CHORI Researcher First Recipient of New Award Recognizing Diet & Health Research; Also Receives Lifetime Achievement Award (May 2001)

(May 2001)CHORI researcher Bruce Ames, PhD, is the first recipient of the new bi-annual "Linus Pauling Institute Prize for Health Research" award. The $50,000 prize was presented to Dr. Ames at a May 2001 conference commemorating the 100th anniversary of the birth of two-time Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling. The conference "Diet and Optimum Health" was sponsored by the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University (OSU) in Portland.

"The purpose of the prize is to recognize and encourage excellence in research on the role of micronutrients, vitamins and phytochemicals in optimum health, and to honor scientists who have made major contributions to understanding the role of diet in prevention and treatment of disease," said Balz Frei, professor and director of the Linus Pauling Insitute, in a report issued by OSU.

Dr. Ames' research focuses on damage to DNA structure resulting from dietary micronutrient deficiencies, and its consequences especially in relation to cancer and aging. "I have been very interested in improving the American diet because it will make such a difference in health, especially in poor populations, where I think deficient diet is taking years off their lives," said Dr. Ames. "So, I was very pleased to receive the award".

This month, Dr. Ames also received a $20,000 Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Microbiology for his work in microbiology, especially for the "Ames Test", which detects potential mutagenicity in foods and other substances.