= Thomas E. Kehl-Fie
{c}
Thomas E. Kehl-Fie is a <microbiologist> whose research concerns metal availability and host defense. His published name is retained without expanding the middle initial. A 2011 collaborative study investigated <calprotectin>, a host <protein> involved in <nutritional immunity>, connecting metal <chelation> with biological function.<Nutrient metal sequestration by calprotectin inhibits bacterial superoxide defense, enhancing neutrophil killing of Staphylococcus aureus by Thomas E. Kehl-Fie and others>[Published byline and Abstract]{ref}
The study used <isothermal titration calorimetry> to measure metal binding to <calprotectin>. Its thermograms provide evidence about a chemical interaction, complementary to separate functional measurements. This is a useful distinction: binding a nutrient, changing an <enzyme>'s activity and changing a biological outcome are different observations.<Nutrient metal sequestration by calprotectin inhibits bacterial superoxide defense, enhancing neutrophil killing of Staphylococcus aureus by Thomas E. Kehl-Fie and others>[Figure 2A–B, metal-binding thermograms; Figure 3, functional measurements]{ref}
For an original idealized constant-<pressure> measurement, suppose one increment yields a measured <heat> of $-8.0\,\mu\mathrm J$ and a matched <analytical blank> yields $-2.0\,\mu\mathrm J$. Assume that <blank correction> removes all nonbinding contributions and that $0.30\,\mathrm{nmol}$ of additional complexes actually form. The corrected <heat> is
$$
q_{\rm bind}=-8.0-(-2.0)=-6.0\,\mu\mathrm J,
$$
and the corresponding molar <enthalpy> change is
$$
\Delta_{\rm r}H=
\frac{-6.0\times10^{-6}\,\mathrm J}{0.30\times10^{-9}\,\mathrm{mol}}
=-2.0\times10^4\,\mathrm{J\,mol^{-1}}
=-20\,\mathrm{kJ\,mol^{-1}}.
$$
The sign denotes an exothermic binding contribution under the stated assumptions. These invented numbers are not affinities or measurements from Kehl-Fie's work. A single corrected <heat> value also does not determine a <dissociation constant>: that inference requires a binding model and measurements across suitable conditions.
\Image[https://thevalleefoundation.org/sites/default/files/Kehl_Fie_Thomas_2025_09.jpeg]
{title=Thomas E. Kehl-Fie, portrait linked from the Vallee Foundation's named scholar profile}
{description=<Thomas E. Kehl-Fie named research profiles and portrait>[Named scholar portrait and corroborating institutional research identity]{ref}}
Back to article page
