MADISON – The holidays have arrived early for two young University of
Wisconsin-Madison faculty members.
Cancer researcher Robert Kalejta and chemist Helen Blackwell have learned that they
are each the recipients of prestigious Investigators in Pathogenesis of Infectious
Disease Awards from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund. The awards come with $400,000 over
five years to support their research.
Blackwell, who earlier this year won a major award from pharmaceutical and health
care product manufacturer Johnson & Johnson, studies, among other things, biofilms,
bacterial “mobs” common in nature and that are found everywhere from our teeth to
hospital settings where they have become an increasingly intractable problem of
infection.
“I’m absolutely delighted to be chosen for this award,” says Blackwell. “The low
number of restrictions on the award means we can initiate some high risk projects.”
Kalejta studies how human cytomegalovirus alters the growth properties of the cells
it infects, and recently has begun to examine how immune defenses inhibit infection
by this virus.
“This award allows us to continue to expand our studies from just identifying how
viruses take over cells, further into how cells fight back against the virus,”
Kalejta explains.
Blackwell and Kalejta were among 14 awardees from a pool of 123 applicants. Their
selection was based on “scientific excellence and innovation” and the research
strengths of the university.
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is a private independent non-profit foundation located
in the Research Triangle Park in North Carolina. Its mission is to advance the
medical sciences by supporting research and other educational activities.
