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Jolly Mazumdar

Robert C. Anderson Memorial Award 2007

Jolly Mazumdar, a recent doctoral graduate in cellular biology, designed, performed and published experiments of exceptional clarity that led to a breakthrough in understanding the fatty acid metabolism of Toxoplasma, an important human parasite. Her work directly benefits drug development programs for several infectious diseases, including malaria and toxoplasmosis. She performed a number of careful studies in tissue culture and mouse models to demonstrate the essentiality of the pathway for sustained parasite growth, both in culture and for pathogenesis in the animal. In the process, she also produced an important data set that will help researchers move forward with this research. Her outstanding research and presentation skills led to a prestigious Howard Hughes Medical Institute postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, where she is working in a leading cancer research lab.