October 8, 2004

New MGH researcher receives MacArthur Fellowship

Just about a week before joining the MGH, Vamsi Mootha, MD, below, received an unexpected honor - he was named one of the 2004 MacArthur Foundation Fellows. Often referred to as the "genius grants," MacArthur fellowships are awarded to talented individuals judged to have outstanding promise in a broad range of fields, including science and the arts. The five-year, $500,000 grant imposes no requirements on its recipients, giving them free rein to pursue creative new activities.

"I'm hoping to apply some of the funds to research I could not otherwise pursue, perhaps studies of rare metabolic disease, which is my passion," says Mootha, who joined the MGH Center for Human Genetic Research Oct. 1. Previously a fellow at BWH and with the HMS/MIT Broad Institute, Mootha has focused his research on mitochondria - structures that act as tiny power plants in cells. Using advanced computational techniques to study how genes and proteins relate to various diseases, Mootha helped identify the gene responsible for a rare disorder called Leigh Syndrome, French Canadian Variant. Most recently, he has been examining whether mitochondrial dysfunction may contribute to type 2 diabetes.

"I'm very excited about joining the MGH family. The new research center seems to be the type of place that will allow us to rapidly translate our discoveries into clinical application," says Mootha, who also is joining the Department of Medicine as a clinician.