in cells. Some of the work focuses upon homologs and mimics of class I MHC proteins. These proteins have similar three-dimensional structures but different functions, including immune functions (IgG transport by the neonatal Fc receptor, FcRn; evasion of the immune response by viral HMC mimics) and non-immune functions (regulation of iron or lipid metabolism by HFE and ZAG). Dr. Bjorkman's laboratory is also comparing the structures and functions of host and viral Fc receptors with RcRn.
 
Election Year
2002 (1)