Pollina named Vallee Foundation Scholar
Developmental biologist receives grant supporting bold, innovative biomedical research
Elizabeth Pollina, PhD, of WashU Medicine, has been named a Vallee Scholar, recognizing her lab's neuroscience research.
Elizabeth Pollina, PhD, an assistant professor of developmental biology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has been named a 2025 Vallee Scholar by the Vallee Foundation, an international organization that supports the advancement of biomedical research and medical education globally.
She is one of six early-career researchers recognized this year for their extraordinary accomplishments and future promise in conducting bold and innovative basic biomedical research. Each scholar will receive $400,000 over four years to support their research.
Pollina’s team studies how the genome protects itself from normal wear and tear, seeking ways to safeguard vulnerable cell types from the effects of aging and degeneration.
In particular, she and her team are interested in preventing or repairing DNA damage in the vital and diverse cells of the brain. The flexibility that allows brain cells to send electrical signals and form new circuits governing learning, memory and behavior also can trigger DNA damage, raising questions about how cells protect their genomes over time and how organisms find a balance between the benefits of their brain cells’ electrical activity and the risks this poses to the integrity of their DNA. The research could shed light on cognitive decline in aging and neurodegenerative diseases. It also has implications for developing future therapeutics, identifying new ways to intervene to protect these cells from damage or nurture their repair.
