M. Zouhair Atassi, PhD, DSc

M. Zouhair Atassi holds a BSc in Chemistry from the University of Bristol, England, and an MSc and a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Birmingham, England.

Currently, Dr. Atassi serves as Robert A. Welch Chair of Chemistry, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and Professor of Immunology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas.

Dr. Atassi held tenures as Professor of Biochemistry and Immunology at Mayo Medical School in Rochester, Minnesota, and at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His other previous positions were as Professor and  Chairman of the Biochemistry Division at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan; Assistant Professor of Biochemistry at the State University of New York at Buffalo, New York; and as Postdoctoral Research Fellow for the Division of Laboratories and Research of the New York State Health Department in Albany, New York and for the University of Birmingham in England.

Dr. Atassi has published widely in scientific journals and has authored over 400 articles. He is, at present, Editor-in-Chief of Protein Reviews, The Protein Journal, Journal of Protein Chemistry, and Critical Reviews in Immunology. He is also Co-Editor-in-Chief for the Forum on Immunopathological Diseases and Therapeutics. Dr. Atassi sat on the Editorial Board of other publications, such as Preparatory Biochemistry, Peptide and Protein Reviews, and Biochemical Journal.

As a member of the editorial committee for Immunological Investigations, Dr. Atassi has edited 15 books, which include Immunology of Proteins, Immunobiology of Proteins and Peptides and Methods in Protein Structure Analysis, all by Plenum Press; Molecular Immunology, Dekker; and Botulinum Toxin: Therapeutic Clinical Practice and Science, Elsevier.

Dr. Atassi has conducted research programs on antibody and T-cell recognition; MHC regulation of proteins at the submolecular level; development of peptide vaccines against neurotoxin; and mechanism of antigen presentation to the T cell. He did studies on molecular and cellular autoimmune recognition of acetylene receptor and of muscle specific kinase in myasthenia gravis.

Among the honors and awards Dr. Atassi has received are The Kuwait Prize in Basic Sciences, Tohuku Medical Society Award, The Harden Medal, and the Medico-Legal Society of Japan Award for distinction in research.