Dr. DeLucas is the Director of the Center for Biophysical Sciences and
Engineering, the Director of the Comprehensive Cancer Center X-ray Core
Facility, and a Professor in the School of Optometry at the University of
Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). From October 1994 to October 1995, he served as
Chief Scientist for the International Space Station at NASA Headquarters. He
currently serves as a member of the U. S. Space and Rocket Center Advisory
Committee, the Illinois College of Optometry Board of Trustees, the Executive
Committee of the Helen Keller Eye Research Foundation, as Co-chair of the
Spacehab Science Advisory Board and is a member of the Japanese Space Agency
Science Advisory Board. Dr. DeLucas was named the Distinguished Faculty
Lecturer at UAB (October 2000), a prestigious award honoring individuals in the
Academic Health Center at UAB who have made major contributions in education,
service and drug discovery research. In April 1999 he received the Howard
Heflin Statesmanship Award for Technology and in January 1999 he was recognized
as one of the scientists who could shape the 21st century in an article
published by “The Sunday Times” of London titled “The Brains Behind the 21st
Century”. Dr. DeLucas was inducted into the National Optometry Hall of Fame in
October 2002. He was the recipient of the Order of Rio Branco, rank of
Commander from the Brazilian Government on behalf of the President of Brazil
and the Grand Master of the Order of Rio Branco (1998). (Order of Rio Branco is
awarded to recognize and celebrate the merits of Brazilian and foreign
individuals who have significantly contributed to the promotion of Brazil’s
relations with the world.) Dr. DeLucas had also received Honorary Doctor of
Science degrees from Ferris State University (May 2002), Ohio State University
(June 1999), Illinois College of Optometry (May 1998), and State University of
New York, College of Optometry (May 1997).
Dr. DeLucas received five degrees from UAB culminating in a Doctor of Optometry
degree and a Ph.D. degree in Biochemistry. He has published over 100 research
articles in various scientific journals, co-authored two books on protein
crystal growth and is a co-inventor on 14 patents mainly involving protein
crystal growth. He has been an invited lecturer at numerous national and
international scientific meetings concerning his research in protein crystal
growth in ground based and microgravity environments. He flew as a Payload
Specialist on the United States Microgravity Laboratory-1, space shuttle
Columbia (STS-50, launched in June 25, 1992), participating in thirty-one
different scientific experiments in the areas of materials processing and fluid
dynamics. Dr. Delucas was the principal investigator on the project “Protein
Crystal Growth in Microgravity”. Beginning in April 1985, a series of
microgravity experiments have been performed on 64 different shuttle flights.
These space experiments were used to: 1) develop space hardware that reproduces
the most popular ground based crystal growth techniques with specific
adaptations made to maximize the benefits of a microgravity environment; and 2)
utilize the experience of a large co-investigator group that consist of
scientists and engineers from universities, pharmaceutical companies, and
government laboratories in collaboration with engineers from the Marshall Space
Flight Center in Huntsville, Al. Protein crystals from these missions have led
to several protein structures at a higher resolution than could have been
achieved using earth grown crystals. Dr. DeLucas received NASA Public Service
Medal for exemplary performance in support of the Microgravity Projects Office
in June, 1997.
Dr. DeLucas’ research interests include structure based drug design, x-ray
crystallography in the fields of genomics and proteomics, coupled with
development of innovative tools and technologies for drug discovery. The Center
for Biophysical Sciences and Engineering is a leading structural biology center
with established capabilities in structure based drug design. We have developed
a suite of proprietary technologies embrace the genes to drug paradigm by
attaining both speed and accuracy in the identification, optimization, and
development of new therapeutics that are central to modern pharmaceutical
research and development.