GREENSBORO --  Dr. Gregory M. Raner, an assistant professor of chemistry at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, has received a Cottrell College Science Award worth $34,552 from Research Corp.

The award will fund Raner’s study of the chemical mechanism of a certain class of drug metabolizing enzymes. He is looking at the chemical events that take place within cytochrome P450 enzymes that lead to their activity.

The pharmaceutical industry has an interest in these enzymes because they are responsible for activating or deactivating most of the pharmaceutical agents on the market, Raner said. The research may allow scientists to better predict which compounds will be metabolized and what the products may be.

Raner has been working on the project at UNCG for about 18 months.

A biochemist, Raner specializes in cytochrome P450 enzymes. He has published several articles in professional journals. Raner received his Ph.D. degree from the University of Utah. He joined UNCG’s faculty in 1997.

The Cottrell College Science Program supports research in chemistry, physics and astronomy at public and private, predominantly undergraduate colleges. Research Corp., based in Tucson, Ariz., supports research at colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. Founded in 1912, the foundation makes 200 to 300 awards annually, totaling $5 million to $7 million.

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