Howard Hughes Medical Institute names 3 new Caltech investigators

PASADENA, Calif.--Every three years, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) appoints the nation's most creative biomedical scientists as investigators, giving them millions of dollars to unfetter their ambitious research plans. This year, three of the 56 newly named HHMI investigators come from the California Institute of Technology.

David Chan, Michael Elowitz, and Grant Jensen were each chosen for their potential to "bring new and innovative ways of thinking about biology to the HHMI community," says Thomas R. Cech, president of HHMI. "They are poised to advance scientific knowledge dramatically in the coming years, and we are committed to providing them with the freedom and flexibility to do so," he adds.

Chan, an associate professor of biology, specializes in how mitochondria--often called the powerhouses of biological cells--interact with each other. While this field, called mitochondrial dynamics, is still in its infancy, its implications are far-reaching. Chan has found that the loss of mitochondrial dynamics in mice, for example, leads to defects in placental tissue, in neurons in the cerebellum, and in skeletal muscle. He also studies the connection between accumulating damage in human mitochondria and the process of aging.

"I was surprised and very honored to be selected as an HHMI investigator. I am deeply grateful to advisors and colleagues who supported my career and encouraged me to apply," Chan says. "This appointment will help us to aggressively pursue ongoing projects in the lab, and also to expand into a couple of new, exciting areas in mitochondrial biology."

Biology and physics form a natural combination for Michael Elowitz, who builds genetic circuits and inserts them into living bacteria. The bacteria execute the tasks they are programmed to do, such as blinking on and off like a twinkling light. As an assistant professor of biology and applied physics and a Bren Scholar, Elowitz is fundamentally interested in how cells' own genetic circuits dictate what type of cells they become.