28 de septiembre de 2011
LA JOLLA, CA—Dr. Fred Gage, profesor en el Laboratorio de Genética del Salk Institute y titular de la Cátedra Vi y John Adler para la Investigación de Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas Relacionadas con la Edad, ha sido nombrado beneficiario de 2011 del prestigioso programa de Proyectos de Investigación Transformadora (T-R01) del Director de los Institutos Nacionales de Salud (NIH).
Only 17 T-R01 projects were selected throughout the country and will be supported with a total of $15.9 million in funding. Gage, who will receive $700,000 over the next 5 years, was the sole researcher in San Diego awarded a grant by the innovative program.
Gage has challenged the dogma that most healthy cells in an individual possess identical genomes by showing that the activity of mobile elements of genetic material can create a unique mosaic of different genomes in any individual’s brain. Researchers in his lab will pair with Dr. Roger Lasken of the J. Craig Venter Institute to develop innovative single cell approaches to understand how unique genomic mosaics make identical twins different from one another and contribute to spontaneous neurological diseases.
“This important award from the NIH recognizes Dr. Gage’s pioneering research that continues to push the boundaries of science,” said Salk Institute President William R. Brody. “The grant will provide funding to further these studies that are critically important for the advancement of basic research that could aid in the development of new therapies to improve the lives of people with a range of neurological disorders.”
Launched in 2008, the T-R01 program is supported by the NIH Common Fund (formerly the NIH Roadmap for Medical Research) and part of a series of initiatives designed to address fundamental knowledge gaps in science. According to the NIH, it is intended “to encourage exploration of exceptionally innovative and original research ideas that have the potential for extraordinary impact.”
About the National Institutes of Health (NIH):
NIH, the nation’s medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.
Acerca del Instituto Salk de Estudios Biológicos:
El Instituto Salk de Estudios Biológicos es una de las instituciones de investigación básica más destacadas del mundo, donde un cuerpo docente de prestigio internacional investiga cuestiones fundamentales de las ciencias de la vida en un entorno único, colaborativo y creativo. Centrados tanto en el descubrimiento como en la formación de las futuras generaciones de investigadores, los científicos del Salk realizan contribuciones revolucionarias a nuestra comprensión del cáncer, el envejecimiento, el Alzheimer, la diabetes y las enfermedades infecciosas mediante el estudio de la neurociencia, la genética, la biología celular y vegetal, y otras disciplinas relacionadas.
Los logros del cuerpo docente han sido reconocidos con numerosos galardones, entre los que se incluyen premios Nobel y la pertenencia a la Academia Nacional de Ciencias. Fundado en 1960 por el Dr. Jonas Salk, pionero en la vacuna contra la poliomielitis, el Instituto es una organización independiente sin fines de lucro y un hito arquitectónico.
Oficina de Comunicaciones
Tel.: (858) 453-4100
press@salk.edu
