Craig E. Cameron facts for kids

Craig E. Cameron is a leading scientist who studies tiny germs called viruses. He is currently the head of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This means he helps lead a team of scientists who study how germs affect our bodies. He is also a special member, called a Fellow, of important science groups like the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Society for Microbiology.

Craig Cameron's Early Life and Learning

When Craig Cameron was younger, he first thought about becoming a medical doctor. But after spending time helping in hospitals, he realized he was more interested in something else. He decided to study chemistry at Howard University. He finished his degree in 1987.

While he was studying, he noticed that doctors didn't have many ways to fight viruses. This made him want to learn more about them. He studied viruses like the rhinovirus, which causes the common cold, and coxsackievirus.

After Howard University, Dr. Cameron went to Case Western Reserve University. There, he earned his PhD in 1993. A PhD is a very high degree that shows you are an expert in your field. He then continued his research at Case Western. Later, he became a special researcher at Pennsylvania State University, also known as Penn State.

Discoveries and Career in Science

In 1997, Dr. Cameron joined the teaching staff at Penn State. He received a special award called the Howard Temin Award. This helped him start his own research team. His team focused on studying a part of the poliovirus called polymerase. In 2002, he became a special professor, and by 2006, he held an important position called the Paul Berg Chair in Biochemistry. In 2013, he was named the Eberly Chair in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Penn State.

How Dr. Cameron Fights Viruses

Dr. Cameron's research mainly looks at infections caused by RNA viruses. These are a type of virus that use RNA as their genetic material. He helped develop a new way to fight viruses called lethal mutagenesis.

Imagine a virus trying to make copies of itself. Lethal mutagenesis works by making the virus make so many mistakes when it copies its genes that it can't work anymore. It's like trying to build something with too many wrong pieces – it just falls apart!

Dr. Cameron found that a medicine called ribavirin works this way. He created a test to see if ribavirin could get into the virus's RNA. He found that a part of ribavirin, called ribavirin-TP, gets mixed into the virus's RNA. This causes the virus to make many errors, leading to a "genetic meltdown."

He also worked with other scientists, Raul Andino and Shane Crotty. Together, they showed that lethal mutagenesis could be used to make a safe poliovirus vaccine. This vaccine would help protect people from polio. Dr. Cameron also studied a natural enzyme called viperin. This enzyme is made in humans and other mammals and can help fight viruses.

Watching Viruses Up Close

Dr. Cameron also created a special tiny device called a microfluidic device. This device allowed him to watch thousands of cells infected with viruses at the same time.

His team put a special version of the poliovirus into the device. This modified virus was made to glow green when it was copying itself. This glowing allowed the scientists to see exactly when and how the viruses were growing in many cells at once.

By adding different anti-viral medicines to the cells, Dr. Cameron could quickly test which medicines might work best. One medicine he studied, called T-1106, made the virus stop copying itself and even go backward. This stopped the virus from spreading effectively.

Helping Young Students Learn Science

In 2010, Dr. Cameron was part of a team at Penn State that received a large grant of $2.85 million. This money was from the National Science Foundation. The project was called Carbon Educators and Researchers Together for Humanity (CarbonEARTH). It aimed to connect Penn State scientists with elementary and middle school students. The goal was to help young students learn more about science and research.

In 2019, Dr. Cameron moved to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He became the head of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology there.

Awards and Special Recognition

• 2014: He was chosen as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
• 2016: He was chosen as a Fellow of the American Society for Microbiology.

Important Science Writings

Dr. Cameron helps review articles for two important science magazines: the Journal of Biological Chemistry and the Journal of Virology.