S&R Foundation Presents 2018 Kuno Award for Applied Science to Dr. Mary Armanios, Johns Hopkins University

WASHINGTON, Oct. 10, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- S&R Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports talented individuals with high aspirations in the arts, sciences, and social entrepreneurship, is pleased to announce that the 2018 Sachiko Kuno Award for Applied Science is awarded to Dr. Mary Armanios, for research that aims to advance the care of Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The Kuno Award provides $100,000 in funding. 

Dr. Mary Armanios is Professor of Oncology and Genetic Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Her research interests have focused on understanding the role of telomeres and telomerase in disease. Telomeres are the protective caps that protect the internal regions of chromosomes, and they are worn down, or shortened, in each round of DNA replication. Telomerase is an enzyme that has the ability to reverse telomere shortening, thereby extending the telomeres of chromosomes. 

IPF is a disease of progressive scarring of the lungs that affects at least 100,000 individuals in the U.S. alone. Dr. Armanios and her team have defined mechanisms of telomere-mediated disease and their implications for clinical practice. In her prior work, Dr. Armanios has found that patients with IPF commonly inherit short telomeres and this susceptibility increases the risk of harm from commonly utilized procedures and medications. Her Kuno Award proposal aims to advance the care of IPF patients by using innovative approaches to bridge cross-disciplinary gaps between emerging knowledge and patient care.

Dr. Armanios earned her medical degree at the Ohio State University, where she went on to complete a combined internal medicine and pediatrics residency. She completed her oncology training and post-doctoral work at Johns Hopkins Hospital. She is currently the Clinical Director of the Telomere Center at Johns Hopkins where she also oversees the telomere diagnostics lab which serves patients and physicians from around the world. Dr. Armanios is an elected member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation and the Association of American Physicians, both honorary societies for physicians who have made high impact scientific contributions to medicine.

"S&R created the Kuno Award to support social innovators using scientific research to address 21st Century problems. The award supports scientists striving for measurable social impact through the translation of scientific research to a practical, real-world solution," said Marianne F. Chaconas, Vice-President of S&R Foundation. "Transitioning basic research to real-world solutions is as challenging and important as the basic research itself. Dr. Armanios work exemplifies the objectives of the Kuno Award."

About the Kuno Award

S&R Foundation's Kuno Award for Applied Science for the social good is an annual award launched in 2015, designed to support social innovators using scientific research and principles to address a 21^stCentury problem. The award is designed to support the translation of scientific research to a practical and real-world solution. The award supports those aiming to achieve measurable social impact. The recipient of Kuno Award is provided with $100,000 in funding. In  order to be eligible for the Kuno Award, applicants must be at early or mid-career, and possess a PhD or equivalent in a relevant field. The project must be the original idea of the applicant, or the applicant's team. 

SOURCE S&R Foundation