Ahlquist Appointed Howard Hughes Investigator

Paul G. Ahlquist, professor of molecular virology and plant pathology and chair of the Institute for Molecular Virology, has been named an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI).

Ahlquist’s appointment is one of 70 nationwide announced today in a sweeping expansion of the private medical research organization. Appointments as HHMI investigators are coveted and allow biomedical scientists unprecedented flexibility in research.

Read Howard Hughes Medical Institute's news release about the 70 new investigator appointments. The release includes a full list of appointees.

Ahlquist, who will remain at Wisconsin and continue his work here as a member of the faculty, has an international reputation for his studies of gene expression and replication in viruses, and the use of viruses for engineering higher organisms. In 1993, he was elected to the National Academy of Sciences while still in his 30s, an extraordinary accomplishment for a young scientist.

The thrust of Ahlquist’s work is to forge an understanding of how viruses take over cells and commandeer cellular machinery to replicate and express genes. He likened viruses to guerrilla fighters who, having few resources of their own, invade cells and use the material and functions of the cell to spread infection. Understanding these processes, he said, is a key to improving prevention and treatment of viral diseases.

“Viruses are also the premiere tools in nature to introduce and express new genes in specific cells. These are important goals in modern medicine and biotechnology,” said Ahlquist whose work, while basic in nature, has the potential for widespread application in biology and medicine. The class of viruses he concentrates on includes viruses that cause hepatitis, encephalitis, polio, hemorrhagic fever, polio, yellow fever, rubella and other diseases.

In announcing the appointment of Ahlquist and 69 other scientists, Purnell W. Choppin, president of the Institute, the nation’s largest philanthropy, said: “These outstanding scientists are being invited to join one of the most creative and productive groups of researchers in the world. Their selection was the result of an intensely competitive process and is a tribute to their ability and promise as research scientists.”

Ahlquist becomes the third UW–Madison scientist appointed as an HHMI investigator. Sean Carroll, a professor of molecular biology, was named an HHMI investigator in 1990; and Judith Kimble, a professor of biochemistry and medical genetics, was appointed to the Institute in 1994.

UW–Madison Graduate School Dean Virginia Hinshaw said it is an honor for the university to add another HHMI investigator. She said Ahlquist’s work has helped to lay the foundation of understanding for RNA replication and where it can be used. RNA, shorthand for ribonucleic acid, is the genetic material for many viruses.

“Paul is a superb scientist in every way,” she said. “He is also an exceptional individual and a thoughtful citizen of the university. We’re looking forward to him doing more great things.”

A 1981 graduate of UW–Madison with a doctorate in biophysics, Ahlquist joined the faculty here in 1984. During the course of his career, he has received numerous honors and awards, including a National Science Foundation Presidential Young Investigator Award, a National Institutes of Health MERIT Award, the Allen Research Award from the American Phytopathology Society, and the Milwaukee Foundation’s Shaw Biomedical Scholar career development award.

Ahlquist credited co-workers – post-doctoral fellows, graduate students and faculty colleagues – for his research group’s success.

“We’re thrilled by this opportunity and hope to use this support to extend our studies of virology and basic molecular biology to new levels,” Ahlquist said. Once formally appointed, the new investigators will bring to 330 the number of HHMI scientists based at 72 medical schools, universities and research institutions around the country.

Hughes investigators conduct biomedical research in five areas: cell biology, genetics, immunology, neuroscience and structural biology. Research papers by HHMI scientists are among the most cited in the scientific literature, a key measure of scientific impact.

HHMI investigators typically hold faculty appointments at universities and other research organizations. The Institute enters into long-term agreements with those institutions, and HHMI scientists conduct their research in HHMI laboratories located on the various campuses.