Salk scientist receives distinguished NIH award for transformative research

September 28, 2011

Salk scientist receives distinguished NIH award for transformative research

September 28, 2011

拉霍亚，加利福尼亚州—Dr. Fred Gage, a professor in the Salk Institute Laboratory of Genetics and holder of the Vi and John Adler Chair for Research on Age-Related Neurodegenerative Diseases, has been named a 2011 recipient of the prestigious National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director’s Transformative Research Projects (T-R01) program.

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.

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，其国际知名的教职人员在一个独特、协作和富有创造性的环境中，深入探究生命科学的基本问题。索尔克科学家们致力于发现和指导未来几代研究人员，通过研究神经科学、遗传学、细胞和植物生物学以及相关学科，在癌症、衰老、阿尔茨海默氏症、糖尿病和传染病的认识方面做出了开创性的贡献。.

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。.