Award-winning achievements

Pandemic response team receives top Arizona award

The Biodesign Institute was named Innovator of the Year — Academia for its COVID-19 public testing efforts at Arizona’s 17th annual Governor’s Celebration of Innovation. “The world took a dramatic turn, and initially it seemed that all we could do was hang on,” said Steven Zylstra, the event’s host and the president and CEO of the Arizona Technology Council. “Fortunately, we in Arizona pulled together, took on the new challenge and found new hope for our future.”

Garcia-Pichel honored for work on microbe communities

Ferran Garcia-Pichel, director of the Biodesign Center for Fundamental and Applied Microbiomics, received the 2021 D.C. White Award from the American Academy of Microbiology. This prestigious award recognizes distinguished accomplishments in interdisciplinary research and mentoring in microbiology. Garcia-Pichel’s research focuses on the diverse adaptations and impacts of microbes in natural environments that range from desert soils to shallow marine waters. For example, he and his team discovered that the progression of atmospheric oxygen on Earth can be traced through the evolution of genes in scytonemin molecules, commonly called the “sunscreen molecule,” which helps some microbes in filtering harmful UV rays.

Lynch awarded for contributions in genetics

Michael Lynch, director of the Biodesign Center for Mechanisms of Evolution, received a lifetime achievement award from the 6th International Conference of Quantitative Genetics. Quantitative genetics is the study of complex traits that are influenced by many genes and possibly also by non-genetic factors.

Krajmalnik-Brown named researcher of the year

The Arizona Bioindustry Association recognized Rosa Krajmalnik-Brown, director of the Biodesign Center for Health Through Microbiomes as the Arizona Bioscience Researcher of the Year. One of her most prominent research achievements came from a 2017 study, in which Krajmalnik-Brown investigated the impact of a treatment for children with autism that used fecal transplants to normalize their gut bacteria. Studies showed that gastrointestinal symptoms decreased by 80% and autism-related symptoms improved 25%. Two years later, most GI benefits remained and the improvements to autism behaviors were even greater.

Yan wins Feynman Prize

Hao Yan, director of the Biodesign Center for Molecular Design and Biomimetics, was awarded the 2020 Feynman Prize in Nanotechnology in the experimental category by the Foresight Institute. Yan’s research uses DNA, an essential building block of all life forms, as the architectural underpinning of advanced nanotechnology, with the ultimate goal of building a suite of dynamic nanoscale devices.

LaBaer lauded for leadership

Joshua LaBaer, executive director of the Biodesign Institute and director of the Biodesign Virginia G. Piper Center for Personalized Diagnostics, was named theJon W. McGarity Arizona Bioscience Leader of the Year by the Arizona Bioindustry Association. LaBaer brings teams together, inspiring them to make a difference by applying science, drive and innovation to solve real-world problems.