LA JOLLA INSTITUTE FOR ALLERGY & IMMUNOLOGY SCIENTIST NAMED ONE OF AMERICA'S MOST PROMISING BIOMEDICAL RESEARCHERS
Dr. Shane Crotty Recieves $240,000 Pew Scholar Award
SAN DIEGO - July 7, 2005 - Shane Crotty, Ph.D., a scientist at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology (LIAI), has been chosen as one of America¡¦s "Most Promising Biomedical Researchers," by the Pew Charitable Trusts and the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF). Dr. Crotty and 14 other gifted researchers nationwide were selected as 2005 Pew Scholars in the Biomedical Sciences.
The Pew biomedical scholars, started in 1985, is a prestigious and highly selective program which identifies and invests in early- to mid-career scientists who show outstanding promise in the basic and clinical sciences. Recipients are researchers expected to advance the scientific frontier. "We are humbled by the accomplishments of the scholars over the past 20 years and the potential their work holds for humankind," said Rebecca W. Rimel, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Pew Charitable Trusts, in a news release announcing the 2005 scholars. As a Pew Scholar, each scientist receives a $240,000 award to help support his or her research over a four year period and joins a unique community of scientists that facilitates collaboration and exchange of ideas. The program is funded by the Trusts through a grant to UCSF.
"We at the Institute are thrilled to see Dr. Crotty receive this prestigious award," said Mitch Kronenberg, Ph.D., LIAI President and Scientific Director. "He has shown himself to be a researcher and an individual of the highest caliber. His passion and his scientific expertise have earned him the respect and admiration of his peers and we know that great things lie ahead for Dr. Crotty."
The Pew Scholars selection process is rigorously competitive, as all applicants are highly talented researchers in their fields. Applicants must be nominated by an invited institution (currently there are 136) and must demonstrate excellence and innovation in their research. The scholars are selected by a distinguished national advisory committee, currently chaired by Dr. Torsten N. Wiesel, president emeritus of Rockefeller University, and a 1981 Nobel laureate.
"It is an honor to have such a distinguished organization as the Pew place their confidence in me and my research efforts," said Dr. Crotty. "As a young scientist, it can be tough to get initial funding for your projects, especially flexible funding like that of the Pew Charitable Trusts. This flexibility will enable me to try new approaches in my research that otherwise might not have been possible."
While many grants available to scientists have strict guidelines governing how and on what funds must be spent, the Pew award has become coveted for its intended flexibility, as it is designed to enable scientists to take calculated risks, expand their research and follow unanticipated leads.
Under the Pew program, Dr. Crotty plans to investigate the molecular mechanism underlying X-linked lymphoproliferative disease (XLP), a rare, inherited and often fatal childhood disorder that results in increased susceptibility to a variety of infections. The disease is caused by a defect in the SAP gene, which Dr. Crotty aims to better understand. His studies may shed light on why patients with XLP are so vulnerable to fatal infections and could suggest novel antiviral therapies.
Dr. Crotty received his undergraduate degree from MIT and his doctorate
in biochemistry and molecular biology from the University of
California, San Francisco, in 2001. He was a postdoctoral fellow at
Emory University from 2001 to 2003 and then accepted a position as an
assistant member of the Division of Vaccine Discovery at LIAI. He is
also an Assistant Professor at the University of California, San Diego,
School of Medicine.
About LIAI
Founded in 1988, the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology is a
nonprofit medical research center dedicated to increasing knowledge and
improving human health through studies of the immune system. Scientists
at the institute carry out research searching for cures for cancer,
allergy and asthma, infectious diseases, and autoimmune diseases such
as diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease and arthritis. LIAI's research
staff includes more than 100 Ph.Ds.
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