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News and highlight stories to keep informed on activities and accomplishments of Faculty Fellows and Innovation Fellows, past and present.
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In Research Led by Bakar Fellow Wenjun Zhang, First Natural Enzyme Creates Azides From Scratch
In a study published by Nature Chemistry, a team of UC Berkeley researchers at the College of Chemistry led by Wenjun Zhang, Ph.D., in collaboration with the Kulik group at MIT(link is external), reported the discovery of the first natural enzyme capable of creating these complex molecules–azides–from simpler ones. They identified an enzyme called Tri17 that uses ATP and nitrite to create different types of azides through a series of chemical reactions. By studying the structure and function of Tri17, scientists learned how it helps form azides.
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HOPO Therapeutics, led by Bakar Innovation Fellow Julian Rees, Awarded $226 Million BARDA Contract
HOPO Therapeutics scored a government contract for up to $226 million to develop an oral countermeasure against radiological threats and heavy metal poisoning.
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Meet the Latest Cohort of Ignite Scholars: Fall 2024
Meet the Fall 2024 cohort of the Bakar Ignite Scholars Program.
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Ziyang Zhang receives NIH Director’s New Innovator Award
Among the 40 awardees was Ziyang Zhang, Assistant Professor of Chemistry & Chemical Biology. His project focuses on targeting specific proteins called MHC that play a key role in how our immune system works. His lab's research is exploring ways to target these proteins directly to develop new treatments for cancer and autoimmune diseases.
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Ashok Gadgil Wins Bayh-Dole Coalition’s Innovation Award in Washinton D.C.
“The award winners represent thousands of others who labor every day in our universities, federal laboratories and most importantly, the private sector, turning federally funded inventions into products which better the human condition.”
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Bakar Fellow James Hurley Wins Spark NS Award to Fight Parkinson’s Disease
Professor of Cell Biology, Development and Physiology & Molecular Therapeutics James Hurley was one of five principal investigators nationwide selected for the 2024 SPARK NS Parkinson’s Disease Translational Research Program.
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Bakar Fellow Laura Waller Awarded Max Planck-Humboldt Medal for Outstanding Achievements in Computational Microscopy
Laura Waller, Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences at the University of California, Berkeley, uses algorithms – some of which are based on machine learning – to improve microscopy, particularly of biological samples, as well as the imaging of astronomical objects.
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