Pitt Chronicle

Pitt alumnus Bert W. O’Malley will be recognized as a recipient of the 2007 National Medal of Science, President George W. Bush has announced. Administered by the National Science Foundation, the National Medal of Science is the nation’s highest honor for science and engineering and recognizes individuals for pioneering research. O’Malley is one of eight leaders in science to be honored during a White House ceremony Sept. 29.

University of Pittsburgh researchers will take part in a five-year, $18.5 million project designed to develop implantable devices made from biodegradable metals. The Pitt researchers will help lead dozens of engineers and doctors from universities and industries across the world in creating devices designed to adapt to physical changes in a patient’s body and dissolve once healing has occurred. The project’s goal is to reduce the follow-up surgeries and potential complications of major orthopaedic, craniofacial, and cardiovascular procedures and spare millions of patients worldwide added pain and medical expense.

The University of Pittsburgh has received a $10 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health to support a new Conte Center for the Neuroscience of Mental Disorders (CCNMD). The center will focus on developing new treatments for schizophrenia, a disease that affects more than two million adults in the United States alone. The grant will enable Pitt researchers to gain a better understanding of the disease process and to identify pathophysiology-based molecular targets for novel therapeutic interventions for this devastating mental illness.