A researcher at Carnegie Mellon University's Lane Center for Computational Biology is one of eight promisingyoung scientists chosen last week for a prestigious international fellowship bythe Zurich-based Society in Science.

The Branco Weiss Fellowshipawarded to Cheemeng Tan, a Lane Fellow at CMU, will help support his researchinto the use of artificial, man-made cells to stop the spread of drug-resistantinfections.

Founded in 2002 and overseen bythe Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, the Branco WeissFellowship offers a generous personal grant for up to five years to researcherswho have recently earned their Ph.Ds.

The highly competitivefellowship has never before been awarded to a CMU researcher.

Tan, who works in the emergingfield of synthetic biology, joined the Lane Center in 2010 after completing hisPh.D. in biomedical engineering at Duke University.

"This award is a confirmationof the excellence that led to Cheemeng being chosen by our faculty as a LaneFellow," said Robert F. Murphy, director of the Lane Center for Computational Biology at CMU and a professor of biological sciences, biomedical engineeringand machine learning. "We look forward to his important future contributions."

A relatively new field,synthetic biology combines techniques of biology, physics and engineering.Researchers focus on the design and construction of cells that can mimic oralter existing biological processes to prevent the spread of diseases, fightinfections and counteract genetic abnormalities. Synthetic biology has shownpromise for applications in the treatment of cancer, synthesis of anti-malariadrugs and production of biofuels.