July 24, 2019 | Jola Glotzer
40 under 40 Chicago scientists
The CBC is proud to have supported the research of seven out of 40 under 40 HALO-nominated scientists in Chicago!
Yesterday, HALO – an organization that “connects scientists with opportunities to translate their research into real-world applications” – announced the 40 under 40 scientists in Chicago. Across a range of specialties, they represent five universities, six startups, two research hospitals, two Fortune 500 companies and one national laboratory.
From developing hydrogels for faster wound healing to identifying a new biomarker for neuroblastoma, these forty scientists represent the next generation of big shoulder Chicago scientists working to translate innovation into application, from bench to bedside. Like most of science, those who ultimately benefit from their efforts may still be generations away.
Join [HALO] in saying “Thank You” to these rising stars and [the] three “Heroes of Medicine” at the 2nd Annual Halo Awards on Saturday, October 12 at the Museum of Science and Industry.
The CBC is proud to share that seven out of 40 under 40 HALO-nominated scientists in Chicago are CBC awardees or affiliates from all three CBC universities as well as from a CBC-university startup. In other words, 17.5% (approaching 1 in 5) of the honored Chicago scientists under 40 are connected to/have benefited from a relationship with the CBC. Their ties to the CBC are listed below:
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Bryan Dickinson, PhD, The University of Chicago
- A CBC Accelerator Review Board member (2018-present)
- A 2015 CBC Catalyst Award winner, together with David Gius, NU, for the project: “Fluorescent Probes for Live-cell Imaging of Sirtuin Activity: Application to Breast Cancer”.
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Brian Murphy, PhD, UIC
- A 2015 CBC Postdoctoral Research Award winner with Binh Chu, a postdoc in his lab, and a co-PI Rachel Poretsky, UIC, for the project: “Quantifying Antibiotic Resistance Genes Throughout Lake Michigan Using Digital PCR”
- A 2014 CBC Catalyst Award winner, together with Rachel Poretsky, UIC and George Wells, NU, for the project: “Co-occurrence and Implications of Antibiotic Production and Resistance Genes in the Environment”
- A panelist at the CBC 2012 Tech Day, “Small Molecule Discovery in Academia”
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Hien-Ahn Nguyen, Enzyme by Design
- Chief Scientific Officer of Enzyme by Design, a biotech startup which received CBC support through a CBC Accelerator Award for the project: “Increasing the in vivo Stability of L-asparaginase through Interactions with HSA”, to Arnon Lavie, UIC. Lavie is founder, president and CEO of Enzyme by Design. The company also won the 2019 MedCity INVEST pitch contest.
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Laura Sanchez, PhD, UIC
- A 2016 CBC Catalyst Award winner, together with Mark Mandel, NU, for the project: “Capturing Host-Microbiome Chemical Communication”
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Amanda Schalk, PhD, Enzyme by Design
- Chief Operating Officer of Enzyme by Design, a biotech startup which received CBC support through a CBC Accelerator Award for the project: “Increasing the in vivo Stability of L-asparaginase through Interactions with HSA”, to Arnon Lavie, UIC. Lavie is founder, president and CEO of Enzyme by Design. The company also won the 2019 MedCity INVEST pitch contest.
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Vania Vidimar, PhD, Northwestern University
- A 2019 CBC Accelerator Award finalist for a proposal submitted together with Karla Satchell, NU, titled “Ras Processing as a Strategy to Reduce Ras-Driven Tumors”
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Rui Xiong, PhD, UIC
- A co-PI on a 2018 CBC Accelerator Award to Greg Thatcher, UIC, for the project: “A Novel BET Inhibitor for Breast Cancer Combination Therapy”
Source:
Adapted (with modifications) from “40 under 40 Chicago scientists,” published in HALO, July 23, 2019.