Nine Finalists to Vie for $10,000 SLAS Innovation Award at SLAS2013

CHICAGO – Nine scientists from three countries are being honored as SLAS Innovation Award finalists, but only one will receive a $10,000 cash prize at SLAS2013, January 12-16, 2013, at the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center in Orlando, FL, USA.

The annual SLAS Innovation Award recognizes extraordinary achievement in innovative laboratory science and technology. After considering abstracts by more than 70 SLAS2013 podium presenters, the SLAS Innovation Award panel of judges invited 23 to submit extended abstracts for further scrutiny. Finalists were elected after the judges determined that these scientists offered a fundamental study to develop new technology for the laboratory; a new application of technology to laboratory automation or screening; or a use of technology to solve a unique problem.

The nine 2013 SLAS Innovation Award finalists who will compete for a $10,000 cash prize at SLAS2013 are:

  • David Beebe; University of Wisconsin; Madison, WI (USA): Kit-On-A-Lid-Assay: Self-Contained Microfluidic Cell-Based Assays for the Masses
  • Amy Herr; University of California; Berkeley, CA (USA): Talking about a (Proteomics) Revolution: Microfluidic Frameworks for High-Throughput Protein Analysis
  • Thomas Hughes; Montana Molecular; Bozeman, MT (USA): A Multiplexed Fluorescent Assay for Independent Second Messenger Systems: Decoding GPCR Activation in Living Cells
  • Darren Link; RainDance Technologies; Lexington, MA (USA): Genomic Applications of Droplet Microfluidics
  • Kelly Owens; University of Washington; Seattle, WA (USA): Phenotypic Screening in Zebrafish Identifies Compounds that Protect Mechanosensory Hair Cells from Drug-Induced Cell Death: A Model for Hearing Protection
  • Brian Paegel; Scripps Research Institute; Jupiter, FL (USA): Building the Foundation of Next-Generation Distributed Drug Discovery
  • Leo Price; Leiden-Amsterdam Center for Drug Research; Leiden (THE NETHERLANDS): A 3D Cell Culture-Based Platform for Phenotypic Screening and Multi-Parametric Profiling of Compounds
  • Kristine Schauer; Institut Curie; Paris (FRANCE): A Novel “Organelle Map” Framework for the Automatic Detection of Cellular Morphology Changes
  • Andrea Weston; Bristol-Myers Squibb; Hartford, CT (USA): Making a Quantum Leap in Mass Spectrometry Throughput: Applying the NextVal MassInsight Technology to Monitor Cytochrome P450 Enzyme Inhibition in Human Liver Microsomes

At SLAS2013, presentations by these five men and four women will be further assessed by the SLAS Innovation Award panel of judges. Considerations will include the material’s impact on laboratory automation and screening; originality and creativity; quality of science; and presentation by the author.

“This prestigious awards program illustrates the creative breadth and depth of the SLAS scientific community,” says Jörg Kutter, Ph.D., chair of the SLAS Innovation Award panel of judges. “The multidisciplinary diversity of our membership is one of our Society’s greatest strengths. The concepts of excellence and innovation are broadly embraced and competition is stiff.”

The $10,000 Innovation Award will be announced on Wednesday, Jan. 16, during the SLAS2013 closing keynote session featuring Emmy Award winning television journalist and scientific advocate Charles Sabine.

The 2012 SLAS Innovation Award honoree named at SLAS2012 was Dan Dongeun Huh, Ph.D., of Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA, whose presentation, entitled A Human Breathing Lung-on-a-Chip for Drug Screening and Nanotoxicology Applications, has since gained worldwide recognition.

For more information on SLAS2013 and the SLAS Innovation Award, visit www.SLAS2013.org or contact SLAS Global Headquarters at +1.877.990.SLAS (5727) or e‐mail slas@slas.org.

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The Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening (SLAS) is an international community of more than 15,000 individual scientists, engineers, researchers, technologists and others from academic, government and corporate laboratories. The SLAS mission is to be the preeminent global organization providing forums for education and information exchange and to encourage the study of, and improve the practice of laboratory science and technology. For more information, visit www.SLAS.org.

SLAS2013 is the Second Annual SLAS Conference and Exhibition. SLAS2013 will be held January 12-16, 2013, at the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center in Orlando, FL, USA. This five-day event brings together scientists, academicians, business leaders and students from around the globe to gain new information, ideas and insight about laboratory science and technology.