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Damania of UNC receives Elion cancer research award
Dr. Blossom A. Damania, assistant professor of microbiology and immunology at UNC’s School of Medicine, is this year’s recipient of the Gertrude B. Elion Cancer Research Award, sponsored by the American Association for Cancer Research.
March 30, 2004
Briefs
Damania of UNC receives Elion cancer research award
Dr. Blossom A. Damania, assistant professor of microbiology and immunology at UNC’s School of Medicine, is this year’s recipient of the Gertrude B. Elion Cancer Research Award, sponsored by the American Association for Cancer Research.
She receives the award today (March 30) at the association’s annual meeting in Orlando, Fla. This marks the second consecutive year that the award has gone to a UNC researcher. Last year’s Elion recipient was Dr. Yi Zhang, as was the 1999 winner, Dr. Yue Xiong.
Begun in 1993, the $50,000 award recognizes research excellence in cancer etiology, diagnosis, treatment or prevention. It is presented annually to one non-tenured scientist at the assistant professor level.
The award honors the late Dr. Gertrude B. Elion, scientist emeritus at Glaxo Wellcome Co. (now GlaxoSmithKline). Her seminal research revolutionized cancer therapy, and her prolific contributions to biomedical science earned her the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1988.
Damania, a member of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, was selected for the nationally competitive award for her research proposal in tumor virology titled “The Role of Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) in human malignancies.” Damania studies an oncogene of the virus named K1, and her research aims to decipher how this gene can transform cells to become malignancies.
Damania joined the UNC faculty in October 2000.
Photo URL: http://www.unc.edu/news/newsserv/pics/faculty/blossom_daminia.jpg
School of Medicine contact: Les Lang, (919) 843-9687 or llang@med.unc.edu
