UNC Charlotte Biology Professor Wins Prestigious Award from Bank

First Citizens honors Ken Bost for research in immune-system response, vaccines

March 12, 2007

CHARLOTTE — For his cutting-edge research in such disciplines as human immune-system response and the use of soybeans to deliver vaccines, UNC Charlotte biology professor Ken Bost is the 2007 recipient of the First Citizens Bank Scholars Medal.

First Citizens Bank and The University of North Carolina at Charlotte recognized Bost’s vast accomplishments at a ceremony Monday evening.

It is the 20th anniversary of the award, which was created in 1987 as UNC Charlotte’s top honor for faculty scholarship and intellectual inquiry.

“First Citizens Bank is proud to join with UNC Charlotte in presenting this award, which has recognized the important contributions of the University and its faculty members for two decades,” said Marc Horgan, Mecklenburg area executive for First Citizens Bank. “Dr. Bost and his impressive body of work continue the longstanding tradition of excellence exemplified by Scholars Medal recipients throughout the years.”

Bost, who holds the Irwin Belk Endowed Chair in Biology, has been awarded continuous funding from the National Institutes of Health for his research. He is currently engaged in three projects with total funding in excess of $2 million.

While at UNC Charlotte, Bost has been very active in research in human immune-system response and the use of soybeans to deliver vaccines. He developed his ideas into the start-up company SoyMeds Inc., which has the potential in the future to provide easily, produced, administered and transported vaccines around the world.

“I have known Dr. Bost since he arrived at UNC Charlotte in 1998, and I can attest to the significance of his research accomplishments and productivity during his time here at the university,” UNC Charlotte biology department chairman Michael Hudson wrote in his letter of nomination.

Hudson said Bost has focused his research on profound and complex problems facing all people.

“Countless humans suffer and die each day from bacterial and viral infections. The spread of antibiotic resistance is arguably the most critical crisis facing us now,” Hudson wrote. “Understanding how infectious agents cause disease is the only hope we have to survive.

“The implications of the studies conducted in Dr. Bost’s laboratory at UNC Charlotte cannot be over-emphasized. All of us at UNC Charlotte should be proud we can call Dr. Ken Bost one of our own,” he said. “Humans desperately need him.”

Bost has made numerous notable contributions to the field of biology, and his research on immunology has gained widespread recognition for the advancements he has made in the field.

He has also been published in numerous reputable journals and he has received several highly competitive honors for his work, including three previous nominations for the First Citizens Bank Scholars Medal. Bost is frequently invited to speak about a variety of high-profile topics in biology and immunology.

During Bost’s tenure at UNC Charlotte, all five doctoral students from his laboratory have obtained prestigious postdoctoral fellowships.

About First Citizens Bank

First Citizens has served the people and businesses of Mecklenburg County for more than 45 years. Founded in 1898, North Carolina-headquartered First Citizens operates 340 branches in 200 cities and towns in North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee and Maryland. For more information, visit firstcitizens.com or call toll-free 1.888.FC DIRECT (1.888.323.4732). The bank’s mission is to provide superior financial services to individual customers, small to mid-sized businesses, professionals and the medical community.

About UNC Charlotte

A doctoral/research intensive university, UNC Charlotte celebrated its 60th anniversary in September 2006. It is the fourth-largest of the 17-constituent University of North Carolina system and the largest institution of higher education in the Charlotte region. The university comprises seven professional colleges and currently offers 18 doctoral programs, 59 master’s degree programs and 85 programs leading to bachelor’s degrees. Enrollment exceeds 21,500 students, including more than 4,400 graduate students.

Barbara Thompson
919.716.2716
First Citizens Bank