Peter Kharchenko, HMS research associate in biomedical informatics, is a recipient of the Ellison Medical Foundation New Scholars in Aging award for 2012. His project is on the epigenetic maintenance of repetitive elements in aging cells.
New Scholar awards provide support for newly independent investigators who are in the first three years of their postdoctoral training. These awards contribute to a safety net that allows young scientists to staff their laboratories, collect preliminary data and organize research programs to obtain ongoing support from other sources.
Four members of the HMS community received Burroughs Wellcome Fund awards. The fund is an independent private foundation dedicated to advancing the biomedical sciences by supporting research and other scientific and educational activities.
Jonathan Kagan, HMS assistant professor of pediatrics at Boston Children's Hospital, received a Burroughs Wellcome Investigators in the Pathogenesis of Infectious Disease award. The award is intended to give recipients the freedom and flexibility to pursue high-risk projects and new avenues of inquiry. Kagan’s project on novel approaches for studying RIG-I–like receptor mediated antiviral immunity.
Three HMS faculty members received Burroughs Wellcome Career Awards for Medical Scientists. These awards are given to help physician-scientists obtain a faculty position and continue conducting research.
Benjamin Gewurz, HMS instructor in medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital, received the award for his project on identification of novel NFkB pathway components important for lymphomagenesis.
David Ting, HMS instructor in medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, received the award for his project on characterization of noncoding RNAs in pancreatic adenocarcinoma.
Hao Zhu, HMS instructor in medicine at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, received the award for his project on investigating the Lin28/let-7 pathway in mouse models of liver cancer and regeneration.
Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB) awarded three grants to the HMS community. This organization is the leading volunteer health organization supporting eye research directed at the prevention, treatment or eradication of all diseases that threaten vision.
Massachusetts Eye and Ear and the HMS Department of Ophthalmology received a grant from RPB. This grant will support research into the causes, treatment and prevention of blinding diseases. Joan Miller, the Henry Willard Williams Professor of Ophthalmology and head of the Department of Ophthalmology at Mass Eye and Ear will direct the research.
Joseph Ciolino, HMS instructor in ophthalmology at Mass Eye and Ear, received a Research to Prevent Blindness Career Development Award. Ciolino’s research interests include translational projects such as keratoprosthesis and ocular drug delivery.
Tatjana Jakobs, HMS assistant professor of ophthalmology at Mass Eye and Ear, received the Dolly Green Scholar Award. The award was established to help physician-scientists pursue promising scientific leads and opportunities for which other funds are not readily available. Jakobs’ research focuses on the causes of optic nerve death in glaucoma.
Adam Bass, HMS assistant professor of medicine at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, received a 2012 Doris Duke Clinical Scientist Development Award. Bass’ project title is “Targeting SOX2-Driven Squamous Cell Carcinoma.” The award provides funding for physician-scientists who are establishing their own research teams, enabling them to secure 75 percent of their professional time for clinical research.
