National Science Foundation Alan T. Waterman Award

美国国家科学基金会艾伦·T·沃特曼奖

• 批准号: 0444771
• 负责人: Kristi Anseth
• 金额: $ 16.67万
• 依托单位: University of Colorado at Boulder
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2004
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2004-09-01 至 2008-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0444771&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: National; Science; Foundation; Alan; T.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) named Kristi Anseth, 35, to receive the Alan T. Waterman Award, the foundation's most prestigious for a young researcher. The award includes a medal and a $500,000 grant over a three-year period to carry out research or advanced study in the field and institution of her choosing. Anseth's award is based on groundbreaking work in new biomaterials that are engineered to help the body heal itself. Unlike synthetic body parts, such new materials may lead to new treatments for damaged knees, hips and even heart structures that will contribute to faster healing and a quicker return to a better quality of life. Anseth started on a fast track toward her Ph.D., and she hasn't slowed her pace since. An able and focused student, she achieved a doctorate at CU-Boulder in 1994, just two years after completing her bachelor's degree at Purdue. A driven researcher, she was the first engineer and the only woman engineer to become an investigator for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. A creative scientist, she combined her knowledge of biology, chemistry and engineering into an interdisciplinary focus on tissue engineering, allowing her to find ways to develop new synthetic "scaffolds," or templates to regulate cell behavior and function, and to promote ways for cells to proliferate and form natural, but new, living tissues.The scaffold is really just re-created tissues, and if you think of it like a building, this is a framework from which other structures can be formed, Anseth explains. The scaffold itself is designed to be injected into the body in liquid form. But when molecules are introduced and then light-activated, a gel-like material is formed that, when injected, provides the affected area with strength, stability and flexibility. Anseth's lab was the first to develop light-activated biomaterials that would degrade and interact with cells, while promoting tissue regrowth. The hope is that these biodegradable, flexible materials may be available within a decade for medical procedures that will allow the "injection" of new body parts into people who suffer from debilitating injuries or diseases -- without the trauma of major surgery. We still have to answer some questions about how to make a scaffold structurally and mechanically able to produce functional cartilage, how to accelerate cartilage formation and control degradation of the scaffolds, and then fabricate the scaffolds in such a way as to minimize surgical invasiveness while facilitating their placement during a procedure, Anseth says. The Waterman Award, created in 1975, is named for NSF's first director, Alan T. Waterman, and recognizes demonstrated individual achievements in scientific or engineering research that place the awardee at the forefront of his or her peers. Criteria include originality, innovation and significant impact on the individual's field of science or engineering. Candidates must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents, and may not be more than 35 years old, or seven years beyond receiving a Ph.D., by the end of the year in which nominated. The $500,000 prize money is disbursed over a three-year period, with the Director's Office providing the first year of funding ($166,667) and the Engineering Education and Centers Division of the Directorate for Engineering providing $166, 667 in year two and $166,666 in year three.

美国国家科学基金会(NSF)提名35岁的克里斯蒂·安塞斯(Kristi Anseth)接受艾伦·T·沃特曼奖，这是该基金会对年轻研究人员最负盛名的奖项。该奖项包括一枚奖章和为期三年的50万美元赠款，用于在她选择的领域和机构进行研究或进修。安塞斯的奖项是基于在新型生物材料方面的开创性工作，这些材料是为帮助身体自我愈合而设计的。与人造身体部位不同，这种新材料可能会为受损的膝盖、髋关节甚至心脏结构带来新的治疗方法，这将有助于更快的愈合和更快地恢复更好的生活质量。安塞斯开始了攻读博士学位的快车道，从那以后她就再也没有放慢脚步。作为一名有能力和专注的学生，她于1994年在科罗拉多大学博尔德分校获得博士学位，而两年前她在普渡大学完成了学士学位。作为一名有干劲的研究人员，她是第一位也是唯一一位成为霍华德·休斯医学研究所研究员的女工程师。作为一名富有创造力的科学家，她将自己在生物学、化学和工程学方面的知识融入到组织工程的跨学科研究中，使她能够找到开发新的合成“支架”或模板来调节细胞行为和功能的方法，并促进细胞增殖并形成自然的、但新的活组织。支架实际上只是重新创造的组织，如果你把它想象成一座建筑，这是一个框架，可以在它的基础上形成其他结构，安塞思解释说。支架本身被设计成以液体形式注射到人体内。但当分子被引入，然后被光激活时，就会形成一种凝胶状的材料，当注射时，它会为受影响的区域提供强度、稳定性和灵活性。Anseth的实验室是第一个开发光激活生物材料的实验室，这种材料可以降解细胞并与细胞相互作用，同时促进组织再生。人们希望，这些可生物降解的柔性材料可能在十年内用于医疗程序，允许将新的身体部位注入到遭受衰弱伤害或疾病的人体内--而不会受到大手术的创伤。Anseth说：我们仍然需要回答一些问题，比如如何在结构和机械上制造能够产生功能性软骨的支架，如何加速软骨形成和控制支架的降解，然后以一种最大限度地减少手术侵入性的方式制造支架，同时便于在手术中放置它们，安塞思说。沃特曼奖创建于1975年，以美国国家科学基金会第一任主任艾伦·T·沃特曼的名字命名，表彰个人在科学或工程研究方面取得的成就，使获奖者走在同行的前列。标准包括原创性、创新性和对个人科学或工程领域的重大影响。候选人必须是美国公民或永久居民，到提名年度结束时，年龄不得超过35岁，或获得博士学位后七年。500 000美元的奖金分三年发放，主任办公室提供第一年的资金(166,667美元)，工程局工程教育和中心司第二年提供166,667美元，第三年提供166,666美元。