Maryland Science Center: Newsroom: Press Releases: Outstanding Young Scientist Award Presented to Hopkins Researcher

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Outstanding Young Scientist Award Presented to Hopkins Researcher

Dr. Anirban Maitra, associate professor of pathology and oncology at The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, has been selected the 2006 Outstanding Young Scientist by the Maryland Science Center.

The "Outstanding Young Scientist (OYS)," recognizes and celebrates the extraordinary scientific contributions of a Maryland resident under the age of 35. The award, originally presented by the Maryland Academy of Sciences (the precursor to, and legal name of, the Maryland Science Center), and was reinstated in 2006 as part of the 30th anniversary of the Maryland Science Center's location at Baltimore's Inner Harbor.

"Dr. Maitra is a brilliant young scientist dedicated to the war on cancer," noted the team of professors at The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine who nominated him. "In his research, he develops novel technologies and then applies them in creative ways to the study of human pancreatic cancer."

Dr. Maitra was selected for this award by members of the Maryland Science Center's Scientific Council, the 50-member advisory group providing expertise and content review to the institution. As the Outstanding Young Scientist, Dr. Maitra received a cash prize of $2,500 and the Allan C. Davis Medal at a special ceremony at the Maryland Science Center on June 24, 2006.

Dr. Maitra's research focuses on pancreatic cancer, the fourth leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. He has published 139 peer-reviewed publications, 12 initial reviews, and 22 book chapters. He has seven provisional patents/notices of invention, and holds six grants from the National Institutes of Health. Among his many awards is the 2004 Benjamin Castleman Award for best pathology paper published in English.

In nominating Dr. Maitra, Drs. Ralph Hruban, J. Brooks Jackson, Martin D. Abeloff and Steven D. Leach praise Dr. Maitra's design of a new sequencing chip such that the entire mitochondrial genome can be sequence on a single chip, and his application in which the chip can be used to detect the signature mitochondrial mutations of pancreatic cancer. They note, "it provided a breakthrough in the early detection of pancreatic cancer" and has been used to analyze the currently available collection of human stem cells. Dr. Maitra's research has led to new potential treatments for pancreatic cancer which target pancreatic cancer cells without harming normal cells.

"The Outstanding Young Scientist award is an important part of our mission to cultivate awareness of and stimulate interest in science," said Van Reiner, president and CEO of the Maryland Science Center. "Recognizing Dr. Maitra will inspire and motivate our children to take a deeper interest, and even consider careers in science."

"The OYS award has been presented to some prestigious individuals," noted Dr. Robert Cotter, president of the Scientific Council. "We are proud that the Maryland Science Center has identified prominent scientists as they begin their careers, and are honored to add Anirban Maitra to that list."

Past recipients of the Outstanding Young Scientist award included 1982 winner William D. Phillips, who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1997 for his work at the National Institutes of Standards and Technology, and 1995 OYS winner Jeremy Berg, currently the head of the National Institutes of General Medical Sciences at the National Institute of Health. Other OYS winners are presently working at such prominent institutions as NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center, National Bureau of Standards, and University of Maryland.

The Maryland Science Center stimulates and cultivates awareness, interest and understanding of science through exciting interactive experiences and educational programming. More than 500,000 people visit the Inner Harbor location each year, where they learn about the Earth and the environment and are awed by 12 life-size dinosaurs in Dinosaur Mysteries, explore a day in the life of the human body in Your Body: The Inside Story, experiment with dozens of interactive activities in Newton's Alley, thrill to adventure in the five-story St. John Properties IMAX Theater, travel through space in the Davis Planetarium, and engage younger children in the Kids Room. The Maryland Science Center reaches an additional 100,000 Maryland residents each year with its interactive programs delivered at schools, community centers, and public events.