UCSF to Celebrate Byers Award on December 7 in Genentech Hall

Brook Byers

The 15 Year Anniversary Celebration of the Byers Award in Basic Science will take place Tuesday, Dec. 7 at 4 p.m. in Genentech Hall on the Mission Bay campus of UCSF.

The award—endowed by the highly successful Bay Area venture capitalist Brook Byers and his family—provides funding for a young investigator to explore high-risk, high-reward research that would not typically qualify for support by traditional funding sources.

UCSF Chancellor Susan Desmond-Hellmann, MD, MPH, will kick off the Byers Auditorium event. The 2009 winner, Kaveh Ashrafi, PhD, will present a public lecture about his research on genes and nerve circuits that play a role in eating behaviors and fat storage. His research findings have implications for obesity and diabetes.

The Byers Award is part of UCSF’s Program in Breakthrough Biomedical Research (PBBR). With the aim to fuel new ideas and to catalyze exciting discoveries, PBBR funds innovative research proposals using a venture capital funding model and a competitive peer review process.

According to PBBR program leaders, “PBBR only funds those projects that ask the toughest questions, take a daring approach, or have the potential to revolutionize science. It is a unique program that exemplifies UCSF’s culture of creative discovery.”

The event will conclude with brief remarks by Brook Byers and with a reception in the atrium of Genentech Hall for students, faculty and special guests.

Related Links:

Roundworm Sheds Light on Fat Storage
UCSF Today, June 3, 2008

UCSF Program for Breakthrough Biomedical Research