Caroline Dean OBE FRS has been elected a member of the USA’s National Academy of Sciences (NAS) for her excellence in original scientific research. Membership in the NAS is one of the highest honours for a scientist or engineer in the USA. Caroline will be inducted into the Academy next April during its 146th annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

Stephen Cohen has been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society. Fellows are elected for their contributions to science, both in fundamental research resulting in greater understanding, and also in lead-ing and directing scientific and techno-logical progress in industry and research establishments.

The business research & consulting firm Frost & Sullivan has announced the selection of Exiqon as the recipient of its 2008 Growth Strategy Leadership Award in the molecular diagnostic market. Exiqon was selected for this award for the company’s acquisition of Oncotech, a market leader in the field of in vitro therapy selection testing for cancer. The acquisition of Oncotech allowed the two companies to combine resources to become a leading supplier of molecular diagnostic tests based on proprietary miRNA biomarkers.
“Combining the two companies has allowed Exiqon to master a number of the most significant challenges in building a platform for its future molecular diagnostic business in the US,“ says CEO Lars Kongsbak.
Exiqon has already established itself as one of the market’s leading providers of research products for gene expression analysis based on the LNA™ technology.

Press Release here

Partner 6-db2 Elisa Izaurralde has won the prestigious Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize from the German Research Foundation (DFG) - the largest award in German Research. The prize is awarded to outstanding young researchers for their exceptional achievements in their field. Quality of research is the sole criterion for nomination.

Partner 5 René Ketting has been named by the European Molecular Biology Organization as one of 18 of Europe’s most talented young researchers. Selected for the high standard of their research, EMBO Young Investigators are offered academic, practical and financial support in the early years of their independent careers. Raising the profile of the young investigators and helping them to attract new collaborations and funding are the main aims of the programme.

RENÉ KETTING ALSO JOINS OLIVIER VOINNER IN WINNING A EUROPEAN RESEARCH COUNCIL STARTING GRANT

Partner 3 CNRS-ibmp Olivier Voinnet has been awarded a starting investigator grant from the European Research Council. Fewer than 300 grant proposals from over 9000 submissions were successful. For a full list of awardees see http://erc.europa.eu/pdf/Listfinal.pdf. Olivier has also won the Liliane Bettencourt Prize for Life Sciences—awarded to a European Researcher under 45 years of age with outstanding publications and research project. The prize was presented on December 6th in Paris.

Detlef Weigel has introduced a new and improved web tool for the design of artifical miRNA with the addition of over 30 new species. Click here to enter the site.