Department of Integrated Science and Technology (ISAT)

Education

• Post Doctoral – DNAX Research Inst.
• Ph.D. Texas A&M University
• MS – Texas A&M University
• BA – University of California, Santa Barbara

Experience

• Teaches courses in biotechnology and awareness and understanding of WMDs. He serves as a regional HazMat responder, and educator for the City of Harrisonburg, and Rockingham County in Virginia. In addition, he is also a volunteer firefighter.  He joined the JMU faculty in Fall 2001. He received a B.A. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from University of California, Santa Barbara. He received an M.S. degree in Organic Chemistry and a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology and Genetics from Texas A&M University. Prior to joining JMU, he spent 15 years in the biotech industry as a research scientist at IDEC Pharmaceuticals, and Affymax Research Institute. He has taught Molecular Biology and Genetics at the University of California, Berkeley. His research interests are the cloning, expression, and purification of genes from pathogenic bacteria, and viruses for use as potential vaccines, therapeutics, and/or for diagnostic reagents for the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases. Currently working on cloning various forms of the human eye protein lacritin for therapeutical of dye-eye syndrome and bacterial eye infections.

Classified as a Certified Instructor for the Following Courses

• WMD Radiological/Nuclear Awareness - National Security Technologies
• WMD Standardized Awareness Trainer - Center for Domestic Preparedness
• Fundamentals Course for Radiological Response - Center for Domestic Preparedness
• Radiological Training for Hospital Personnel - Center for Domestic Preparedness
• Avanced Chem/Bio Integrated Response - Joint Operational Testing and Training

Publications

Purification and characterization of a recombinant Yersinia pestis V-F1 "Reversed" fusion protein for use as a new subunit vaccine against plague Bradford S Powell, Ph.D.; Jeff T Enama; Ronald W Raab, Ph.D.; Robert  L McKown, Ph.D.; George Coffman, Ph.D.; Gerard P Andrews, Ph.D. Protein Expression and Purification, 2011, 76, 136-144

Jenkins, Tiffany, Smith, Josh, Zimmerman, Benjamin, and Raab, Ronald.  Oxygen Depletion in a Level A Hazmat Suit.  Fire Engineering.  2010 November vol.163 #11

Yinghui Zhang, Robert L. McKown, Ronald W. Raab, Alan C. Rapraeger, Gordon W. Laurie.  Focus on Molecules: Syndecan-1.  Experimental Eye Research.  2010 

Robert L. McKown, Ningning Wang, Ronald W. Raab, Roy Karnati, Yinghui Zhang, Patricia
B. Williams, Gordon W. Laurie (2009) Lacritin and other new proteins of the lacrimal functional unit.  Experimental Eye Research.  2009 May; 88(5): 848-58

Peisong Ma, Ningning Wang, Rober L. McKown, Ronald W. Raab, and Gordon W. Laurie.  Focus on Molecules: Lacritin.  Experimental Eye research (2008) 86

Ronald Raab, and Wieslaw Swietnicki.  Yersinia pestis YopD15-0287 fragment is partially unfolded in the native state.  Protein Expression and Purification (2008) 58 

George L. Coffman, Ronald W. Raab, and Robert L. McKown.  Expression of Ebola Virus Proteins in a Eucaryotic Cell System for Production of Critical Diagnostics to Address the Threat of Bioterrorism.  George Mason University Press. 2007

Peisong Ma, Ningning Wang, Robert L. McKown, Ronald W. Raab, and Gordon W. Laurie.  Focus on Molecules: Lacritin.  Experimental Eye Research. 2007.

Peisong Ma, Shannon L. Beck, Ronald W. Raab, Robert L. McKown, George L. Coffman, William J. Chirico, Alan C. Rapraeger, and Gordon L. Laurie.  Deglycosylation of Co-recetptor Syndecan-1 is Required for Core Protein Binding of Epithelial Restricted Prosecretory Mitogen Lacritin.   The Journal of Cell Biology (2006) Vol. 174. No. 7

W.G. Tucker, D. J. Lawrence, T.C. DeVore, R.W. Raab, and G.L. Coffman.  An IAQ Sensing and Alarm System for Chemical and Biological Substances.  Proceedings of the Healthy Buildings 2006 Conference.  June 2006

Jiahu Wang, Staci C. Walton, Ningning Wang, Ronald W. Raab, Robert L. McKown, Shannon L. Beck, George L. Coffman, Isa Hussaini, and Gordon W. Laurie.  Restricted Epithelial Proliferation by Lacritin/Inactive PKC/NFATC2 Pathway.  The Journal of Cell Biology (2006) Vol. 174. No. 5, 689-700.

Goodin JL, RW Raab, RL McKown, GL Coffman, BS Powell, JT Enama, JA Ligon, GP
Andrews. Yersinia pestis outer membrane type III secretion protein YscC: expression,
purification, characterization, and induction of specific antiserum. Protein Expr Purif. 2005

Peisong Ma, Shannon Beck, Ron Raab, Robert McKown, George Coffman, Gordon W. Laurie.  Identification of Syndecan-1 as a Coreceptor for Prosecretory Mitogen Lacritin.  The Ocular Surface.  Vol.3. No1.  January 2005 

J. L. Goodin, R. W. Raab, R. L. McKown, G. Coffman, B. S. Powell, J. T. Enama, J. A. Ligon, and G. P. Andrews.  Yersinia pestis outer membrane type III secretion protein YscC:  expression, purification, characterization, and induction of specific antiserum. (2005) Protein Expr. & Purif. 40, 152-163

W. Gene Tucker, David Lawrence, Thomas DeVore, and Ronald Raab.  Development of an Indoor Air Quality Sensing and Alert/Alarm System.  (2004) Critical Infrastructure Protection Program, Workshop II Working Papers.  George Mason University Press. Pg. 187.

Ronald Raab, Robert McKown, and George Coffman.  Development of Recombinant Biological Vaccines and Critical Diagnostics to Address the Threat of Bioterrorism. (2004) Critical Infrastructure Protection Program, Workshop II Working Papers.  George Mason University Press. Pg. 199.

 Ronald Raab, Robert Mckown, and George Coffman.  The Use of E. Coli Expressed Proteins    of Yersina Pestis for the Development of Vaccines Against Pheumonic Plague. (2004) Virginia J. Science. Vol. 55. (No. 1&2) 14

R.L. McKown, S.J. Aherne, L. Stehling, R. W. Raab, G. L. Coffman, and G.W. Laurie.  Mutational Analysis of Recombinant Lacritin, A Novel Secretion Enhancing Factor From the Human Lacrimal Gland. (2004) Virginia J. Science. Vol. 55. (No. 1&2) 19-20

Taiying Chen, Ronald W. Raab, Priya Ratnam and Kris Kalra.  Automated Staining Techniques in Histopathology Laboratories.  (1999). Advanced Laboratory (4), 1 - 3.

Shusheng Wang, Ronald W. Raab, Peter J. Schatz, William B. Guggino, and Min Li.  Peptide Binding Consensus of the NHE-RF-PDZ1 Domain Matches the C-terminal Sequence of Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR). (1998), FEBS Letters. (427), 103-108.

Rika van Huizen, Karen Miller, De-Mao Chen, Ying Li, Zhi-Chun Lai, Ronald W. Raab, William S. Start, Randall D. Shortridge, Min Li.  Two Distantly Positioned PDZ Domains Mediate Multivalent INAD-Phospholipase C Interactions Essential for G protein-Coupled Signaling. (1998) EMBO. 17 (8), 2285-2297.

Jia Zu, Weifang Yu, Jerry M. Wright, Ronald W. Raab, and Min Li.  Distinct Functional Stoichiometry of Potassium Channel Beta-subunits. (1998), Proc. Nat. Acad Soc. 95 (4),
1846 - 1851.

Nicole L. Stricker, Karen S. Christopherson, Byungdoo A. Yi, Peter J. Schatz, Ronald W. Raab, Douglas E. Bassett, Jr., David S. Bredt, Mi Li.  PDZ domain of neuronal nitric oxide syntheses recognizes novel C-terminal peptide sequences as determined by in vitro selection. (1997), Nature Biotechnology, 15.

Min Li, Weifeng Yu, Chien-Huan Chen, Steve Cwirla, Erik Whitehorn, Emily Tate, Ron Raab, Meire Bremer, Bill Dower.  In Vitro selection of peptides acting at a new site of NMDA glutamate receptros. (1996), Nature Biotechnology, 14.

Reff, M.E., Carner, K., Chambers, K.S. Chinn, P.C. Leonard, J.E., Raab, R., Newman, R., Hanna, N., Anderson, D.R.  Depletion of B cells in vivo by a chimeric mouse human monoclonal antibody to CD20 (1994). Blood 83 (2).

Newman, R., Alberts, J., Anderson, D., Norton, F., Raab, R., Reff, M., and Hanna, N.  Primatization of recombinant antibodies.  A macaque/human antibody against human CD4. (1992) Biotechnology, 10.

Raab, R., and Engelhorn, S. (1991)  Rapid electroblotting of small DNA fragments from polyacrylamide gels.  BioTechniques, 11, 594-596.

Raab, R., and Lee, S. (1988)  Alkaloid production from tissue cultures of Catharanthus Roseus using carbon sources other than sucrose for the culture media.  Phytochemical Bulletin, 20. 40-43.

Raab, R., Neal, G., Sohaskey, C., Smith, J., and Young, R. (1988).  Dominance in lambda S mutations and evidence for transnational control.  J. Mol. Biol. 199, 95 -105.

Raab, R., Neal, G., Garrett, J., Grimaila, G., Fusselman, R., and Young, R. (1986).  Mutational analysis of bacteriophage lambda lysis gene S.J. Bacterial. 167, 1035-1042.

Raab, R., Maretea, D., Neal, G., and Young, R. (1985).  A genetic approach to secondary structure analysis of coliphage lysis proteins.  J. Cell. Biochem.  Supp. 9B, 136.