Dr. Lawrence C.B. Chan and Dr. Vijay K. Yechoor awarded Michael E. DeBakey, M.D., Excellence in Research Award
On Oct.2, 2009, Baylor College of Medicine's Office of Research announced that Professor Lawrence C.B. Chan, D.Sc., M.B.B.S., and Assistant Professor Vijay K. Yechoor, M.D., faculty members in the Department of Medicine's Endocrinology section will be awarded the Michael E. DeBakey, M.D., Excellence in Research Award.
This highly competitive, prestigious BCM award is given in recognition of their recent pioneering work in the development of a novel gene therapy approach to the treatment of type 1 diabetes. As reported in Development Cell earlier this year, Yechoor and Chan applied gene therapy to induce liver-derived adult stem cells to differentiate into islet cells capable of making insulin on a continuous basis, effecting a cure of diabetic mice in a murine model of type 1 diabetes.
The award will be presented at a College-wide ceremony on Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2009, at 10 a.m. in Room N315 (to include a brief overview of their research findings).