Founding Member of Latin American Fellows Program Elected to National Academy of Sciences
"Two professors from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA have been elected by their peers to the prestigious National Academy of Sciences in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.
Election to the academy is considered one of the highest honors presented to scientists in the U.S.; its membership includes Albert Einstein, Robert Oppenheimer, Thomas Edison, Orville Wright and Alexander Graham Bell.
The UCLA professors are among 84 new members of the academy from across the U.S. and 21 foreign associates from 14 countries. Their election brings the number of current UCLA academy members to 43. The new UCLA members are:
Dr. Edward De Robertis, Norman Sprague Professor of Biological Chemistry and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator. De Robertis is a member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Latin American Academy of Sciences, as well as a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. His research focuses on the way that cells communicate with each other.
De Robertis' isolation of genes that control head-to-tail and back-to-belly patterning in early frog and mouse embryos led to the discovery that all animals' development is controlled by an ancient genetic toolkit. In particular, he carried out the molecular dissection of the process of embryonic induction, in which groups of cells called "organizers" control tissue differentiation. This work is aimed at understanding cell signaling, a fundamental problem in stem cell biology and cancer. De Robertis has been a member of the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center at UCLA since 1985."
- Date added:
- May 9, 2013
Related Resources
2010 Pew Scholar Identifies Mammalian Immune Regulators
Changchun Xiao, a 2010 Pew scholar and assistant professor at The Scripps Research Institute, was lead author in a paper in Nature Immunology focusing on tiny RNA molecules. His findings demonstrated that mice with too little of the tiny RNA molecules were immune deficient, while mice with too many of the molecules developed an auto-immune disorder. His Pew supported research could inform vaccine production and drug development for autoimmune diseases and immune deficient diseases.
More info2012 Pew Scholar Receives Grant to Study Cataracts in Infants
Salil Lachke, a 2012 Pew scholar and assistant professor in University of Delaware’s Department of Biological Sciences, has received a $60,000 grant from the Knights Templar Eye Foundation. As one of 19 researchers across the country to receive this award, he aims to identify biological pathways leading to genetic cataracts.More info
Science That Takes Risks: Biomedical Researchers Receive Pew Awards
The 2013 classes of Pew scholars and Latin American fellows are researching the basis of perplexing health problems—including diabetes, autism, Parkinson's disease, and cancer. More infoEn las fronteras de la ciencia: diez becarios Pew han sido seleccionados para investigar enfermedades que incluyen la diabetes, la esquizofrenia y el cáncer
Diez científicos latinoamericanos fueron hoy nombrados Becarios Pew en Ciencias Biomédicas por las Fundaciones Benéficas Pew. Esta beca proporciona apoyo para financiar las investigaciones de los becarios, permitiéndoles estudiar con destacados científicos de Estados Unidos e invirtiendo capital inicial para ayudarles a establecer sus propios laboratorios al regresar a sus países de origen. La beca Pew otorga un financiamiento flexible a los investigadores posdoctorales que investigan algunos de los problemas de salud más preocupantes del mundo, como la diabetes, la esquizofrenia y el cáncer.
More infoQuiz: Biomedical Science
Every day, researchers learn more about how our bodies work. Their discoveries point the way to new techniques to treat and prevent disease. Take our quiz to test your knowledge of biomedical science! More info
From Autism to Diabetes to Parkinson's Disease: Pew Funds 22 Early-Career Scientists to Take Calculated Risks
Twenty-two of the nation’s most enterprising researchers were named Pew Scholars in the Biomedical Sciences by The Pew Charitable Trusts for 2013. The scholarships provide flexible funding to early-career scientists researching the basis of perplexing health problems such as diabetes, autism, Parkinson’s disease, and cancer. Learn more about the scientists and their research.
More infoOn the Scientific Frontier: Pew Funds 10 Latin American Scientists Conducting Innovative Research
Ten scientists were named Pew Latin American fellows in the Biomedical Sciences by The Pew Charitable Trusts for 2013. The fellowship provides support to advance grantees’ research, enables them to study with prominent U.S. scientists, and invests seed capital to help them establish laboratories in their home countries. Learn more about the scientists and their work.
More infoNas fronteiras da Ciência: 10 Pew Fellows são selecionados para pesquisar doenças
Dez cientistas foram hoje nomeados Pew Latin American Fellows nas Ciências Biomédicas, pelo Pew Charitable Trusts. Este prêmio oferece suporte para que jovens cientistas avancem em suas pesquisas, permitindo-lhes colaborar com renomados cientistas nos Estados Unidos, além de investir capital para ajudá-los a estabelecer novos laboratórios em seus países de origem.
More infoNational Cancer Research Month
May is National Cancer Research Month, and Pew’s biomedical scholars and Latin American fellows are doing their part to address the disease, which affects nearly 13 million people in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society. More infoSeven Pew Scholars Named HHMI Investigators
On May 9, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) announced that 27 of the nation’s top biomedical researchers—including seven Pew scholars—will become HHMI investigators and will receive the flexible support necessary to move their research in creative new directions. The Pew scholars named HHMI investigators are Peter Baumann (2003), Michael Dyer (2004), Nicole King (2004), Tirin Moore (2004), Dyche Mullins (2000), Michael Rape (2007), and Rachel Wilson (2005).
More infoInterview with Pew Latin American Fellow Esteban Engel
An interview with Pew's 2011 Latin American Fellow Esteban Engel. More info2009 Pew Biomedical Scholar Charles Mullighan Helps Identify Mutations Linked to Brain Tumors
2009 Pew Biomedical Scholar Charles Mullighan was part of a research team at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital which recently found mutations responsible for more than half of a subtype of childhood brain tumors. Their paper in Nature Genetics pinpointed alterations in two genes that increased the risk of low-grade gliomas—the most common childhood tumors of the brain and spinal cord—and identified an existing drug as a possible treatment.
More info2012 Pew Scholar Earns ARI Young Investigator Grant
Salil Lachke, a 2012 Pew scholar and assistant professor of biological sciences at the University of Delaware, has been selected by the Alcon Research Institute as a 2013 Young Investigator. As one of just eight researchers worldwide to receive the $50,000 grant, Dr. Lachke will continue his work on an online tool he created to discover genes related to glaucoma and other eye diseases.
More info2011 Pew Scholar awarded $1.13 million from NIH
Jeff Gore, a 2011 Pew Scholar and assistant professor of physics at MIT, has been awarded a four-year, $1,131,603 grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences – one of the 27 National Institutes of Health – to pursue research into cooperation and cheating in the evolution of antibiotic resistance in bacteria.
More info
