Luis Amaral, Ph.D. Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering Northwestern University Dr. Amaral uses computational methods to identify and map patterns of molecular interactions within cells, which are part of a growing sea of complex biological information. These maps hold promise for future drug development to cure diseases while avoiding unwanted side effects. His research has the potential to greatly decrease the amount of time and money spent in drug development. Seth Blackshaw, Ph.D. Department of Neuroscience Johns Hopkins University Dr. Blackshaw has developed ways to identify the molecules that determine how retinal cell types become functionally different from one another during embryonic development. His work holds the promise that one day doctors could treat certain types of blindness by regenerating a patient's retinal cells. Jonathan Bogan, M.D. Department of Internal Medicine Yale University Dr. Bogan studies a mechanism through which insulin triggers cells to take up glucose from the blood by modification of a protein complex that activates glucose uptake. Understanding this process at the molecular level could lead to improved treatments for diabetes and other metabolic disorders, such as those associated with HIV infection and protease inhibitor drug treatment. Russell DeBose-Boyd, Ph.D. Department of Molecular Genetics University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas Dr. DeBose-Boyd studies an enzyme, HMG CoA reductase, that controls the production of cholesterol and is the direct target for cholesterol-lowering drugs such as Zocor and Lipitor. His work has revealed an elegant mechanism by which this enzyme is rapidly destroyed when sterols build up in liver cells. His research may shed light on prevention and treatment of heart disease. Amy Pasquinelli, Ph.D. Division of Biological Sciences University of California, San Diego Dr. Pasquinelli investigates how a specialized type of RNA, called microRNA, regulates different genes and the biological pathways those genes control. She is focusing on a particular microRNA that may function as a tumor suppressor. Her work may contribute to developing microRNAs as less-toxic, targeted new therapies against cancer and other diseases.