索尔克科学家被任命为丽塔·艾伦学者

2011年6月22日

索尔克科学家被任命为丽塔·艾伦学者

2011年6月22日

LA JOLLA, CA—The Salk Institute for Biological Studies announced that Dr. 阿克塞尔·尼默雅恩, Assistant Professor in the Waitt Advanced Biophotonics Center and holder of the Richard Allan Barry Developmental Chair, has been named a 2011 Rita Allen Scholar. Nimmerjahn is one of seven scientists out of 28 candidates to be selected this year and only the third Salk faculty member to receive this award.

"To be chosen for the Rita Allen Foundation Scholars program is a rigorous, highly selective process and it is a great honor that distinguishes Axel's outstanding scientific accomplishments," said Salk President William R. Brody. "I'm delighted that the Foundation has presented him with this recognition and support to facilitate his remarkable research."

He will receive $500,000 over a five-year period to pursue his research into the role of glial cells in neurovascular coupling, the temporal and spatial coupling between increased neural activity and cerebral blood flow. Glial cells constitute the majority of human brain cells and dynamically interact with neurons and other cells. Once thought to play only a passive, supportive role, glia are now emerging as active players in healthy brain function. Additionally, glia are critically involved in many injuries and diseases including spinal-cord injury, glioma, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and Alexander's disease.

"Our mission is to invest in transformative ideas and projects that result in significant breakthroughs and solutions to serious health challenges," said Elizabeth G. Christopherson, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Rita Allen Foundation.

"We have traditionally embraced research with above average risk and groundbreaking possibilities, and are proud of the over 100 Scholars, including a Nobel Laureate and members of the National Academy of Sciences, who have received our financial support."

Nimmerjahn earned a doctorate in Physics at the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research/University of Heidelberg in Germany. After completing a postdoctoral research fellowship in Biology and Applied Physics at Stanford University in California, he joined the Salk Institute in November 2010.

The Nimmerjahn laboratory concentrates on the innovation of light microscopic tools that will allow the study of glial cells in the intact mammalian brain. To date, the lab has created tools for cell-type-specific staining and genetic manipulation, imaging cellular dynamics in awake-behaving animals, including miniature head-mounted microscopes, and for automated analysis of large-scale imaging data. These and other tools enable them to directly address longstanding questions regarding glial cell function in the intact healthy and diseased brain. Currently, his lab investigates the role of glial cells in information processing, regulation of vascular dynamics and stroke. Resolving these fundamental questions has broad implications for our view of glial cells, the way information is processed in the brain, the interpretation of functional brain imaging signals and the treatment of neurodegenerative brain disease.

About the Rita Allen Foundation
The Rita Allen Foundation, established in 1953, was a modest sized foundation until Rita Allen Cassel died in 1969 and left a substantial portion of her estate to the foundation. She directed that most of these funds be used to advance medical research and invest in transformative ideas in their earliest stages to leverage their growth and promote breakthrough solutions to significant problems. It was from these beginnings that the foundation established the Rita Allen Foundation Scholars program which has supported more than one hundred scientists over the last thirty years. Many of these scholars have made important advances in medical research.

Additional information about the Rita Allen Foundation is available at http://www.ritaallenfoundation.org/

关于索尔克生物研究所：
索尔克生物研究所是世界顶尖的基础研究机构之一，总部位于美国加利福尼亚州拉霍亚。该研究所拥有国际知名的教职员工，在一个独特、协作和富有创意的环境中，探索生命科学的基本问题。索尔克的研究人员专注于科学发现和培养下一代研究人员，通过对神经科学、遗传学、细胞和植物生物学以及相关学科的研究，在癌症、衰老、阿尔茨海默病、糖尿病和传染病等领域取得了开创性的贡献，极大地增进了我们对这些疾病的理解。.

学院取得了许多成就，获得了包括诺贝尔奖和美国国家科学院院士在内的无数荣誉。该研究所由脊髓灰质炎疫苗先驱 Jonas Salk 博士于 1960 年创立，是一家独立的非营利组织和建筑地标。.