The 2011 ICAAC Young Investigator Awards recognize and reward five early-career scientists for their research excellence and potential in microbiology and infectious diseases. Since 1983, two awards have been supported by an unrestricted educational grant from Merck, U.S. Human Health Division, while two are sponsored by ASM. In 2007, an additional award from Merck, U.S. Human Health Division was added to recognize excellence in HIV research. Jörn Coers and Alison Criss are the 2011 laureates for the Merck-sponsored awards, and Andrea Endimiani and Benjamin Howden are the 2011 laureates for the ASMsponsored awards. Zachary Klase is the 2011 laureate for the Merck-sponsored award for HIV research.

Jörn Coers, Ph.D., is honored for his work studying the molecular and genetic determinants that enable mammalian host cells to mount immune responses against intracellular pathogens. Coers' nominator, Michael Starnbach of Harvard Medical School, describes him as "an accomplished and extraordinarily creative scientist who is certain to become a star in the field of pathogenesis." Coers received his M.Sc. in Biology from the University of Konstanz, Germany. While enrolled at the University of Konstanz, Coers spent two and a half years in Craig Roy's laboratory at SUNY Stony Brook and later at Yale University, studying how the bacterial pathogen Legionella pneumophila survives and replicates inside macrophages. Roy, a supporter of the nomination and American Academy of Microbiology Fellow-now at Yale University-says he is "confident that Dr. Coers will continue to break new ground in understanding hostpathogen interactions, and will emerge as a leader in his field." Coers then continued to the University of Basel, Switzerland for his doctoral training in the laboratory of Radek Skoda, where he employed transgenic mouse models to study the role of cytokine signaling in myeloproliferative diseases.

Coers returned to the topic of host-pathogen interactions for his postdoctoral training, applying his knowledge of mouse genetics to the study of infectious disease in the labs of Starnbach and Bill Dietrich at Harvard Medical School. The project, a collaborative venture between these two laboratories, was to map and identify mammalian genes responsible for susceptibility to Chlamydia trachomatis infection. It was here that his work caught the attention of his nominator, who was "amazed that Dr. Coers and the other team members were able to narrow the search down to two proteins, Irgb10 and Irgm3 (Igtp)-both members of the gamma-inducible GTPases known as IRGs."

In 2010, Coers became Assistant Professor in the Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology at Duke University Medical Center. Research in his independent laboratory focuses on interferon-induced host defense mechanisms targeting intracellular bacterial pathogens and host-pathogen-microbiota interactions that shape the outcome of genital infections with Chlamydia trachomatis.

Another supporter of the nomination, Raphael Valdivia of Duke University, explains that Coers' studies have "revealed key insights into the host-pathogen interactions underlying diseases caused by Chlamydia-the leading causes of infectious blindness and sexually transmitted infections of significant clinical and public health importance." His research has been published in high-impact journals including Nature Cell Biology, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Blood, and PLoS Pathogens. Valdivia continues, "he brings to the field of infectious diseases a unique blend of expertise in mammalian genetics, bacterial pathogenesis and cellular microbiology. This multidisciplinary training places him among few individuals well poised to take advantage of upcoming mammalian genetic and genomic technologies and break new ground in infectious diseases research. Dr. Coers has a proven track record of creative and innovative research and shows considerable potential as an investigator."

Alison K. Criss, Ph.D., is honored for her outstanding research on bacterial pathogenesis. Criss received her Ph.D. from Harvard University and completed her postdoctoral fellowship at Northwestern University. She was nominated by her postdoctoral advisor, H. Steven Seifert, Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology, who describes Criss as an "extremely intelligent, insightful, diligent, meticulous, hard-working person who tackles problems head-on."

Criss is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology at the University of Virginia, where she studies the interactions of Neisseria gonorrhoeae with polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) in her laboratory at the University of Virginia. A supporter of her nomination, Joanna Goldberg, Academy Fellow from the University of Virginia, describes Criss as "truly a rising young star . . . [who] has a very professional and enthusiastic manner that serves to engage and inspire students to perform at the best of their ability."

Criss's research focuses on the interplay between bacterial pathogens and host cells at mucosal surfaces. Her graduate work explored the regulation of Salmonella pathogenesis by Rho and ARF family GTPases in polarized epithelial cells. As a postdoctoral fellow at Northwestern, Criss investigated the robust mechanisms by which N. gonorrhoeae avoids immune recognition and clearance. N. gonorrhoeae evades humoral immunity by varying its surface components, including antigenic variation of the type IV pilus. She used highthroughput DNA sequencing to show that pilin antigenic variation occurs at the highest frequency of any known pathogenic gene conversion system and produces a diverse repertoire of pilin proteins, as observed during human disease. N. gonorrhoeae also survives exposure to neutrophils in gonorrheal secretions, for reasons that are poorly understood. Using a primary human neutrophil infection model, Criss demonstrated that N. gonorrhoeae suppresses neutrophil production of reactive oxidative species and encodes gene products that confer resistance to neutrophils' nonoxidative antimicrobial activities. Her laboratory at the University of Virginia is elucidating the molecular and cellular interactions between N. gonorrhoeae and neutrophils, with the goals of identifying the antimicrobial activities neutrophils direct against N. gonorrhoeae and the bacterial defenses that subvert them.

William Shafer, Academy Fellow from Emory University and supporter of Criss's nomination, says "I have been most favorably impressed by the rigor that Dr. Criss applies to her work, the depth of her thought processes, and her willingness to freely exchange ideas and reagents . . . She has performed the most convincing (and elegant) work to date that shows N. gonorrhoeae can resist intraleukocytic killing by human PMNs."

Andrea Endimiani, M.D., Ph.D., is honored for combining basic microbiology, epidemiology, pharmacology, biochemistry, and molecular biology to investigate the impact of drug resistance traits on the outcome of infections caused by gram-negative bacteria. His nominator, Roberto Bonomo, American Academy of Microbiology Fellow from Case Western Reserve University and the Veterans Administration Medical Center, describes some of his achievements, saying "Dr. Endimiani has undertaken a series of insightful studies examining the prevalence of Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC)-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae in multiple cities across the United States. He was the first to describe the coexistence of the blaKPC with the plasmid-mediated qnr genes."

Endimiani received his M.D. and achieved board certification in Medical Microbiology and Virology at the University of Insubria in Varese, Italy. He remained there to earn his Ph.D. in Immunopathology under the supervision of Antonio Toniolo, a supporter of Endimiani's nomination. During that period, Endimiani worked as Medical Microbiologist at the University Hospital of Varese and at the Institute for Pharmacokinetic and Analytical Studies in Ligornetto, Switzerland. He also collaborated with Gian Maria Rossolini and Gianfranco Amicosante, two internationally recognized experts in β-lactamases. Rossolini, of the University of Siena, Italy, describes Endimiani's publications as "well-written and including articles, reviews, and editorials, showing a remarkable aptitude for research and scholarship, and a well-rounded and rapidly developing scientific personality."

In 2006, Endimiani joined the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center under the direction of David L. Paterson, where he studied molecular aspects of drug resistance in gram-negative bacteria and their importance in patient management. In 2007, Endimiani moved to the Infectious Diseases Division at the Case Western Reserve University and the Louis Stokes Cleveland Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center to work with his mentor Bonomo and with Louis B. Rice. Here he studied the biochemistrys and molecular biology of extended-spectrum β-lactamases, KPCs, and plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance determinants. He also contributed to the evaluation of new antibiotics (e.g., ACHN-490), a new inhibitor of β-lactamases (e.g., NXL104), and a new diagnostic technique (e.g., PCR/ESI-MS and microarrays).

After completing his training, Endimiani joined the Institute of Veterinary Bacteriology at the University of Bern, Switzerland, under the supervision of Vincent Perreten. Currently, Endimiani is a medical microbiologist at the Institute for Infectious Diseases at the University of Bern, Inselspital under the direction of Kathrin Mühlemann.

Endimiani is now one of the leading specialists in antibiotic resistance in gram-negative pathogens. He is a member of the Editorial Board of Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy and Associate Member of the Faculty of 1000. Endimiani has authored more than 50 papers in the field of antibiotic resistance and presented 47 communications at international conferences. Several of the papers have been cited in Faculty of 1000. "Over his career, he managed to master basic microbiology, epidemiology, and pharmacology and was able to transfer these tools to the clinical setting," explains Toniolo. "I consider him a precious asset for modern clinical centers, medical schools, and the pharma industry. In conclusion, Endimiani has always been willing to introduce new tools for investigating the clinical response of evolving pathogens to antibacterials."

Benjamin P. Howden, Ph.D., is an Infectious Diseases Physician and Medical Microbiologist at Austin Health, a leading tertiary hospital in Melbourne, Australia, and Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Melbourne. His nominator, M. Lindsay Grayson of Austin Health, calls Howden "an outstanding infectious diseases physician and microbiologist whose key research focus has been the pathogenesis of serious bacterial infections, particularly Staphylococcus aureus and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VRE)."

Howden obtained his M.B.B.S. in 1993 from Monash University and subsequently completed training as an Infectious Diseases Physician (as a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians) and Medical Microbiologist (as a Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia).

During his doctoral studies at Monash University, Howden used new comparative and functional genomics approaches to understand in vivo evolution of S. aureus during persistent infection, with a focus on antimicrobial resistance mechanisms. These studies have led to new insights into the molecular basis of vancomycin-intermediate S. aureus (VISA), and have revealed a novel mechanism of reduced linezolid susceptibility in S. aureus.

His most recent research, based on the results of large-scale comparative genomics, has uncovered an important link between antimicrobial resistance and virulence in S. aureus. He is one of the leaders of an integrated bacterial research program based in the Austin Centre for Infection Research (ACIR) at Austin Health, a program focused on investigating the clinical and molecular aspects of virulence and antimicrobial resistance of the human bacterial pathogens S. aureus and E. faecium.

"Dr. Howden has been extraordinarily productive, and has made major contributions to our understanding of the genetic basis of this phenomenon," says a supporter of his nomination, John Turnidge of Women's and Children's Hospital, Adelaide, South Australia. With 45 peer-reviewed publications that have attracted over 700 citations, Howden is using his position as an active physician and medical microbiologist to develop a sophisticated clinical and molecular research program that is addressing some of the most pressing issues in human infectious diseases medicine. The second supporter of his nomination, Roy Robins-Browne of The University of Melbourne, expands on Howden's accomplishments: "he has already received a number of prestigious awards for his professional achievements from such bodies as the Premier of the State of Victoria, Australia, The Royal Australasian College of Physicians, ICAAC, The Australian Society for Antimicrobials (which recently appointed Dr. Howden as its vice president), and the Australasian Society for HIV Medicine."

"Without question, Dr. Howden is one of the rising stars in infectious diseases research- both nationally and internationally," summarizes Grayson.

Zachary A. Klase, Ph.D., is honored for outstanding research on HIV-1 pathogenesis and RNA interference mechanisms in mammalian cells. He is described by his nominator, Kuan-Teh Jeang, Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology from NIAID/ NIH, Bethesda, Md., as a "thoughtful and intelligent young scientist with a terrific future" who has made outstanding contributions to "the understanding of how HIV transcription is regulated, how HIV TAR RNA may be processed into microRNA, and in showing how this potential microRNA could function within human cells."

Klase completed his undergraduate degree in animal biotechnology at Cook College, Rutgers University, before entering the world of HIV research at St. Michael's hospital in Newark, N.J. There he worked under Stephen Smith, studying the role of macrophages in infection and overseeing a small-scale SIV vaccine trial.

Klase then enrolled in the Ph.D. program at the George Washington University Medical Center. While at George Washington, Klase worked under the tutelage of Fatah Kashanchi and published a seminal paper describing the role of the HIV-1 TAR element as a functional microRNA. This paper rapidly achieved BMC's ‘Highly Accessed' rating and was ranked as a ‘must read' on Faculty of 1000. Kashanchi, a supporter of Klase's nomination-now at George Mason University-has witnessed "labs that are now publishing on this topic, and grants that cite his work and are following the next set of questions related to HIV microRNA."

While at George Washington, Klase also published numerous articles relating to HIV, HTLV, chromatin, transcription, and proteomics. A supporter of Klase's nomination, Ajit Kumar from the George Washington University Medical Center, expands on Klase's work while a student: "the questions he asks and the approach he takes hold tremendous promise for understanding host-pathogen interactions and will be novel approaches to antiviral therapy. I have no doubt he will continue to approach his science with sound understanding of the literature, careful planning, and persistence."

Klase currently works as a postdoctoral fellow in Jeang's laboratory at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease. He is supported in his research by a competitive NIAID Intramural AIDS Research Fellowship. His current work includes further examination of the role of RNA interference in HIV replication and pathogenesis, as well as studies probing innate immune signaling in mice, HIV-1 transcription, and retroviral superinfection resistance. In his career as a scientist, Klase has traveled to numerous domestic and foreign meetings and has had the opportunity to both present his work and collaborate with numerous talented investigators from across the globe. He is passionate about his research, and believes that teaching the next generation of scientists is vital to science's success.