Schuyler van Engelenburg is the first University of Denver researcher to receive a Boettcher Webb-Waring Biomedical Research Award.
University of Denver Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences Schuyler van Engelenburg has been awarded a $235,000 Boettcher Webb-Waring Biomedical Research Award. He is the first University of Denver researcher to receive this honor, which was granted to only 10 Colorado scientists this year.
“We are proud to continue the Webb-Waring legacy by supporting Colorado’s top scientific minds,” said Tim Schultz, president and executive director of the Boettcher Foundation. “The research they are conducting has the potential to significantly improve human health, and we are honored to help these talented scientists bring their research to the next level.”
The grant covers up to three years of research and will support van Engelenburg’s proposal to devise new technology for the selective and safe delivery of corrective genes to children suffering from genetic blood disorders.
“I feel very honored that the Boettcher Foundation selected me for this award, as I now get to aim my research in a new direction,” said van Engelenburg. “My hope is that the viruses we develop can someday lead to the safe treatment of genetic blood disorders.”
As a Boettcher Investigator, van Engelenburg will focus specifically on improving viral vectors used by cellular biologists to deliver genetic material into cells. He hopes to combine next-generation virus particles with novel technology for genome editing — the practice of inserting, removing or replacing genetic material within the genome of an organism.
“The award is a wonderful acknowledgement of DU and our talented faculty,” said Corinne Lengsfeld, DU’s associate provost for research. “I’m tremendously excited about the potential impact Schuyler’s research will have on treatments of difficult diseases.”
The Webb-Warring Biomedical Research Awards program, established by the Boettcher Foundation eight years ago, supports scientific innovation in Colorado by providing funding to early-career investigators whose research has a direct impact on human health. The awards help researchers establish themselves and their research to become competitive for major awards from federal agencies and private sources. Awardees carry the prestigious title of Boettcher Investigator.
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