Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers at a White House ceremony on Nov. 1,
making University of California the recipient of more awards than any other
institution.
John Marburger III, President George W. Bush’s science adviser
and director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy,
presented the honors to 58 scientists and engineers. The awards recognize
exceptional leadership potential at the outset of the recipient’s professional
scientific career.
The award, established in 1996, includes research funding
for a maximum of five years to support critical government missions. It is the
highest honor the U.S. government bestows on scientists and engineers beginning
their independent careers. Recipients are nominated annually by nine federal
departments and agencies.
UCSD’s Brian Keating, assistant professor of physics, and
Katerina Akassoglou, assistant professor of pharmacology, were among this
year’s award recipients for their work in astrophysics and molecular and
cellular mechanisms, respectively.
“We take great pride in the University of California
scholars who have been recognized by these awards,” UC President Robert C.
Dynes said in a press release. “They are making valuable contributions to
scientific discovery in an exciting range of fields, and we look forward with
great anticipation to their continued accomplishments.”
Inflammation Leads to Diabetes, Not Obesity
A recent study conducted by researchers at the UCSD School
of Medicine found that inflammation provoked by immune cells called macrophages
causes insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes. The discovery may break ground
in novel drug development to fight the epidemic of Type 2 diabetes associated
with obesity.
It has been theorized in recent years that chronic,
low-grade tissue inflammation related to obesity, the world’s most prevalent
metabolic disease, contributes to insulin resistance, the major cause of Type 2
diabetes. The research, which utilizes mouse models, proved that disabling the
macrophage inflammatory pathway prevents insulin resistance and the resultant
Type 2 diabetes.
The findings of the research team, led by Michael Karin,
professor of pharmacology, and Jerrold Olefsky, distinguished professor of
medicine and associate dean for scientific affairs, will be published as the
feature article in the Nov. 7 issue of Cell Metabolism.
“Our research shows that insulin resistance can be
disassociated from the increase in body fat associated with obesity,” Olefsky
said in a press release. “We aren’t suggesting that obesity is healthy, but
indications are promising that, by blocking the macrophage pathway, scientists
may find a way to prevent the Type 2 diabetes not linked to obesity and fatty
livers.”
