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

Community | Farmers’ Market Expands to Offer Products in Winter

The 2013 National Cancer Institute (NCI) at Frederick Farmers’ Market regular season may have closed, but that doesn’t mean customers who want fresh produce, handmade crafts, and other homemade goodies from local vendors are out of luck. Winter Markets, which began Jan. 7, will be held every other Tuesday, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., in front of Building 549 or in the Café Room, depending on the weather.
By Carolynne Keenan, Contributing Writer 01.09.2014
Community Events January 2014

Health & Safety | Reminder: Medical Surveillance Forms Must Be Up-to-Date

If you work in a laboratory, or you have contact with animals or animal materials, you work with human biomaterials or infectious agents, or you are exposed to radiation or other hazards in your day-to-day duties, you should be enrolled in the appropriate medical surveillance program.
By Theresa Bell, Guest Writer 01.02.2014
Health & Safety Occupational Health Services January 2014

Technology Transfer | Creating Start-up Companies around NCI Inventions

The National Cancer Institute (NCI), led by the Technology Transfer Center (TTC),  the Avon Foundation, and The Center for Advancing Innovation have partnered to create a “first-of-a-kind” Breast Cancer Start-up Challenge.
By Karen Surabian, Thomas Stackhouse, and Rose Freel, Contributing Writers, and Rosemarie Truman, Guest Writer 12.30.2013
Technology Transfer January 2014

Science & Technology | New, More Authentic Model for AIDS Will Accelerate Studies

Researchers are working to develop a more authentic animal model of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and AIDS that is expected to speed up studies of experimental treatments and vaccines.
By Frank Blanchard, Staff Writer, and Jeff Lifson, Guest Writer 12.30.2013
Science & Technology January 2014

Health & Safety | Working Out Works for Shawn Kelly

When Shawn Kelly found out last year that he had high blood pressure, he was determined to do something about it. Luckily for Kelly, an instrumentation technician III, Facilities Maintenance and Engineering, he works at the Advanced Technology Research Facility, where he can take advantage of the gym there, known as the Wellness Center.
By Nancy Parrish, Staff Writer 12.30.2013
Health & Safety January 2014