For correctly identifying "a
relic from the RNA world" and proving its catalytic potential - thus, solving a
molecular riddle that has baffled others for two decades - Saba
Valadkhan on
She will receive her award
this weekend during the 2005 Annual Meeting of the American Association for the
Advancement of Science (AAAS), world's largest general science society, which
publishes Science. [Read the text of an extended interview with Valadkhan
here.]
"
DNA, life's genetic blueprint,
drives most modern biological events, along with proteins, and is generally
considered the primary repository for genetic information. But, many scientists
believe that DNA's modern-day messenger, RNA, played a far more dominant role in
ages past, before handing over most of its biological functions to DNA and
proteins.
To rule the biological world,
RNA needed to serve as an enzyme, capable of catalyzing a wide range of chemical
reactions, explained Valadkhan, an Iranian-born scientist who is now an
assistant professor in the Center for RNA Molecular Biology at
But, where and how does the
spliceosome's catalytic activity occur? For two decades, scientists had been
investigating two of the spliceosome's small nuclear RNAs (snRNAs), called U2
and U6, as the most likely candidates-yet, without any proof, until Valadkhan's
relentless quest for the answer.
Her graduate research involved
building the spliceosome's active site from scratch, by bringing together U2 and
U6, then proving their catalytic action, by producing a novel RNA species, RNA
X. More recent study has yielded another interesting product, RNA Y, which is
still being characterized. Collectively, Valadkhan said, her findings "proved
that the spliceosome is an RNA enzyme and a relic from the RNA world."
Valadkhan "is an enormously
talented young scientist with all the qualities-intelligence, dedication and
imagination-that it takes to make significant and meaningful discoveries in the
field of molecular biology," Manley said of his former student. "Strikingly,
with careful planning, experimentation and persistence,
While finally proving the
catalytic potential of the two spliceosomal snRNAs, Valadkhan also developed a
powerful new tool for further investigations of this crucial cellular machine
and its evolution.
Born outside
Christoph Hergersberg, global
technology leader of biosciences at GE Global Research, commented: "Saba
Valadkhan's accomplishments are an inspiration to her peers, to senior
scientists and to the next generation of investigators alike. Her work shows
that the young scientists drive the progress. GE Healthcare is proud to support
this progress through the Young Scientist Award."
Donald Kennedy,
Editor-in-Chief of Science, said: "Science is delighted to
recognize Saba Valadkhan's outstanding contribution to molecular biology. Her
discovery will benefit a generation of scientists investigating RNA and, in
fact, the biological origins of life on Earth."
Each year since 1994, the
Young Scientist Award has recognized outstanding young molecular biologists at
an early stage of their careers. Some 48 young scientists have so far received
the award, honoring exceptional thesis work in the field of molecular
biology.
Applicants for the 2004 Young
Scientist Award earned their Ph.D.s in 2003 and submitted a 1,000-word essay
based on their dissertations. Their essays were judged on the quality of
research and the applicants' ability to articulate how their work would
contribute to the field of molecular biology, which investigates biological
processes in terms of the physical and chemical properties of molecules in a
cell.
A judging panel selects the Young Scientist Award grand
prize winner and may present regional awards in four geographic regions:
دانشمند جوان سال در بازديد از ايسنا:
تحولات مثبت پس از سال 76 روند مهاجرت نخبگان را معكوس
كرد
سرمايهگذاري
قابل توجه دولت چشم انداز علمي كشور را روشن كرده است
دكتر سبا ولدخان، استاديار ايراني دانشگاه
"Case western
reserve"
و برنده جايزه "دانشمند جوان" سال 2004 با اشاره به
توجه و سرمايهگذاري
فزاينده دولت در زمينه فعاليتهاي علمي پژوهشي تاكيد
كرد: با تلاش هر چه
بيشتر محققان كشور و تداوم حمايتهاي كنوني چشم انداز فضاي
علمي
كشور در سالهاي آينده بسيار اميدواركننده خواهد بود...