Chroma once again presented the Anne Heidenthal Prize for Fluorescence Research to a young scientist who presents extraordinary research in the field of fluorescence imaging. This year, the committee chose Dr. Leeat Keren from the Department of Molecular Cell Biology at the Weizmann Institute of Science. Dr. Keren was selected for her work in combinatorial multiplexing in proteins. Her work is focused on state-of-the-art proteomics staining to detect metastatic spreading in lymph nodes as a novel technology for early-stage detection of cancer. Technologies such as spatial proteomics with MIBI-TOF and spatial transcriptomics (CosMX) are used to detect cells in tissues at the protein and gene levels.

“Each year the committee selects a worthy scientist to recognize for their work in the field, and this year is no exception,” said Georg Draude, Director of Sales EMEA, presenter of the Anne Heidenthal Prize. “We look forward to seeing how Dr. Keren’s work develops from here.” 

This year the award ceremony was organized by the Berlin Institute of Health and held in Berlin. Dr. Keren was unable to attend the award ceremony in person due to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran. During this time, her lab was destroyed in a missile strike as well. Before presenting her scientific work via video connection during the ceremony, Dr. Keren addressed the scientific community in attendance to express her hope for peace and the possibility of future global collaboration among researchers, regardless of their ethnicity, religion, or citizenship. In the days following the attack, she received overwhelming support from researchers worldwide.  

The Anne Heidenthal Prize for Fluorescence Research was established in 2014 to honor the memory of Anne Heidenthal (1968–2010). Anne Heidenthal was an accomplished researcher with a Ph.D. in cardiovascular research who played a very important role in Chroma’s history. Dr. Heidenthal led the opening of Chroma’s first international sales office in Germany in 2006. In preparation, she spent two years in Vermont working at Chroma’s main facility in Bellows Falls to learn the business and become deeply knowledgeable about our products and operations. Her commitment and energy laid the foundation for our future success.  

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