Job Dekker, Ph.D. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology University of Massachusetts Medical School Dr. Dekker has developed a system to study the complex way in which chromosomes are regulated. By comparing cancer and normal cells, the research has the potential to uncover defects in chromosome regulation that cause malignancy, which may lead to advances in combating cancerous cells in the body. Wallace Marshall, Ph.D. Department of Biochemistry University of California, San Francisco Dr Marshall investigates how cilia, the hair-like projections that move substances over a cell, are involved as key factors in debilitating human diseases. By studying blue-green algae, Dr. Marshall's research may lead to new insights into human ciliary disorders, such as polycystic kidney disease and retinal degeneration. Amy Wagers, Ph.D. Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Section on Developmental and Stem Cell Biology at Joslin Diabetes Center Harvard Medical School Dr. Wagers investigates the decline with age in the body's ability to maintain homeostatic cell replacement and to regenerate cells after injury. Building on previous research of the relationship between the age of stem cells and their ability to regenerate themselves, Dr. Wagers hopes to discover a method to slow down or reverse the natural process of aging, which may potentially lead to advances in treating age-related illnesses, such as diabetes, immune deficiencies, muscle weakness, and cancer. Xander Wehrens, M.D., Ph.D. Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics Baylor College of Medicine Dr. Wehrens hopes to define the mechanisms of specialized protein complexes in excitable cells, such as heart muscle. His research has the potential to explain the underlying causes of certain types of heart failure and cardiomyopathy. Jennifer Zallen, Ph.D. Developmental Biology Program Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center Dr. Zallen's work on the nature of three-dimensional Rosetta cell structures combines molecular genetics, live imaging, and quantitative statistical analysis. Her study of a fruit fly's cell structure may be applied to other organisms' cell structures, with the potential to develop approaches to analyze cell behavior and structure in living embryos. 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999