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LSI Mission
To improve human health through collaborative
scientific discovery.
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Beyond Achievement by Alan Saltiel
Mary Sue Coleman Director of the Life Sciences Institute The news in this issue of explore LSI bears witness to the tremendous growth and achievement of our junior faculty. Just consider this line up: Yukiko Yamashita wins the MacArthur Award, Jason Gestwicki is promoted to associate professor and named to lead the LSI's Center for Chemical Genomics; and Yiorgo Skiniotis publishes a breakthrough paper working with other scientists around the globe.  And this is just a small sample of the many achievements made by this stellar cohort of researchers.
We also recently marked the promotions of Shawn Xu and Jiandie Lin to associate professor and John Tesmer to professor. I could fill this entire column with milestones like these, telling you exciting stories about each of these terrific young scientists. I encourage you to read more about their achievements on our website.
But achievements aside, the awards, papers, and promotions do not really convey what is so special about this group and the rest of the faculty at LSI. They possess a set of qualities that is rare in science. For one, they are not afraid to venture far outside their comfort zones. Jason, trained as chemist for more than ten years, has dived deeply into biology, embracing the uncertainty characteristic of biological systems. Read the full column |
Yukiko Yamashita receives the MacArthur Foundation Fellowship
LSI stem cell biologist Yukiko Yamashita was named a MacArthur Foundation Fellow in September, one of three University of Michigan and 22 overall new MacArthur Fellows for 2011.
 Yamashita is an assistant professor at the U-M Life Sciences Institute and an assistant professor of cell and developmental biology at the Medical School. She will receive $500,000 in "no strings attached" support over the next five years from the MacArthur Foundation.
"It's a huge honor, and I really couldn't believe it when they called with the news. Seriously, I thought it was quite impossible,"
said Yamashita, 39, who joined LSI in January 2007.
"I feel now that I've got some freedom to try some out-of-the-blue-type ideas that probably would not receive funding through conventional research grants," she said.
Fellows are selected based on three criteria: exceptional creativity, promise for important future advances based on a track record of significant accomplishment, and potential for the fellowship to facilitate subsequent creative work.
"Yukiko Yamashita continues the university's national leadership in scientific research," said U-M President Mary Sue Coleman. "Her recognition by the MacArthur Foundation is powerful validation of the critical importance of exploring and understanding stem cells. It is a pleasure to congratulate her on receiving such a significant honor."
Read the full story
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Jason Gestwicki named as new Director of the Center for Chemical Genomics
The LSI has named Jason Gestwicki as the new Director of our Center for Chemical Genomics (CCG), a campus-wide hub for high throughput screening of chemical libraries and associated technologies. Gestwicki, who is also associate professor in the Department of Pathology at the U-M Medical School, is a preeminent researcher who uses a combination of chemical and biological approaches to understand the underlying causes of neurodegenerative diseases and cancer.
Gestwicki will take over the role of director from LSI faculty member
David Sherman
who led the CCG from the time of its inception in 2004. Sherman is stepping down in order to take on the role of associate dean for research and graduate education in U-M's College of Pharmacy. His appointment and
laboratory will continue
in the LSI.
Read the full story
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Skiniotis Lab collaborates with other researchers to reveal details about a major molecular drug target
LSI scientist Georgios Skiniotis recently teamed up with two international teams of scientists, led by researchers at the University of California San Diego and Stanford University. The teams have published a trio of papers describing in unprecedented detail the structure and workings of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), a large family of human proteins that are the target of one-third to one-half of modern drugs.  Two of the papers were published as cover-story articles in the September 29 print issue of the journal Nature. The third paper was published in the September 12 early online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
GPCRs are essential to human life, involved in almost every physiological function. Located within the membranes of cells, these receptors detect arriving hormones, chemical neurotransmitters, odors and other signaling molecules, then activate internal G proteins, which, behaving like molecular switches, initiate other events that affect everything from the senses and behavior to fundamental functions like heart rate and blood pressure. Malfunctions in these signaling pathways have been linked to dozens of diseases, including diabetes, blindness, asthma, depression and some forms of cancer.
Read the full story
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About THE University of Michigan
Life Sciences Institute
At the University of Michigan Life Sciences Institute (LSI) a team of more than 400 professionals, including world-class faculty and researchers in chemistry, cell and developmental biology, physiology, human genetics, bioinformatics, hematology and oncology, works together to solve fundamental problems in human health. Opened in 2003, the LSI is a hub for collaborative biomedical discovery at the University of Michigan.
University of Michigan Life Sciences Institute
210 Washtenaw
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
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