PHILADELPHIA, June 18,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Pew Charitable Trusts today
announced the 2024 class of the Pew Latin American Fellows Program
in the Biomedical Sciences.
The 10 postdoctoral fellows from six Latin American
countries—Argentina, Brazil,
Chile, Cuba, Mexico,
and Peru—will receive two years of funding to conduct research in
laboratories across the United
States. They will work under the mentorship of prominent
biomedical scientists, including alumni from the Latin American
fellows program and the Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical
Sciences.
"The grave threats to human health over the past few years—from
COVID-19 to growing rates of cancer in younger adults—underscore
how important it is to invest in promising biomedical scientists
throughout the world," said Donna
Frisby-Greenwood, Pew's senior vice president for
Philadelphia and scientific
advancement. "These outstanding Latin American researchers are
poised to become leaders in the global scientific community, and
Pew is proud to support them."
Fellows who choose to return to Latin
America to launch their own research labs will receive
additional funding from Pew. Approximately 68% of program
participants have pursued this path, which has helped to build a
more robust biomedical research community in Latin America.
Research interests in the 2024 class include exploring how
mosquitoes detect human targets and transmit disease, engineering
specialized RNA molecules to help ward off neurodegeneration, and
investigating methods to activate a powerful anti-cancer protein
that can prevent tumor growth.
"Biomedical research is a global effort, and collaborations that
bring together different personal perspectives across scientific
disciplines are key to making meaningful change," said Eva Nogales, Ph.D., distinguished professor in
the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of California, Berkeley, and chair of
the program's national advisory committee. "I'm thrilled to welcome
this year's class, a group of exceptional Latin American scientists
with immense talent. Their research in top labs will help pave the
way for scientific discovery that can benefit human health across
the globe."
The 2024 Pew Latin American fellows and their U.S. mentors
are:
Nagif Alata Jimenez, Ph.D.
Laboratory of Marcos
Simoes-Costa, Ph.D., 2008 Pew Latin American fellow
Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical
School
Nagif Alata Jimenez, Ph.D., will investigate the molecular programs
that guide the formation of specialized cells during embryonic
development.
Krist Antunes Fernandes,
Ph.D.
Laboratory of Ai Ing
Lim, Ph.D.
Princeton University
Krist Antunes Fernandes, Ph.D., will
study how eradication of parasitic infections has shaped the immune
system, especially during pregnancy, and fostered the development
of asthma and respiratory infections.
Carolina Cabalín, Ph.D.
Laboratory of Niroshana
Anandasabapathy, M.D., Ph.D.
Weill Cornell Medicine
Carolina Cabalín, Ph.D., will explore how cancer-targeted drugs
that stimulate immunity can trigger autoimmune disorders such as
the skin condition vitiligo.
Florencia Fernandez-Chiappe,
Ph.D.
Laboratory of Meg
Younger, Ph.D., 2024 Pew biomedical scholar
Boston University
Florencia Fernandez-Chiappe, Ph.D.,
will assess how the unusual structure of a mosquito's olfactory
system allows it to detect a human's signature scent.
Jovanka Gencel-Augusto,
Ph.D.
Laboratory of Jennifer R.
Grandis, M.D.
University of California, San
Francisco
Jovanka Gencel-Augusto, Ph.D., will
determine alternative strategies to activate p53, a protective
protein that can be harnessed to defend against cancer.
Gladys Gutiérrez-Bugallo, Ph.D.
Laboratory of
George Dimopoulos, Ph.D., MBA
Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg
School of Public Health
Gladys Gutiérrez-Bugallo, Ph.D., will explore the factors that
allow female mosquitoes to pass viruses to their progeny.
Mateo Alejandro Martínez-Roque, Ph.D.
Laboratory of Samie R. Jaffrey, M.D., Ph.D.
Weill Cornell Medicine
Mateo Alejandro Martínez-Roque,
Ph.D., will pursue the development of "glue RNAs" that can be used
to guide the degradation of abnormal proteins, which can lead to
diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Felipe Méndez-Salcido, Ph.D.
Laboratory of A.
Kimberley McAllister, Ph.D., 2001
Pew biomedical scholar
University of California, Davis
Felipe Méndez-Salcido, Ph.D., will explore how dysregulation in
dopamine signaling can drive the altered cognitive behaviors
characteristic of schizophrenia.
Brenda Nakagaki,
Ph.D.
Laboratory of Evanna
Mills, Ph.D., 2024 Pew biomedical scholar
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical
School
Brenda Nakagaki, Ph.D., will
investigate how the metabolic dysfunction that accompanies
diet-induced obesity triggers inflammation in different cells and
tissues.
Guido Petrovich,
Ph.D.
Laboratory of Josefina del Mármol, Ph.D., 2023 Pew
biomedical scholar
Harvard Medical School
Guido Petrovich, Ph.D., will dissect
the molecular mechanisms by which the insects that transmit Chagas
disease locate their human hosts.
Founded in 1948, The Pew Charitable Trusts uses data to make
a difference. Pew addresses the challenges of a changing world by
illuminating issues, creating common ground, and advancing
ambitious projects that lead to tangible progress.
Erin Davis, 202-540-6677,
edavis@pewtrusts.org
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SOURCE The Pew Charitable Trusts