Honorary degree to Morris, father of mass spectrometry

Howard R. Morris, a 59-year-old Londoner and one of the founding fathers of mass spectrometry in the biomolecular field, will be awarded an honorary degree in Biotechnological Sciences on Thursday, Dec. 1, at 10:30 a.m., in theAula Magna Storica of the Federico II University, Corso Umberto I.

The ceremony will be introduced by Rector Guido Trombetti and Dean of the Faculty of Biotechnological Sciences Giuseppe Marrucci; the laudatio academica will be given by Gennaro Marino, a professor at Federico II and a member of the National Academy of Sciences known as the Accademia dei XL. Howard R. Morris will deliver the lectio magistralis on "Mass Spectrometry in Biotechnology: essential in providing safe, effective medicines for the future."

Also speaking at the ceremony will be Piero Pucci, professor of the Faculty of Science MM.FF.NN. of the University of Federico II; Margherita Ruoppolo, professor of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Federico II; and Alessandro Ballio, professor emeritus of the University of Rome "La Sapienza."

Morris, professor emeritus and senior research investigator at Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, University of London, has made important contributions to the understanding of protein and carbohydrate chemistry and was one of the founding fathers of mass spectrometry in the biomolecular field and its applications to the study of biological complexes and biotechnological problems.

Morris 's scientific activity is documented by more than three hundred and twenty publications over the course of more than thirty years concerning a variety of aspects of biomolecular mass spectrometry, and the current methodologies used for the characterization of proteins and glycoproteins, produced recombinantly, are based on the methods devised by Morris for amino acid sequence verification, disulfide bridge assignment, and glycosylation profiling.