on Distinguished Senior Faculty Award for Research (Est. 1975)
The recipients of the Distinguished Senior Faculty Award for Research must be members of the Academic Senate at the rank of Professor VI or above when nominated, who have made a significant contribution through research that has had a major influence on the discipline, either through a career-long record of contributions, or through an influential/germinal contribution. Congratulations, Dr. Palczewski!
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To measurably improve lives through access to UCI-developed knowledge, UCI Beall Applied Innovation’s Proof of Product (PoP) Grants program identifies Principal Investigators (PIs) with early-stage research projects having significant potential for being brought to market as a product or service; that is, for commercialization and provides them up to $100,000 towards this goal. A single round of PoP Grant funding is expected to result in appreciable product development results that will potentially attract other sources of translational grant funding and/or partnerships with industry or investors. Dr. Palczewski and his MD/PhD student, Jennings Luu, were chosen through a highly competitive process as recipients of this prestigious grant.
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Palczewski, a world-renowned scientist, is working to cure blindness using genome editing. As director of UCI’s Center for Translational Vision at the Gavin Herbert Eye Institute, he has already positioned UCI as a world leader in eye-health research. Palczewski has won both the Cogan Award for most-promising young vision scientist and the Friedenwald Award for continuously outstanding ophthalmology research. IN THE NEWS: The Biophysical Society recently honored Palczewski as one of its three top scientists of 2023, noting his foundational work and its impact on the structural biology of eye health. IN HIS WORDS: “Studying about vision has been a great passion of mine for the past decades. The new discoveries that have been made allow for preservation and, in our cases, even for the restoration of eyesight.”
https://www.irvinestandard.com/2023/irvine-innovators-making-an-impact/
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ROCKVILLE, MD – The Biophysical Society is pleased to announce that Krzysztof (Kris) Palczewski, PhD, of
the University of California, Irvine ‐ Center for Translational Vision Research, has been named the
recipient of the Society’s 2023 Anatrace Membrane Protein Award. Palczewski will be honored at the
Society’s 67th Annual Meeting in San Diego, California, February 18‐22, 2023.
Palczewski is recognized for his foundational work on the G protein‐coupled receptor (GPCR) rhodopsin
and disease mechanisms and treatments; and his impact on structural biology, notably lipid interactions
and conformational changes exhibited on ligand binding and isomerization. His pioneering research and
dedication to developing novel therapeutic approaches for treating blinding diseases have brought him
international recognition and set the foundation for significant breakthroughs in GPCR.
“It is an honor to recognize Dr. Palczewski’s outstanding contributions to our understanding of
underlying disease mechanisms and treatment for blindness,” said BPS President Gail Robertson,
University of Wisconsin‐Madison. “His long and impressive track record reflects a history of pioneering
research and innovation. His work—whether on the structure of the GPCR rhodopsin, G protein‐coupled
signaling, the phototransduction cascade, structure and biochemistry of the chromophore of vision,
introduction of systems pharmacology to vision therapy, or genetic interventions to stave off
blindness—stands at the very top of his field.”
About the Award ‐ Funded by Anatrace, Inc., this award recognizes an outstanding investigator who has
made a significant contribution to the field of membrane protein research. The award is designed to
promote membrane protein studies and recognize excellence in the field.
The Biophysical Society, founded in 1958, is a professional, scientific Society established to lead
development and dissemination of knowledge in biophysics. The Society promotes growth in this
expanding field through its annual meeting, publications, and committee and outreach activities. Its
7,500 members are located throughout the United States and the world, where they teach and conduct
research in colleges, universities, laboratories, government agencies, and industry.
on Irvine, CA – Aug. 18, 2022 – Krzysztof Palczewski, PhD, Donald Bren Professor, UCI School of Medicine and Irving H. Leopold Chair of Ophthalmology at the Gavin Herbert Eye Institute, has been named a 2022 Innovator of the Year nominee by the Orange County Business Journal (OCBJ).
According to the article, “Dr. Palczewski’s research has changed the field of eye health, leading to treatment and prevention options with an immeasurable impact on patients and the eye health industry.”
Dr. Palczewski’s research interests include genome edition, vision, retinal diseases, signal transduction, GPCR’s, and structural biology.
A renowned vision scientist, his research has been cited more than 54,000 times and he currently holds 29 patents with nine patents pending.
About the UCI School of Medicine: Each year, the UCI School of Medicine educates more than 400 medical students, and nearly 150 doctoral and master’s students. More than 700 residents and fellows are trained at UCI Medical Center and affiliated institutions. The School of Medicine offers an MD; a dual MD/PhD medical scientist training program; and PhDs and master’s degrees in anatomy and neurobiology, biomedical sciences, genetic counseling, epidemiology, environmental health sciences, pathology, pharmacology, physiology and biophysics, and translational sciences. Medical students also may pursue an MD/MBA, an MD/master’s in public health, or an MD/master’s degree through one of three mission-based programs: the Health Education to Advance Leaders in Integrative Medicine (HEAL-IM), the Leadership Education to Advance Diversity-African, Black and Caribbean (LEAD-ABC), and the Program in Medical Education for the Latino Community (PRIME-LC). The UCI School of Medicine is accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Accreditation and ranks among the top 50 nationwide for research. For more information, visit som.uci.edu.
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In July 2022 Dr Palczewski has also been selected to be the next recipient of the Ludwig von Sallmann Prize. Dr Palczewski’s dossier was reviewed by an international panel of vision and eye researchers, ophthalmic clinicians and clinician-scientists, and he was selected to be the Prize winner from among a highly distinguished and remarkably accomplished group of nominees.
As a condition of accepting the Prize, he will present the Ludwig von Sallmann Prize Lecture at the upcoming XXV Biennial Meeting of the International Society for Eye Research (ISER; Feb. 19-23, 2023; Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
on The Louis S. Goodman and Alfred Gilman Award in Receptor Pharmacology was established in 1980 to recognize and stimulate outstanding research in pharmacology of biological receptors. Such research might provide a better understanding of the mechanisms of biological processes and potentially provide the basis for the discovery of drugs useful in the treatment of diseases.
Dr. Krzysztof Palczewski is receiving this award in recognition of his innovative and pathfinding studies on mechanisms of activation of G protein-coupled receptors that have advanced understanding of receptor structure, signaling mechanism, defects that lead to disease and treatments that preserve vision.
https://www.aspet.org/aspet/meetings-awards/aspet-awards/aspet-scientific-achievement-awards/the-goodman-and-gilman-award-in-receptor-pharmacology
on The CTVR boasts having the two-photon ophthalmoscope (2PO) instrument for humans, a next-generation technology that could accomplish in-depth, real-time views of disease progression. It is the only one in the country and only one of the two in the world. This live imaging with 2PO excitation can help provide patients more individualized treatment by using a nondestructive, deeply penetrating long-wavelength infrared laser beam. The application of 2PO simultaneously exceeds and complements the capabilities of optical coherence tomography and scanning laser ophthalmoscopy, two of the techniques currently used clinically to image retinal diseases.
on The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a private, non-profit society of distinguished scholars. Established by an Act of Congress, signed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863, the NAS is charged with providing independent, objective advice to the nation on matters related to science and technology. Scientists are elected by their peers to membership in the NAS for outstanding contributions to research. The NAS is committed to furthering science in America, and its members are active contributors to the international scientific community. Approximately 500 current and deceased members of the NAS have won Nobel Prizes. Dr. Krzysztof Palczewski, has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences for outstanding contributions to the biology and chemistry of vertebrate vision and therapy of retinal diseases.
