nuran-m-kumbaraci
Nuran M Kumbaraci, PhD
Associate Professor of Chemistry and Biological Sciences
  • Department of Biomedical Engineering, Chemistry and Biological Sciences
    Stevens Institute of Technology
    Hoboken, New Jersey, USA
    Phone: + 201-216-5554
    E-mail: nkumbara@stevens.edu

Education

 Post-Doctoral Fellowship

Columbia University, USA

PhD, M Phil, M.A

Columbia University, USA

M. S

Columbia University, USA

B. S

Robert College, Turkey


Biography

Dr. N. M. Kumbaraci joined the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Stevens in 1979 as Assistant Professor to teach and develop a Biology Program.  She designed and taught all the biology courses and the teaching laboratories and established the Chemical Biology program. She was instrumental in the negotiations between Stevens and UMDNJ-NJMS to start the first Accelerated B.S.-M.D. Combined Degree program in New Jersey. She is the advisor of the Accelerated Chemical Biology Program. Over 300 students entered medical, dental, veterinary and health profession schools since then. Prior to joining Stevens, she worked several years in the pharmaceutical industry in Europe and the US as an R&D and analytical chemist and obtained several patents in liquid, suspension and aerosol formulations. She then joined the Artificial Organs Research Laboratory at Columbia University conducting research in developing non-thrombogenic synthetic polymers for in vivo and ex vivo applications. During her pre and post-doctoral studies at the medical school of Columbia University, she taught biology, organic chemistry and physiology at NYU and Barnard/Columbia College.

Research Interest

  • Apply chemical and biochemical methods to determine the mechanism of diseases and develop biomarkers for their early detection.
  • Neuromuscular physiology
  • Biochemistry and biophysics of muscle contraction and synaptic transmission
  • Immunochemical pathways and physiological responses.
  • Developing chemical methods to study biological problems in the areas of proteomics,
  • Microarray technologies and biomarker discovery.

Scientific Activities:

Honors and Award
  • 2014 STEVENS - Distinguished Advisor of a Student Organization
  • 2014 Life Science Teaching Resources Fellow (APS)
  • 2013 APS (American Physiological Society) - Vision and Change Scholar Award
  • 2011 STEVENS Alumni Association, 25-year Service Award
  • NIH Post-doctoral and pre-doctoral Fellowships

Publications

  1. Kumbaraci, N. M., Nastuk, W. L., “Effects of Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol on Excitable Membranes and Neuromuscular Transmission”, Soc. Neurosci. Abs., 4:370 (1978).
  2. Kumbaraci, N. M., Nastuk, W. L., “Caffeine-induced Sarcomeric Oscillations and Propagated Waves in Skeletal Muscle”, Fed. Proc., 39:529 (1980).
  3. Kumbaraci, N. M., Nastuk, W. L., “Effects of Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol on Excitable Membranes and Neuromuscular Transmission”, Molecular Pharmacology, 17:344-349 (1980).
  4. Kumbaraci, N. M., Nastuk, W. L., “Action of Caffeine in Excitation-Contraction Coupling of Frog Skeletal Muscle Fibres” J. Physiol. (Lond.), 325:195-211 (1982).
  5. Cappiello, L. L., Kumbaraci, N. M., “β-lactamase Inhibition and Antibiotic Activity of Newly-Synthesized Compounds”, The Bulletin of the NJ Acad. Sci., 27(1):29 (1982).
  6. Spathopoulos, S., Kumbaraci, N. M., “Effects of Kepone on Acetylcholinesterase Activity in Goldfish Tissues”’ The Bulletin of the NJ Acad. Sci., 27(1):30 (1982).
  7. Kumbaraci, N. M., Kiel, S. Y., Kovaleski, C. J., “Effects of Chlordecone on Acetylcholinesterase Activity”, The Physiologist, 25(4):314 (1982).
  8. Kumbaraci, N. M., Kiel, S. Y., “Effects of Kepone on Acetylcholinesterase Activity in Goldfish Brain”, The Bulletin of the NJ Acad. Sci., 28:1 (1983).
  9. Kumbaraci, N. M., Kovaleski, C., “Effects of Kepone on Acetylcholinesterase Activity In Vitro”, The Bulletin of the NJ Acad. Sci., 28:1 (1983).
  10. Kumbaraci, N. M., Book Review, “Molecular Neurobiology”, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 111(23):8767 (1989).
  11. Kumbaraci, N. M., Passi, V., Xu, B., “Increased Complement Activity in Rat Serum After Tissue Injury”, The FASEB Journal, 4(3):530 (1990).
  12. Kumbaraci, N. M., “Characterization of a Frog Skeletal Muscle Contraction Modulator”, The Physiologist, 34(3):111 (1991).
  13. Kumbaraci, N. M., Book Chapter Review, “Modern Genetic Analysis-Integrating Genes and Genomes”, Griffiths, Gelbart, Lewontin, Miller, 2nd ed., W. H. freeman & Company, 2002.
  14. Kumbaraci, N. M., “Roots of Chemical Biology”, C&EN, 85(49):4(2007)
  15. Kumbaraci, N. M., Book Chapter Review, “Kuby Immunology” by Owen, Punt, Stranford, W. H. Freeman and Company, 7th ed., 2013.
  16. Kumbaraci, N. M., Chemical Biology Laboratory Manual, J. Wiley&Sons, 1-5 ed., 2008-2014;
  17. Ch282-Introductory Biology Laboratory, 2013
  18. Ch381-Cell Biology Laboratory, 2014
  19. Lin, S., Kumbaraci, N. M., “Investigation of Preventable Cataract Induced Blindness in El Salvador”, CHI Scholar, Senior Research Report, 12/2014.
  20. Lin, S., Kumbaraci, N. M., “Cytokine Profiling to Determine Cataract Causing Agents”, CHI Scholar, Senior Research Report, 5/2015.

     
Journal of Human on Chip Research Studies