Kansas City, Mo. (May 27, 2009) – Hans-Martin Herz, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Shilatifard Lab, is the recipient of a fellowship from the Jane Coffin Childs Memorial Fund for Medical Research (JCC Fund).

     The JCC Fund was established in 1937 to support research into the causes and treatment of cancer. It has taken a broad approach by encouraging the study of cell growth and development, emphasizing the basic biology and chemistry of the underlying processes. The JCC Fund supports fewer than two dozen new three-year fellowships each year with stipends averaging $44,000 a year.

     As a Jane Coffin Childs Fellow, Dr. Herz will investigate how the fusion of the gene Mixed Lineage Leukemia (MLL) with other genes - a process called chromosomal translocation - causes leukemia. He will focus on the biochemical characterization of Dot1, a factor that is required for leukemogenesis. A large proportion of leukemias in infants result from chromosomal translocations in MLL. Children suffering from these chromosomal translocations have low survival rates and face treatment options that have devastating side effects.

     Additionally, Dr. Herz will participate in an annual JCC Fund Symposium where Fellows study a particular “hot topic” in cancer and report on the status of their JCC Fund projects.

     “This is an extremely competitive fellowship to win, and I am very proud of Hans-Martin for bringing this honor to the Stowers Institute,” said Ali Shilatifard, Ph.D., Investigator and advisor to Dr. Herz.

     Dr. Shilatifard was awarded a Jane Coffin Childs Fellowship in 1995 while completing a postdoctoral fellowship in the lab of Drs. Joan and Ron Conaway, now Stowers Institute Investigators, at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation.

     “The Stowers Institute is now home to more than 110 postdoctoral researchers, who are regularly recognized with highly competitive grants and awards,” said William B. Neaves, Ph.D., President and CEO. “The success of Dr. Herz in winning a Jane Coffin Childs Fellowship is a testament to the research environment created by Jim and Virginia Stowers and to the opportunities afforded early career researchers here.”

     Dr. Herz joined the Stowers Institute in 2008 after completing a Ph.D. at the Center for Molecular Biology of the University of Heidelberg (Germany).

     Learn more about the work of the Shilatifard Lab at http://www.stowers.org/labs/ShilatifardLab.asp

About the Stowers Institute for Medical Research
     Housed in a 600,000 square-foot state-of-the-art facility on a 10-acre campus in the heart of Kansas City, Missouri, the Stowers Institute for Medical Research conducts basic research on fundamental processes of cellular life. Through its commitment to collaborative research and the use of cutting-edge technology, the Institute seeks more effective means of preventing, treating, and curing disease. Jim and Virginia Stowers endowed the Institute with gifts totaling $2 billion. The endowment resides in a large cash reserve and in substantial ownership of American Century Investments, a privately held mutual fund company that represents exceptional value for the Institute’s future.