The Anne Heidenthal Prize for Fluorescence Research was established in 2014 to honor the memory of Anne Heidenthal (1968-2010). Anne Heidenthal was an accomplished researcher with a Ph.D. in Cardiovascular research who played a very important role in Chroma鈥檚 history. Anne led the opening of Chroma鈥檚 first international sales office in Germany in 2006.听In preparation, she spent two years in Vermont working at Chroma鈥檚 main facility in Bellows Falls to learn the business and become deeply knowledgeable about our products and operations. Her commitment and energy laid the foundation for our future success.
She returned to Germany in 2006 and Chroma GmbH officially opened in August. In 2010 Anne tragically passed away shortly after Georg Draude, Chroma GmbH鈥檚 current Manager, joined Chroma. 听Her death was a terrible loss to the Chroma family.
The Anne Heidenthal Prize for Fluorescence Research is awarded to a young scientist who presents extraordinary research in the field of fluorescence imaging. This award is presented annually at the International Conference on Systems Biology of Human Disease. The prize is 2000 Euros or Dollars (depending on which country the conference is held). The decision on the awardee is made by the year鈥檚 chairing scientists and presented annually by Georg Draude.
Dr. Spencer was selected by the committee for her work on the regulation of cell-cycle progression and cell-cycle withdrawal, enabled by single-cell, time-lapse imaging and computational tracking of novel live-cell sensors, in particular her sensor for CDK2 activity.
In her prize lecture, she described her latest discoveries on the mechanisms by which cells rapidly adapt to the new class of CDK2 inhibitors, allowing completion of the cell-cycle. CDK2 is hyperactive in many cancers, and Dr. Spencer's imaging of the dynamics of CDK2 activity suggests how to best apply these therapeutics, which are now in clinical trials for several types of cancer.