September 21, 2007
MGH investigators
receive prestigious NIH grants
Three
MGH scientists have received major awards from the U.S. National Institutes
of Health (NIH) in recognition of their innovative research studies. Emery
Brown, MD, PhD, of the Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care, (at
left) is one of 12 recipients of the 2007 Pioneer Awards, $2.5 million
grants to innovative and creative scientists at any stage of their careers.
Nir Hacohen, PhD, of the MGH Center for Immunology and Inflammatory Diseases,
and Konrad Hochedlinger, PhD, of the MGH Center for Regenerative Medicine,
were among 29 recipients of New Innovator Awards, new $1.5 million grants
to researchers early in their careers.
Brown is director of the Neuroscience Statistics Research Laboratory in MGH Anesthesia and will use the award to pursue his studies of the biological mechanisms underlying general anesthesia. While general anesthesia has been a critical part of medical care since its first demonstration at the MGH in 1846, exactly how anesthetic drugs operate is still a mystery. Brown's interdisciplinary team will conduct animal studies of how changes in the brain produced by anesthetic drugs contribute to general anesthesia. They will use imaging studies and EEG readings to monitor brain activity in human participants undergoing anesthesia.
Hacohen will use RNA interference libraries to dissect immune system pathways that sense pathogens in mammals. The innate immune system, the body's first line of defense, evolved to detect invading pathogens and activate protective immune responses. Hacohen's project will focus on a subsystem that detects the DNA and RNA of viruses and also will address how these nucleic acid sensors avoid being activated inappropriately, which could lead to inflammation and autoimmune disorders.
Hochedlinger will be studying a promising technique for reprogramming adult mouse and human cells into pluripotent cells — those with the capacity to produce any kind of cells. Recent research in mice by Hochedlinger and others has shown that the molecular expression of four specific factors can transform adult skin cells into induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, which have the properties of embryonic stem cells. The award will support the team's investigation of the molecular changes that accompany the generation of iPS cells and whether human cells can be reprogrammed by the expression of the same factors.
Three
MGH scientists have received major awards from the U.S. National Institutes
of Health (NIH) in recognition of their innovative research studies. Emery
Brown, MD, PhD, of the Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care, (at
left) is one of 12 recipients of the 2007 Pioneer Awards, $2.5 million
grants to innovative and creative scientists at any stage of their careers.
Nir Hacohen, PhD, of the MGH Center for Immunology and Inflammatory Diseases,
and Konrad Hochedlinger, PhD, of the MGH Center for Regenerative Medicine,
were among 29 recipients of New Innovator Awards, new $1.5 million grants
to researchers early in their careers. Brown is director of the Neuroscience Statistics Research Laboratory in MGH Anesthesia and will use the award to pursue his studies of the biological mechanisms underlying general anesthesia. While general anesthesia has been a critical part of medical care since its first demonstration at the MGH in 1846, exactly how anesthetic drugs operate is still a mystery. Brown's interdisciplinary team will conduct animal studies of how changes in the brain produced by anesthetic drugs contribute to general anesthesia. They will use imaging studies and EEG readings to monitor brain activity in human participants undergoing anesthesia.
Hacohen will use RNA interference libraries to dissect immune system pathways that sense pathogens in mammals. The innate immune system, the body's first line of defense, evolved to detect invading pathogens and activate protective immune responses. Hacohen's project will focus on a subsystem that detects the DNA and RNA of viruses and also will address how these nucleic acid sensors avoid being activated inappropriately, which could lead to inflammation and autoimmune disorders.
Hochedlinger will be studying a promising technique for reprogramming adult mouse and human cells into pluripotent cells — those with the capacity to produce any kind of cells. Recent research in mice by Hochedlinger and others has shown that the molecular expression of four specific factors can transform adult skin cells into induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, which have the properties of embryonic stem cells. The award will support the team's investigation of the molecular changes that accompany the generation of iPS cells and whether human cells can be reprogrammed by the expression of the same factors.