WASHINGTON, D.C. -April 10, 1998-- Scott J. Hultgren, Associate Professor, Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, has been awarded the 1998 Eli Lilly and Company Award. This award, which recognizes young investigators of great accomplishment and promise and who have stimulated fundamental research in microbiology and immunology, will be presented the award at the General Meeting of the ASM, May 17-21, 1998 in Atlanta, Georgia.
Dr. Hultgren, who received his Ph.D. from Northwestern University, has contributed to the understanding of the role of bacterial adhesions. These adhesions, or pili, are bacterial organelles critical to the pathogenesis of many bacterial pathogens, because they allow specific attachment of the organism to specific host tissues. The genetics, transport and binding of pili have been the central focus of Dr. Hultgren's scientific work.
He also has worked to characterize the complex pathway of pilus assembly required for virulence, including genetic studies of mutations, biochemical studies of protein-protein interactions, and atomic resolution.
Dr. Hultgren's work on pilus genetics, biosynthesis, structure and assembly of pili in pathogenic bacteria and the applications of this basic knowledge of development of vaccines have given him recognition nationally and internationally. He was recently elected Chair of the next Gordon Conference on bacterial adhesion.
He was nominated by Stephen Beverly, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri and Staffan Normark, Karolinka, Stockholm, Sweden.
The American Society for Microbiology, headquartered in Washington, D.C., is the oldest and largest single biological membership organization, with over 40,000 members worldwide.
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Contact: Stacey Collins
scollins@asmusa.org
202-942-9263
American Society for Microbiology
16-Apr-1998