News item posted on 2013-01-10

Paul Barrett receives Karpay Award

Congratulations to Paul Barrett for being named the 2013 recipient of The Anne Karpay Award in Structural Biology. “It is a great honor to be selected for the Karpay Award,” Barrett said.

Barrett is a member of the Sanders Lab and began his career learning how to perform NMR experiments. From there he became involved in studies investigating the ability of the C99 protein to bind Gamma Secretase Modulators (GSMs) in the treatment of Alzheimer ’s disease and determining the 3D structure of C99 using NMR spectroscopy.

Since completing his structural studies in 2012, he has collaborated with Vanderbilt researchers Dr. Bruce Carter, Professor of Biochemistry, and Dr. Anne Kenworthy, Associate Professor of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, to create new hypotheses regarding the function of C99.

Barrett presents “Where is my doughnut? A link between cholesterol and Alzheimer’s Disease” on Tuesday, Jan. 22, in 1220 MRB III as part of the MBTP/CSB seminar series. The seminar begins at 12:30pm with a reception and award presentation to follow.

The Karpay Award was established in 2010 to honor the memory of Dr. Anne Karpay who died after a four-year battle with breast cancer. It recognizes one senior graduate student who is a well-rounded colleague and scientist, who is collaborative and collegial and who has performed exceptional research in the field of structural biology. Karpay exemplified each characteristic and demonstrated a passion for science, for friendship and for life in general.

“Although I did not have the pleasure of knowing Anne, I have heard only amazing things about her from faculty members as well as close friends she had at Vanderbilt,” said Barrett. “This award is very special.”

The Karpay Award is funded entirely by donations to an endowment managed through the Development Office of the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. Make donations to the fund through the Vanderbilt Gives website. Contact Karen D. Davis in the CSB for more information or assistance in making a donation.

Author: Karen D. Davis