Basic Scientist Mark Roth Wins MacArthur ...(a betterplace. They are people who will ...)

Roth's work has led to major advances in basic biology, some of which have tremendous potential for human health. In particular, his research on induced metabolic hibernation, in which he has reversibly reduced the core temperature of mice to 10 degrees Celsius without loss of life or neurological problems, could one day lead to major breakthroughs for a host of human ills caused by tissue damage from a lack of oxygen.

"Mark is an exceptionally creative and innovative scientist who has pursued successfully more original avenues of research than anyone I know," said Roth's colleague Mark Groudine, M.D., Ph.D., a member of the Basic Sciences Division and deputy director of the Hutchinson Center. "In all cases, his rare ability to identify a seemingly intractable problem and tackle it with unswerving focus -- even when it required him to learn a completely new field, establish new collaborations, challenge conventional wisdom or develop new technology -- has led to major advances in basic biology, some of which have tremendous potential for human health. In particular, his new research on metabolic flexibility could lead to major breakthroughs in the treatment of stroke, trauma and cancer."

To help move this work forward into the clinical setting, Roth in 2005 founded a Seattle biotechnology company called Ikaria Inc., which earlier this year merged with INO Therapeutics to become Ikaria Holdings, a leader in the development of therapeutic gases for use in critical-care medicine. The company, based in Clinton, N.J., also operates a research and development facility in Seattle.

Earlier this year Roth received the 2007 Award for Significant Technical Achievement by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, a major supporter of his work, for developing technology that "could dramatically improve the survival rate of wounded fighters and provide revolutionary i
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