云南安宁小伙张凌波获美国青年科学家大奖

近日,记者了解到,今年3月,美国著名的生物医学基金会-埃文斯基金会首次颁发青年科学家奖,安宁小伙张凌波成为首批获奖者之一。

张凌波是土生土长的云南人,他在安宁念完小学、初中和高中,并于清华大学和美国麻省理工学院怀特黑德生物医学研究所完成硕士和博士研究。张凌波在世界顶级学术刊物《自然》发表论文揭示干细胞再生的机理,并且获得清华大学优秀硕士学位论文奖和中国国家优秀自费留学生奖学金。张凌波博士毕业后直接受聘于著名的美国冷泉港实验室独立领导自己的实验室,成为冷泉港实验室最年轻的实验室主任以及冷泉港实验室历史上首位华人冷泉港研究员。

美国冷泉港实验室被誉为世界生命科学圣地,在现代生命科学的发展历史上有着举足轻重的地位,在125年的历史中涌现了8位诺贝尔奖获得者。从遗传物质的发现,DNA双螺旋结构的确定,到核酸的可变剪接,转座子理论的提出,以及核酸端粒结构和端粒酶的发现,这一系列的突破奠定了整个现代生命科学的基础。

张凌波博士作为首席科学家在冷泉港实验室主持上千万美元的基金。他领导的实验室专注于成体干细胞的基础和应用研究,研究方向之一是揭示成体干细胞的再生机理,以及开发创新疗法治疗成体干细胞再生缺陷所导致的骨髓衰竭症。在我国,骨髓衰竭症每年就有超过30万的新增患者,目前很多患者根本无法治疗。“我们每周工作7天,每天工作10多个小时。我和我的研究团队包括博士后和博士生,我们大家的动力就是开发创新的干细胞技术,并且进行转化医学研究,把这些技术尽快用于救治病人和延长生命。”张凌波说道。

埃文斯基金会是美国著名的生物医学基金会之一,埃文斯基金会投入数亿美元支持重大疾病的基础和转化医学研究。此次埃文斯基金会首次颁发青年科学家奖,旨在奖励下一代的科学领袖寻找重大疾病的创新疗法,张凌波博士成为首批获奖者之一。张凌波博士的研究团队目前正在进行美国食品药品监督管理局新药临床试验的准备工作,把他们的科学发现转化为临床上治疗骨髓衰竭症的创新疗法。张凌波博士去年还获得了美国国立卫生研究院研究与商业化奖一期和二期奖励,以及美国北岸医疗集团转化医学研究奖一期和二期奖励等奖项。

“创制一个真正的新型疗法,难于制造一架飞机。”张凌波在获得青年科学家奖后说道,“但新型疗法的研发是最有意义的工作之一。治愈重大疾病,让人们健康的多生活很多年,这就是创造生命,就是终极问题,也是我们工作的目标。”说起父母和家乡,“我要感谢父母的养育之恩,是他们含辛茹苦把我养大。我也要感谢家乡的支持和母校的培养,是师长的鼓励让我一直前行。”张凌波表示,他希望今后能够为家乡的大健康事业发展贡献自己的力量。(白海/文 张凌波供图)

来源于:魅力安宁

注明:
美国著名的生物医学基金会-埃文斯基金会颁发度青年研究员基金资助奖,安宁小伙张凌波获得2018年度青年研究员基金资助奖获奖者之一。研究员基金资助每年提供125,000美元,最多三年,以支付工资和补助费用。

EvansMDS Young Investigator Award Founded in 1984, The Edward P. Evans Foundation is a non-profit Charitable Trust dedicated to funding research on Myelodysplastic Syndromes(MDS)through its EvansMDS initiative. We fund and promote collaboration among leading investigators working on the most promising science so that we might find cures for MDS.The Edward P. Evans Foundation is pleased to announce the continuation of our recently introduced EvansMDS Young Investigator Award to help develop the next generation of research leaders who will blaze a path toward finding these cures. We are targeting support for promising candidates committed to the study of the biology, pathogenesis, and treatment of MDS as they make their transition to independent investigators. We recognize that securing independent funding is often challenging during this period of career development.Our goal is to facilitate this transition and promote the entry of new investigators into the MDS field. We are offering $125,000 per year for up to three years to defray the costs of salary and supplies. Renewal of this agreement is conditional upon satisfactory progress toward independence prior to year two. Renewal of this agreement for the third year is conditional upon the Young Investigator’s acquisition of a written offer of an independent investigator position from a 501(c)(3) research institution. Young Investigators successfully securing their first independent appointment will be eligible to submit applications without LOIs for an EvansMDS Discovery Research Grant (DRG) during the two years following their initial appointment. These DRG applications will be given special consideration.As an additional incentive, we offer recipients flexibility to apply for, and receive additional awards from EvansMDS or other parties during the period of EvansMDS Young Investigator Award funding, subject to the conditions below.Candidate Investigators–The candidate should be an early career (typically within 8 years of completing their graduate degree) physician or scientist (MD, PhD, or MD-PhD), currently in a non-tenure track (or equivalent) position with a university, hospital or other recognized 501(c)(3) non-profit institution. Eligible candidates include outstanding researchers conducting innovative research under the guidance of an established Mentor. Candidates should be able to demonstrate how this funding, for the limited period of the award, will help to advance their project, idea, or research laboratory to a point where they can secure their transition to an independent investigator. Eligible candidates generally should not hold the title of Assistant Professor and cannot hold the title of Associate Professor or Professor, nor have been or bethe principle investigator on any government or privately funded research grant with the exception of an NIH training grantor similar.