Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation

2010 Life Sciences Chairmen's Distinguished Award

James F. Leary, Ph.D.

SVM Professor of Basic Medical Sciences and Biomedical Engineering
Birck Nanotechnology Center
Purdue University
Lafayette, Indiana

Dr. Leary is conducting research designing "next-generation", advanced nanodelivery systems for drugs and genes to combat cancer and other diseases. He has invented a variety of new nanomedical devices with targeting molecules that deliver therapeutic drugs precisely to diseased cells to perform single cell "nanosurgery", which eliminate the diseased cells while trying to preserve nearby normal cells, allowing for much smaller drug doses and fewer side effects.

Dr. Leary will also receive up to $25,000 in research funds, which may be used to hire a graduate student to assist with the research or on the research itself.

In 2007 Dr. Leary was elected a Fellow of the AIMBE (American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering), the highest honorary for biomedical engineers in the United States, for his pioneering work in the invention of high-speed flow cytometry and rare-event analysis as well as his more recent work in the design of bionanomedical systems. His research has been funded for more than 25 years by NIH and his is the holder of 8 US patents with 6 currently pending.

Dr. Leary received a BS in Aerospace Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. in Biophysics from Penn State University.

The Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation is honored to have had the assistance of the following distinguished individuals serving on the 2010 Life Sciences Awards Evaluation Committee:

Russell A. Bantham, Esquire
McLean, VA
Alan Bronstein
Chemistry Teacher
Central High School
Philadelphia, PA
Dr. Venigalla Rao
Department of Biology
The Catholic University of America
Washington, D.C.
Dr. Phillip A. Singerman
Senior Vice President
B&D Consulting
Washington, D.C.