Mitchell A. Lazar Recognized For Research In Endocrinology,
Obesity, and Diabetes
Virginia M.-Y. Lee Recognized for Research In Alzheimer's
Disease
(Philadelphia,
PA) - Two researchers from the University of Pennsylvania
School of Medicine have received $1 million in no-strings
attached grants from the Bristol-Myers Squibb Unrestricted
Biomedical Research Program to support their work in
the fields of metabolic and neuroscience research. Today,
at a ceremony on Penn's campus the researchers, Mitchell
A. Lazar, MD, PhD., and Virginia M.-Y. Lee, PhD., will
each receive a check for $500,000.
The unrestricted nature of the grants
allows researchers to put the support where it is most
needed and gives scientists the freedom to pursue uncharted
paths. Both researchers plan to use their unrestricted
grants to further the research capabilities of their
laboratories.
"It is a wonderful honor for an institution
to count a single recipient of a Bristol-Myers Squibb
research grant among its faculty, let alone two such
researchers honored in a single year," said Dr. Arthur
H. Rubenstein, Executive Vice President of the University
of Pennsylvania for the Health System and Dean of the
School of Medicine. "Mitchell Lazar and Virginia Lee
represent the spirit of medical science at Penn - they
each excel at studying the basic molecular underpinnings
of a disease, yet still manage to focus on translating
their findings into medical practice."
Lazar, a Professor in Penn's Departments
of Medicine and Genetics, Chief of Endocrinology, Diabetes,
and Metabolics, and Director of the Penn Diabetes Center,
is an internationally known expert in nuclear hormone
receptors and the regulation of gene transcription.
His research grant will further support his groundbreaking
research into hormone regulation of gene expression.
Simeon Taylor, MD, PhD, Vice President, Hopewell Biology,
Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceutical Research Institute,
Princeton, New Jersey, will present a check to Lazar.
"Dr. Lazar's research on the endocrine
and metabolic aspects of gene regulation is highly regarded
by scientists throughout the world, with implications
even in the field of oncology research," said Taylor.
"Recently, he has provided new insights into insulin
resistance in type II diabetes and the relationship
between obesity and diabetes. We are proud to welcome
Dr. Lazar to the distinguished roster of scientists
participating in our unrestricted metabolic research
grants program."
Lee, a Professor in Penn's Department
of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and Director of
the Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research, is
a world leader in the field of Alzheimer's disease and
dementias. Frank D. Yocca, PhD, Executive Director,
Neuroscience Clinical Design and Evaluation, Bristol-Myers
Squibb Pharmaceutical Research Institute, Princeton,
will present a check to Lee.
"Dr. Lee is clearly a world leader in
the field of Alzheimer's disease and dementias," said
Yocca. "Her discoveries in the biochemistry and pathophysiology
of these diseases have contributed new understandings
of how these diseases develop and progress. Dr. Lee
adds an exciting new dimension to the work of scientists
currently participating in our unrestricted neuroscience
research grants program."
The Bristol-Myers Squibb Unrestricted
Biomedical Research Grants Program offers the world's
premier research institutions the opportunity to pursue
new clinical and laboratory findings, support promising
young scientists, or acquire new laboratory technology
- with no strings attached.
Initiated in 1977, the Bristol-Myers Squibb
Foundation has awarded unrestricted research grants
to support research in the fields of cancer, cardiovascular
diseases, infectious diseases, metabolic diseases, neuroscience
and nutrition. Through the Bristol-Myers Squibb Unrestricted
Biomedical Research Grants Program, the Foundation has
committed over $100 million in support of 240 grants
to 150 institutions in 22 countries worldwide.
# # #
Editor's Note: For a
biography and photo of Dr. Lazar, click here.
For a biography and photo of Dr. Lee, click here.
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