Kansas City, Mo. (June 8, 2009) – Shima Nakanishi, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Shilatifard Lab, has been selected as a Fellow by the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

     Dr. Nakanishi’s three-year appointment will begin on July 1, 2009, and will provide $165,000 over three years. The funding will support her study of the molecular role of histone modifications in polyploidy (cells containing more than two homologous sets of chromosomes).

     “This is excellent news for Dr. Nakanishi and for our lab,” said Ali Shilatifard, Ph.D., Investigator. “This fellowship will allow Shima to advance her efforts in defining the molecular role(s) of post-translational modifications of chromatin in polyploidy and genomic instability — a subject that is currently poorly understood and that may shed light on cancer pathogenesis.”

     Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Fellows are promising investigators with less than two years of postdoctoral research training. These grantees are encouraged to embark on an academic career involving clinical or fundamental research in, or related to, leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma under the direction of a research sponsor.

     Dr. Nakanishi earned a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Washington State University. Learn more about the work of the Shilatifard Lab at http://www.stowers-institute.org/labs/ShilatifardLab.asp.

About the Stowers Institute for Medical Research
     Housed in a 600,000 square-foot state-of-the-art facility on a 10-acre campus in the heart of Kansas City, Missouri, the Stowers Institute for Medical Research conducts basic research on fundamental processes of cellular life. Through its commitment to collaborative research and the use of cutting-edge technology, the Institute seeks more effective means of preventing, treating, and curing disease. Jim and Virginia Stowers endowed the Institute with gifts totaling $2 billion. The endowment resides in a large cash reserve and in substantial ownership of American Century Investments, a privately held mutual fund company that represents exceptional value for the Institute’s future.