Bjorkman is being recognized for her work with molecules needed for cell-surface recognition, and their role in the immune system. Her lab is responsible for the discovery of the three-dimensional structure of a protein implicated in cachexia, the syndrome that causes AIDS and cancer patients to lose body mass.
With a BA from the University of Oregon in 1978 and a PhD from Harvard in 1984, Bjorkman joined the Caltech staff in 1989 as an assistant professor of biology. She became a full professor in 1998, and also a full investigator for the HHMI in 2000.
In addition to the APS, Bjorkman is also a member of the National Academy of Sciences, and has been awarded the Gairdner Foundation International Award, which recognizes contributions to the medical sciences, the William B. Coley Award for Distinguished Research in Fundamental Immunology, and the Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Award.
Dervan's research is aimed at the bioorganic chemistry of nucleic acids and the recognition of DNA by small molecules. Using synthesis, biology, and physical chemistry, he and his colleagues have created synthetic molecules that are similar to natural proteins in their ability to recognize predetermined DNA sequences.
A Boston native, Dervan received his BS from Boston College in 1967 and a PhD from Yale University in 1972. He held a postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University before joining Caltech in 1973 as an assistant professor of chemistry. He was named Bren Professor of Chemistry in 1988.
His election to the APS adds to Dervan's list of professional honors, which includes membership in the National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine, and foreign membership in the French Academy of Sciences.
The American Philosophical Society was founded over 250 years ago by Benjamin Franklin, making it the oldest learned society in the United States. The organization supports the search for functional knowledge in the fields of sciences and humanities through collaboration between members and the community as a whole.
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