Dr Akrawi is a British Scientist with a B.Sc. in Biochemistry and PhD in Molecular Biology, both from University College London. Her research at UCL focused on the Gene Expression of drug metabolising enzymes in hepatocytes, on an EU funded collaboration with the Vrije University of Brussels. This was followed by a Post-doctoral fellowship at the Institute for Molecular Biology in Barcelona investigating Genomic microsatellite sequences and thoroughly enjoying the Catalan and Spanish cultures.

When May came back to the UK, she worked with the Wellcome Trust, on promoting “The Public Understanding of Science”, conducting Genomics workshops for visitors and students, then as a Scientific Research Analyst at a US Law firm, on scientific issues relating to product liability litigation for Blue Chip clients and establishing networks of scientific and medical consultants world-wide. May then became Programme Manager for Pharmaceutical Discovery at a business information company and after that joined In Vitro Technologies (based in Baltimore, MD) to head up their first European Office in London. In that position she worked in both, a scientific and business development and marketing role to establish a network of pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients for the company, as well as initiate collaborations on new R&D projects. Dr Akrawi has a keen interest in technology transfer and development.

May has a keen interest in tech transfer and development and her personal interests include music, art, languages and ancient civilisations. She moved to Houston in May 2001 and looks forward to establishing several fruitful academic and commercial collaborations between US and UK scientists in the Consular region covered by the Houston Consulate-General (Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas).

Selected Publications:

1. Akrawi, M., Shephard, E.A., Phillips, I.R., Vercruysse, A. and Rogiers, V. (1993). Effects of Phenobarbital and valproate on the expression of Cytochromes P-450 in co-cultured rat hepatocytes. Toxicology In Vitro 7, 477-480.

2. Akrawi, M., Rogiers, Y., Vandenberghe, Y., Palmer, C.N.A., Vercruysse, A., Shephard, E.A. and Phillips, I.R. (1993). Maintenance and induction in co-cultured rat hepatocytes of components of the cytochrome P-450-mediated mono-oxygenase. Biochem. Pharmacol. 45,1583-1591.

3. Rogiers, V., Akrawi, M., Vercruysse, A., Shephard, E.A. and Phillips, I.R. (1994). Co-cultured rat hepatocytes: a suitable tool for the study of the cytochrome P-450-dependent metabolism and toxicity of sodium valproate, In European Medicines Research - Perspectives in Pharmacotoxicology and Pharmacovigilance (Fracchia, G.N., ed.) IOS Press, Amsterdam, pp. 244-252.

4. Rogiers, V., Akrawi, M., Vercruysse, A., Shephard, E.A. and Phillips, I.R. (1995). Effects of the anticonvulsant, valproate, on the expression of components of the cytochrome P450-mediated mono-oxygenase system and glutathione S- transferases. Eur. J. Biochem. 231, 337-343.

5. DeBast, G., Coecke, S., Akrawi, M., Fouriers, A., Vercruysse, A., Phillips, I., Shephard, E. and Rogiers, V. (1995). Effect of ethanol on glutathione S-transferase expression in co-cultured rat hepatocytes. Toxicol. In Vitro 6, 467-471.