A Paradox and Alan Rein: Distinguished Retrovirologist Retires from the HIV DRP

In 1953, a teenaged Alan Rein read about what James Watson and Francis Crick famously called “the secret of life”—the double-helix structure of DNA, which had just been published in Nature. Captivated, Rein decided at that moment that he wanted to be a biochemist. Rein’s biochemistry aspirations shifted to virology during college, leading him to a 60-year career in the field, the last 45 years of which were spent at NCI Frederick, studying how retroviruses like murine leukemia virus and HIV assemble themselves and infect host cells while somehow evading the immune response.
By Lisa Simpson, staff writer
01.14.2025

In the News

Features | Congratulations to the Poster Puzzler winner!

The April Puzzler is a steel bar joist connecting wings 2 and 3 of Building 560, the largest laboratory building at the NCI Campus at Frederick. The bar joist supports pipes that bring carbon dioxide and nitrogen to the building, which are used for a variety of laboratory functions.
Ashley DeVine 09.18.2014
Features Poster Puzzler September 2014

People | More Than 100 Gather to Honor Joost Oppenheim on His 80th Birthday

They came from as far away as Russia and Japan, and from as nearby as the NCI at Frederick/Fort Detrick campus, Bethesda, and Baltimore, all with one purpose: to honor the mentor, colleague, and friend they have in Joost Oppenheim, as he celebrated his 80th birthday.
Nancy Parrish 09.02.2014
People Science & Technology September 2014

Awards | Spring Research Festival and NICBR Collaboration Winners Announced

The winners of the 2014 Spring Research Festival, held May 7 and 8, were recognized on July 2, and included 20 NCI at Frederick researchers: Matthew Anderson, Victor Ayala, Matt Bess, Cristina Bergamaschi, Charlotte Choi, Rami Doueiri, Laura Guasch Pamies, Diana Haines, Saadia Iftikhar, Maria Kaltcheva, Wojciech Kasprzak, Balamurugan Kuppusamy, James Lautenberger, George Lountos, Megan Mounts, Uma Mudunuri, Martha Sklavos, Gloriana Shelton, Alex Sorum, and Shea Wright.
Carolynne Keenan and Ashley DeVine 08.27.2014
Awards Community Events Spring Research Festival August 2014

Features | New Phone System Coming to NCI Campus at Frederick

Beginning in September, phones at the NCI Campus at Frederick will begin to be replaced, as the project to upgrade the current phone system ramps up. Over the next 16 months, the Information Systems Program will be working with Facilities Maintenance and Engineering and Computer & Statistical Services to replace the current Avaya phone system with a Cisco Unified Communications phone system. The Cisco system is already in use at the Advanced Technology Research Facility.
Travis Fouche and Trent McKee 08.14.2014
Features Voice over Internet Protocol August 2014

Events | Returning Winners Victorious Again in Jeopardy Tournament

Every year for the past three years, student interns Madelyne Xiao and Nikhil Gowda have competed in the Scientific Library’s Student Science Jeopardy Tournament, the annual science event for students that mirrors the popular TV show “Jeopardy.” And every year, for the past three years, Xiao and Gowda, who work with Randall Johnson, Ph.D. bioinformatics analyst, Basic Science Program Center for Cancer Research Genetics Core, have finished in one of the top three positions.
Robin Meckley 08.14.2014
Events Community People August 2014