Frank B. Gertler, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Department of Biology Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Biology Dr. Gertler's research focuses on the mechanisms that control cellular movement and how these biochemical steps are inhibited in certain types of cancer cells. Building on successes in cloning a Drosophila protein that is essential in forming axonal growth cones in the developing neural system, Dr. Gertler is now studying analogous proteins in a mammalian model. His research team hopes to elucidate how these signaling pathways affect cell motility and morphology, as well as how they contribute to disease processes, such as, inflammation, wound healing, tumor invasion, and metastasis. John V. Moran, Ph.D. Associate Professor University of Michigan Dr. Moran's research seeks to uncover how a class of retrotransposons (genetic remnants of ancestral viral infections) contribute to human disease and genetic instability of the genome. He has demonstrated that the L1 retrotransposition plays a key role in shuffling DNA sequences within the genome. This fact might help explain one way in which genetic diseases arise spontaneously in individuals with no history of hereditary disease. The current project will focus on L1 retrotransposons in cultured human cells to enhance the understanding of tumorigenesis and tumor progression. Joe Tsien, Ph.D. Professor of Pharmacology and Biomedical Engineering Boston University Dr. Tsien's research probes the molecular and neural mechanisms by which memories are acquired, stored and retrieved in the mammalian brain using genetically engineered mouse models. In 1999, Dr. Tsien and his research team announced the creation of a "smart mouse" containing the genetically engineered gene, Doogie. These mice possess neurons with an altered subunit of the NMDA receptor that strengthens connections with other neurons and gives them superior learning and memory skills. Dr. Tsien also hopes to demonstrate how genetically controlled and age-related neural synapses affect learning and memory formation. Such research could offer new insights into age-related neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease. Michelle Wang, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Department of Physics Cornell University Dr. Wang's research fuses the disciplines of physics and molecular biology to help explain the mechanisms behind gene expression by directly monitoring individual molecules at work. She studies how RNA polymerase reads DNA during transcription. Her pioneering single-molecule manipulation and single-molecule fluorescence techniques allow her to study the behavior of proteins that act as the molecular motors moving RNA along. Her work promises to clarify the process of transcription and establish a model for future studies of molecular motors at the level of individual molecules. Dr. Wang's work will help researchers understand the development of cancer at the most rudimentary level - the processes that go awry in cell division and lead to tumorigenesis. Milton H. Werner, Ph.D. Associate Professor and Head, Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics Rockefeller University Dr. Werner uses NMR spectroscopy and other biophysical techniques to understand the genetic and structural basis of inherited blood and bone disorders. His research team focuses on the fundamental mechanisms of cell signaling that guide cell growth and death, and lead to disease when these cellular mechanisms malfunction. His lab has already revealed the relationship between protein-gene regulation and lymphoma development, a precursor to acute human leukemia. A family of activator proteins that Dr. Werner studies are involved in cellular differentiation and have been shown to play a role in approximately 40% of all acute onset leukemia cases. 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999