San Francisco, CA, June 9, 2000-- Ten promising young biomedical researchers from Latin America have been named 2000 Pew Latin American Fellows in the Biomedical Sciences by The Pew Charitable Trusts of Philadelphia.

In selecting this tenth group of Latin American Fellows, The Pew Trusts continue their commitment to support young investigators for postdoctoral training in the United States. The Program is intended to serve as a nucleus of scientific exchange and collaboration between investigators in the U.S. and Latin America. Each of the Fellows, who have not had previous postdoctoral training outside of their home country, were initially reviewed by regional nominating committees in Mexico, Central and South America. Final selection was completed by the National Scientific Advisory Committee in the United States chaired by Torsten N. Wiesel, M.D., Director, The Shelby White and Leon Levy Center, The Rockefeller University. Fellows are selected on the basis of their promise as outstanding investigators, as well as the scientific merit of their research proposal, their record of training, and how well their interests coincide with the host laboratory in the United States.

An award of $50,000 will be provided as a salary stipend for the fellow during the two year fellowship. Upon the fellows' return to his or her home country, the program will issue an additional $35,000 award for the purchase of supplies and equipment to establish their own laboratory.

The following is a complete list of the 2000 Pew Scholars in the Biomedical Sciences:

Arakaki, Adrian Kimei, Ph.D.. Home Country: ARGENTINA Laboratory of: Jeffrey Skolnick, Ph.D. Donald Danforth Center, St. Louis Structural Biology, Bioinformatics Borges, Ronaldo, Ph.D. Home Country: BRAZIL Laboratory of: Peter E. Wright, Ph.D. The Scripps Research Institute Multidimensional NMR Spectroscopy of Proteins in Solution Espinosa, Joaquin, Ph.D. Home Country: ARGENTINA Laboratory of: Beverly Emerson, Ph.D. Salk Institute for Biological Studies Control of Gene Expression Guimaraes, Marilia, Ph.D. Home Country: BRAZIL Laboratory of: David Julius, Ph.D. University of California, San Francisco Molecular Neuropharmacology Lerner, Lorena R., Ph.D. Home Country: ARGENTINA Laboratory of: James E. Darnell Jr., M.D. Rockefeller University Transcriptional control in differentiation and in signal transduction

Osorio, Carlos, M.D., Ph.D. Home Country: CHILE Laboratory of: Andrew Camilli, Ph.D. Tufts University School of Medicine Microbiology Palma, Veronica, Ph.D. Home Country: CHILE Laboratory of: :Ariel Ruiz i Altaba, Ph.D. New York University Developmental Neurobiology Rehen, Stevens, Ph.D. Home Country: BRAZIL Laboratory of: Jerold Chun, M.D., Ph.D. University of California, San Diego Mammalian Developmental Neurobiology Velasco, Ivan, Ph.D. Home Country: MEXICO Laboratory of: Ronald McKay, Ph.D National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Neurobiology Yanovsky, Marcelo Javier, Ph.D. Home Country: ARGENTINA Laboratory of: Steve A. Kay, Ph.D. Scripps Research Institute Circadian Clocks and Photoperiodic Time Measurement