NIDCR GRANTEE JOHN KLINGENSMITH HONORED
BY WHITE HOUSE

NIDCR grantee John A. Klingensmith, Ph.D., a developmental geneticist at Duke University, was awarded a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) by President Bush in a White House ceremony on July 12. One of 12 young investigators supported by the National Institutes of Health to receive this award, Dr. Klingensmith was recognized for his "outstanding contributions to the field of craniofacial development and defects, and the role of genes in growth and patterning of craniofacial tissues."

Established in 1996 by President Clinton, the PECASE is the highest honor bestowed by the Federal government on young professionals at the outset of their independent research careers. The awards are given annually to recognize contributions of promising young scientists and engineers whose projects are deemed of greatest benefit to their funding agencies' missions. This year, the awards were presented to 60 researchers-20 supported by the National Science Foundation and 40 sponsored by other Federal departments and agencies. Recipients receive five years of support for their research in conjunction with the award.

Dr. Klingensmith's basic research in developmental biology is furthering our understanding of birth defects, primarily those involving the head and face. Since establishing his own laboratory at Duke University in 1998, he has been looking at the emergence of craniofacial and neural tube defects during gestation. Recently, he and his colleagues reported in Nature and other journals that the combined absence of two genes-chordin and noggin-- leads to severe defects in head formation. These two genes regulate Bone Morphogenetic Proteins (BMPs), a family of protein signals that have potent effects on craniofacial development. BMP2 and BMP4 are thought to be particularly important in formation of the brain, skull, pituitary gland, teeth and face. The craniofacial birth defects present in various chordin and noggin allele combinations include holoprosencephaly, agnathia, exencephaly and velocardiofacial syndrome. The innovative approaches undertaken by Dr. Klingensmith and his colleagues are disclosing the molecular pathways by which chordin, noggin, and BMP influence mammalian craniofacial development. He and his laboratory also are working closely with clinical geneticists to assess the state of these genes in patients with corresponding birth defects. Dr. Klingensmith's work may ultimately lead to gene testing and therapy to prevent birth defects, or even to new treatments for such defects.

"The awarding of the PECASE to Dr. Klingensmith is a proud moment for the NIDCR," said Dr. Lawrence A. Tabak, NIDCR Director. "His research findings have significantly moved the field of developmental biology ahead by revealing unsuspected causes of craniofacial and neural tube malformations."

NIH honored its PECASE recipients at a reception held July 11. Pictured (left to right) are Dr. Lawrence A. Tabak, Director, NIDCR; PECASE winner Dr. John A. Klingensmith; and Dr. Elias Zerhouni, Director, National Institutes of Health.