the body to detoxify harmful drugs, chemicals, and other toxins. By designing methods to research the genes that code for specific UGT enzymes, she identified a complex of 13 genes known as UGT1A. Her lab showed that one of these genes, UGT1A1, processes the protein bilirubin, which is a breakdown product of hemoglobin. Owens' research group has subsequently made multiple advancements regarding UGT enzyme biology. Her laboratory was the first to identify a genetic defect in the gene UGT1A1 that leads to Crigler–Najjar syndrome. Crigler–Najjar syndrome is a disorder that disrupts normal modification and excretion of bilirubin, leading to jaundice. Owens' research group also identified that UGT enzymes must be activated before they can detoxify foreign chemicals and that in some cases suppressing these enzymes could enhance the effects of therapeutic drugs. Owens' laboratory found that activity of UGT enzymes can be lessened by kinase inhibitors and that protein kinase C and tyrosine kinase enzymes can alter the enzyme specificity, likely contributing to their ability to detoxify a wide range of foreign chemicals. Honors Owens received the 1992 NIH Director's Award and, in 2013, the Duke University Graduate School's first Distinguished Alumni Award. In addition, in 2009, the American Asthma Foundation recognized Owens for being among the top 5% of cited authors in pharmacology journals. References External links The Education of Ida Owens 1939 births 2020 deaths African-American women scientists American women biochemists American physiologists Women physiologists Duke University alumni National Institutes of Health people North Carolina Central University alumni Scientists from North Carolina 20th-century American women scientists 21st-century American women scientists 20th-century American biologists 21st-century American biologists 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American scientists 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American scientists