"The Girl in the Red Boots" has retired.

That would be UC Davis distinguished professor Lynn Kimsey,  director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology from 1990 until yesterday, Jan. 31, 2024.

Today, Feb. 1, is her first full day of retirement after 34 years of service to UC Davis (teaching, research and public service), and it also happens to be her birthday anniversary.

The Bohart Museum staff celebrated her birthday today. "I'm 71," she said. (And yes, it's okay to print that.) 

Why is she "The Girl in the Red Boots?"  A photograph of her at age 5, sitting on a fence and holding an insect net, graces the entrance to the Bohart Museum. Her boots are colorized red in the black and white photo.

Lynn grew up in El Cerrito as Lynn Siri and went on to receive two degrees in entomology from UC Davis: a bachelor's degree (1976) and a doctorate (1979). She joined the UC Davis faculty in 1989 following an appointment at Harvard.

The Bohart Museum, founded by UC Davis entomologist Richard "Doc" Bohart in 1946, began with only 400 insect specimens at its Briggs Hall location. Under Kimsey's tenure, it has grown to a global collection of eight million insect specimens in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane, and is the seventh largest insect collection in North America. 

Kimsey, a recognized international authority on insect biodiversity, systematics and biogeography of parasitic wasps, urban entomology, civil forensic entomology, and arthropod-related industrial hygiene, is a past president of the International Society of Hymenopterists (2002-2004), and former member of the board of directors of the Natural Science Collections Alliance (2000 and 2001).  

The Pacific Branch, Entomological Society of Ameica (PBESA) singled her out for its highest honor, the C. W. Woodworth Award, in 2020. She received the PBESA Systematics, Evolution, and Biodiversity Award in 2014 and was a member of 'The Bee Team' that won the PBESA Outstanding Team Award in 2013. In recognition of her outstanding work, the UC Davis Academic Senate honored her with its Distinguished Scholarly Public Service Award in 2016. In 2023, the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences presented her with its "Exceptional Faculty Award." (See news story)

A popular administrator, Kimsey served as the vice chair of the UC Davis Department of Entomology in 2005-2006 and again in 2009-2010. She headed the department as interim chair in 2008-2009. 

We asked her today: "How is retirement?"

"Retirement is weird," Kimsey said. "Somehow nothing changes, but so many things change! I'm still going to work in the museum, sorting and identifying bugs, and answering questions, but I won't have to teach or do committee work."

Kimsey will continue to be the executive director of the Bohart Museum Society, and write and publish the newsletter.  No, she's not going to Disneyland (as some retirees comment). "I'm going to try to make a publishable form of my keys to the insects of California. I will still be doing the newsletters and information pages."

"Jason is taking over (as museum director), and I know where he lives," she quipped.

That would be arachnologist Jason Bond, whose office and lab are just down the hallway. He joined the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology in 2018 as a professor and the Evert and Marion Schlinger Endowed Chair. The UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences appointed him associate dean in 2021. He's also the president-elect of the American Arachnological Society. 

A retirement party for Lynn Kimsey is planned April 6, information pending. Husband, Bob, a forensic entomologist with the Department of Entomology and Nematology, plans to retire in June. 

Let's celebrate "The Girl in the Red Boots!"

Did you know that the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, is a powerful model organism for the study of sleep regulation?

It's long been a model organism for biological research in such fields as genetics, physiology, microbial pathogenesis and life history evolution.

And now, a New York scientist is studying the circadian and homeostatic regulation of sleep in these fruit flies.

Orie Shafer, professor of biology and cognitive neuroscience, City University of New York, will share his research on Monday, Feb. 5 in a seminar hosted by the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology. 

Shafer will discuss "Circadian and Homeostatic Regulation of Fly Sleep" at 4:10 p.m. in Room 122 of Briggs Hall, and also on Zoom. The Zoom link:
https://ucdavis.zoom.us/j/95882849672.

"Sleep-like states are ubiquitous in the animal kingdom and are regulated by two distinct forms of regulation, circadian and homeostatic," Shafer says in his abstract. "Homeostatic mechanisms promote increases in sleep pressure during prolonged wakefulness. Circadian mechanisms determine the likelihood of sleep, increasing or decreasing its probability across the day. Though the molecular and neural mechanisms of circadian timekeeping are relatively well-understood, much less is known about the mechanistic basis of sleep homeostasis. The fly Drosophila melanogaster is a powerful model organism for the studying of sleep regulation. In this talk I will describe recent work from my lab examining how circadian timekeeping and sleep homeostasis operate in this fly and how these two regulatory processes converge to produce the proper timing and amount of sleep."

Shafer will be introduced by molecular geneticist and physiologist Joanna Chiu, professor and chair of the department. He received his doctorate in biology from the University of Washington, and served as a postdoctoral researcher at Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis.

In a YouTube video with Abhilash Lakshman on "Circadian and Homeostatic Regulation of Sleep in an Insect Brain," Shafer points out that "Sleep is largely controlled by two processes--a circadian clock that regulates its timing and a homeostat that regulates the drive to sleep." In the video, he discusses some of the fundamental biology involved in human and fly sleep. Lakshman describes "an elegant two process model in which the circadian and homeostatic components act independently, bringing theory and experiment together for a new understanding of fly sleep."

D. melanogaster feeds on rotting fruit and fermenting beverages, and is often found not only in orchards, but in kitchens and bars.

Charles W. Woodworth proposed in 1901 that D. melanogasterbe used as a model organism. "As of 2017, six Nobel Prizes have been awarded to drosophilists for their work using the insect," according to Wikipedia. "D. melanogaster is typically used in research owing to its rapid life cycle, relatively simple genetics with only four pairs of chromosomes, and large number of offspring per generation. It was originally an African species, with all non-African lineages having a common origin. Its geographic range includes all continents, including islands. D. melanogaster is a common pest in homes, restaurants, and other places where food is served."

For any Zoom technical issues, contact seminar coordinator Brian Johnson, associate professor, at brnjohnson@ucdavis.edu. See complete list of seminars for the winter quarter. 

Good news!

EicOsis Human Health LLC, the Davis-based pharmaceutical company developing a non-narcotic drug to relieve chronic pain and inflammation, today announced the next step in its ongoing human clinical trials: the initiation of Phase 1b to test the safety of its drug candidate, EC5026.

The ongoing double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 1b study is designed to investigate the safety and pharmacokinetics of daily doses of EC5026 over seven days.

EC5026, an inhibitor of the soluble hydrolase enzyme (sEH), was discovered and patented at EicOsis based on previous patents and research papers from the laboratory of UC Davis distinguished professor Bruce Hammock during his half-century of research.

“EC5026 plays a crucial role in regulating the metabolism of signaling lipids and responding to inflammation and other stress responses caused by trauma or disease,” said Hammock, who holds a joint appointment with the Department of Entomology and Nematology and the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center. “We found sEH to be a target for treating pain, inflammation, cancer and other diseases.”

By inhibiting sEH, EC5026 alleviates pain by preventing the breakdown of natural analgesic and anti-inflammatory fatty acids. Preclinical studies demonstrate no sedation or other adverse behavioral effects and no signs of addiction.

“Many regulatory molecules are controlled as much by degradation as biosynthesis,” Hammock explained. "The epoxy fatty acids rapidly degraded by the sEH control blood pressure, fibrosis,immunity, tissue growth, depression, pain, and inflammation, to name a few processes.”

Initial results of the first cohort, completed in December 2023, showed no significant adverse effects in any of the subjects. Each took a 4-milligram (mg) loading dose on Day 1 followed by a daily 2-mg maintenance dose for six consecutive days. The second cohort (8-mg loading dose on Day 1 followed by daily 4-mg maintenance dose for an additional six days) will be initiated in January 2024.

“The initial results from Cohort 1 appear to replicate the very favorable safety profile we observed in our previous two Phase 1a clinical studies where there were no adverse behavioral, cardiovascular, or neurological effects over five ascending single-dose levels,” said Dr. William Schmidt, EicOsis vice president of clinical development. “The maximum dose level was 5 to 10-fold higher than the anticipated analgesic dose in humans.”

“If Cohort 2 dosing also proceeds without clinically significant adverse effects and a favorable pharmacokinetic profile for once-a-day dosing,” Schmidt continued, “this provides encouragement for initiating our first analgesic efficacy study in the second quarter of 2024.”

EicOsis plans to initiate its first pain patient study in April 2024 “to evaluate safety and analgesic effects in patients with a spinal cord injury who have failed to achieve satisfactory pain relief with existing non-opioid chronic pain medications,” said Cindy McReynolds, EicOsis chief executive officer and former director of research.

“Initiation of the Phase 1b program represents a significant milestone for EicOsis Human Health and demonstrates the success and dedication of our team to make this happen,” said McReynolds, who holds a doctorate in pharmacology and toxicology from UC Davis. “Demonstrating safety in Phase 1b studies will allow us to evaluate efficacy in patients and bring forward safe and effective treatments for several serious diseases. For example, the sEH inhibitors are being considered for use for treatment of cancer in the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, and neurological disease through the UC Davis Health's designated Parkinson's Foundation Center of Excellence.”

"The safety study of EC5026 in healthy human subjects is a crucial step in the development of of this designer inhibitor of soluble hydrolase for treating Parkinson's disease,” said neurologist and UC Davis School of Medicine (SOM) professor Dr. Lin Zhang, director of the UC Davis Center for Movement Disorders and Neuromodulation, a Parkinson's Foundation Center of Excellence based in the SOM Department of Neurology; and interim chief of the Movement Disorders Section, Department of Neurology.

“As a potential anti-inflammatory fatty acid, EC5026 holds promise in addressing neuroinflammation, a key factor in the manifestation and even progression of Parkinson's,” said Zhang, who holds both an M.D. and a PhD. “Ensuring its safety profile in healthy individuals is fundamental for establishing a foundation for further clinical trials. this investigation provides valuable insights into design and overall safety parameters, paving the way for the next stages in advancing this innovative therapeutic approach for Parkinson's disease."

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) supported the progression of EC5026 into clinical trials through the Blueprint Neurotherapeutics Network for Biologics (BPN; grant number UH3NS094258-02), and the Helping to End Addiction Long-term Initiative (NIH HEAL Initiative) to replace addictive opioid pain relievers.

The FDA granted Fast Track status to EC5026 in April 2020 to support the unmet medical need for safe and effective non-opioid analgesics. EicOsis clinical scientist Irene Cortés Puch, who authored the successful application, commented: “Both our commitment and focus at EicOsis Human Health are guided by a genuine concern for the well-being of patients and recognizing the importance of identifying effective pain management alternatives. Therefore, the initiation of this Phase 1b clinical trial is an exciting step in advancing our mission to provide safer and effective treatments.”

Hammock traces his research on chronic pain to his earlier work on how a caterpillar becomes a butterfly; a key enzyme, epoxide hydrolase, degrades a caterpillar's juvenile hormone, resulting in metamorphosis.

A member of the UC Davis faculty since 1980, Hammock founded ;EicOsis in 2011 and served as its chief executive officer until February 2023 when he transitioned to scientific officer and chairman of the board of directors. Highly honored by his peers, he is a member of the National Academy of Inventors and the National Academy of Sciences and received the 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award in Innovation from UC Davis Chancellor Gary May. Hammock has authored or co-authored more than 1400 peer-reviewed publications and holds more than 95 patents in agriculture, environmental science and medicinal chemistry.

EicOsis (pronounced eye-co-sis), derives its name from eicosanoids, “the major backbone of chemical mediators in the arachidonate cascade,” McReynolds said. “It symbolizes the epoxide group in chemistry, which is key to the anti-inflammatory chemical mediators and where the biochemical target called soluble epoxide hydrolase works.”

Approximately 50 million Americans (20 percent of the population) suffer from chronic pain, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The annual economic toll is $560 billion, encompassing direct medical expenses, lost productivity, and disability claims.

More information on the Phase 1b multiple-ascending dose clinical study is available at https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06089837.

It's not often that entomology and football mesh. 

But that was the case when San Francisco 49'ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk credited his spectacular 51-yard catch in Sunday's NFC championship game with the Detroit Lions to a ladybug landing on his shoe before the game. 

Aiyuk dove for the ball as it bounced off the helmet of Lions' cornerback Kindle Vildora and cradled it. A few minutes later, Aiyuk scored a touchdown on a six-yard pass, erasing the 14-point deficit. The 49'ers went on to win the game 34-31.

"Before the game, a ladybug landed on my shoe, and y'all know what that means," Aiyuk told Fox Sports' Erin Andrews after the win. "So that's all I can say because other than that I don't know. Just great luck." 

Talk about a beneficial insect. It not only eats aphids but helps win football games!

The ladybug is actually a beetle (Coleoptera), not a bug (Hemiptera), but sports reporters--as do nearly everyone else 'cept entomologists--call it by its common name.

The lady beetle is associated with good luck because it eats the aphids that try to destroy our crops. It can eat as many as 5000 aphids in its lifetime, scientists estimate.

"These beetles have become a cultural icon of sorts because of their appearance and their beneficial habits," writes UC Davis distinguished professor Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology, in her insect fact sheet on lady beetles. "Both adults and larvae feed on aphids and other small, soft-bodied insects...They are ferocious predators on small insects." (See what the UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program says about lady beetles.)

Questions remain about that insect landing on Aiyuk's shoe. How many spots did it have? Did it fly away? Was its house burning? Were its children home? What was the gender?

Ladybug!  Ladybug!
Fly away home.
Your house is on fire.
And your children all gone.
--Nursery Rhyme

Just wait for someone to bring congregations of lady beetles to Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas for the 49'ers-Kansas City Chiefs matchup. Or maybe an artist will paint their shoes or helmets with the icon, or a seamstress will embroider the insect on their jerseys.

Luck be a lady?