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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TWO COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY SCIENTISTS ELECTED TO THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
NEW YORK, May 3, 2005 -- Two Columbia University professors were elected to the National Academy of Sciences today joining 70 other new members cited for their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. The two Columbia scientists to be inducted at the Academy’s first annual meeting next year are Andrew R. Marks, director of the Center for Molecular Cardiology, and professor and chair, department of physiology and cellular biophysics, College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University, and Iva S. Greenwald, investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and professor, department of biochemistry and molecular biophysics at Columbia University. Election to membership in the Academy is considered one of the highest honors that can be accorded a U.S. scientist or engineer. The election was held this morning during the Academy’s 142nd annual meeting. Since the early 1990s, Dr. Marks has been working on two major studies on heart disease. He is the first to discover a new use for Sirolimus, a drug found to help keep stents open. Stents are devices surgically inserted into a patient's coronary artery to prevent blockage or closure. The Sirolimus-coated stent works by preventing cells from growing inside the stent and blocking it. Marks is also an expert on how calcium regulates muscle contraction and he discovered a calcium leak that causes heart failure and sudden cardiac death. He is now working to develop a new class of drugs known as “calcium-channel stabilizers” for prevention of heart failure and sudden cardiac death. “I'm thrilled,” Professor Marks said. “It’s a peak moment in my career, receiving the recognition from one’s peers symbolized by election to the National Academy of Sciences is most gratifying. In addition, the Academy is an important institution that helps shape public policy in the sciences and I look forward to making a contribution in this area” Professor Iva Greenwald’s work has focused on cellular development. During animal development, intercellular communication plays important roles in specifying cell fates. Work from her laboratory has helped establish the nature of certain cell-cell interactions in nematodes, a type of roundworm commonly used in scientific research. “I’ve known Iva Greenwald since she was a graduate student and I’ve watched her maturation as a scientist throughout her career,” said David Hirsh, Executive Vice President for Research and a professor of biochemistry and molecular biophysics. “It’s gratifying to see this recognition come to someone who has made such profound discoveries on how cells gain their individual identities.” The Columbia University Medical Center conducts research with the goal of translating discoveries into new techniques for fighting disease and improving health. CUMC researchers are responsible for a number of significant clinical breakthroughs – among them, the first blood test for cancer, the first medical use of the laser, and the first successful transfer of genes from one cell to another. The Howard Hughes Medical Institute at Columbia University is one of the world’s largest philanthropic organizations whose principal purpose is biomedical research. It is a nonprofit medical research organization that employs hundreds of leading biomedical scientists working at the forefront of their fields. Columbia University in the City of New York is one of the top academic and research institutions in the world, conducting novel research in medicine, science, the arts, and the humanities. It includes three undergraduate schools, thirteen graduate and professional schools and a school of continuing education. To arrange an interview with the new inductees, please call Elizabeth Streich at 212.305.6535 or email eas2125@columbia.edu, Karen Zipern at 212.305.9746 or email kz2110@columbia.edu or Craig LeMoult at 212.305.0820 or email cel2113@columbia.edu. Index of press releases |
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