2009 Clinical Scientist Awards In Translational Research Named

Main Category: Biology / Biochemistry
Also Included In: Primary Care / General Practice;  Medical Students / Training
Article Date: 10 Mar 2008 - 2:00 PDT

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BWF has named 13 translational researchers as the 2008 recipients of its Clinical Scientist Awards in Translational Research. The awards, which provide $150,000 per year over five years ($750,000), are intended to support established, independent physician-scientists who are dedicated to translational research - the two-way transfer between laboratory research and patient treatment - and mentoring physician-scientist trainees.

The award provides the freedom and flexibility to explore scientific questions, apply the resulting knowledge at the bedside, and bring insights from the clinical setting back to the laboratory for further study.

The Clinical Scientist Awards in Translational Research is in its tenth cycle. The award is highly competitive with an average award rate of 9 percent. In the 2008 cycle, there were 119 eligible applications. Candidates must have an M.D. or M.D.-Ph.D. degree and hold an appointment or joint appointment in a subspecialty of clinical medicine. They must also be citizens or permanent residents of the U.S. and Canada and hold a current license to practice medicine in the U.S. or Canada.

"We hope these awards will lead to better understanding of the mechanisms of disease as well as new methods of diagnosing, treating and preventing disease," said BWF President Enriqueta C. Bond, Ph.D. "BWF is particularly interested in supporting physician-scientists who bring novel ideas and new approaches to translational research."

Since the award's inception in 1997, BWF has made a total of 93 awards - an investment of nearly $70 million in the careers of translational researchers.

Following are the 2008 award recipients, along with their institutions and project titles:

Mark S. Anderson, M.D., Ph.D.
University of California-San Francisco
Translating aire-control of immune tolerance to human autoimmunity

Kathleen L. Collins, M.D., Ph.D.
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Viral mechanisms of persistence in HIV infected people

Laurence Cooper, M.D., Ph.D.
University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
Tumor-specific alloantigen-anergic donor-derived T-cell therapy after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

William M. Grady, M.D.
University of Washington
Novel biomarkers for the prevention and treatment of colon cancer

S. Ananth Karumanchi, M.D.
Harvard Medical School
Soluble endoglin in the pathogenesis and prediction of preclampsia

Frances Lee, M.D., Ph.D.
Weill Medical College of Cornell University
Role of BDNF in therapeutic strategies for affective disorders

Ernst R. Lengyel, M.D., Ph.D.
University of Chicago
Development of novel therapeutic and diagnostic strategies for ovarian cancer

Daniel L. Marks, M.D., Ph.D.
Oregon Health and Science University
Maternal nutrition and fetal metabolic programming

Jonathan R. Pollack, M.D., Ph.D.
Stanford University
Pathogenesis and diagnosis of clinically-indolent prostate cancer

Theodora S. Ross, M.D., Ph.D.
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Abnormal HIP1 and cancer biology

Jeffrey A. Toretsky, M.D.
Georgetown University Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center
Novel cancer therapeutics based upon oncogenic fusion-protein transcription factors

Edus H. Warren, M.D., Ph.D.
University of Washington
Toward immune therapy for colon cancer: identification of antigens recognized by CD8+ T lymphocytes on colon cancer stem cells

Kang Zhang, M.D., Ph.D.
University of Utah
Define novel genes for diabetic microvascular complications

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Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release.
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ABOUT THE FUND

The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is an independent, private foundation dedicated to advancing the medical sciences by supporting research and other scientific and educational activities. A majority of its grantmaking is made through competitive programs designed to support the career development of young scientists and to build capacity in undervalued research areas. For more information about the Fund, visit our web site at http://www.bwfund.org/.

Source: Russ Campbell
Burroughs Wellcome Fund