Communication Associate: Public Relations | Lori Melton | lmelton@d.umn.edu | (218) 726-8830
February 18, 2013 Gina Katzmark | Director of External Affairs | 218 726-6141 | katzmark@d.umn.edu
Cheryl Reitan | Associate Director of External Affairs | 218-726-8996 | creitan@d.umn.edu
UMD Professor Receives McKnight Land-Grant Professorship
DULUTH, MN – Anika Hartz, a blood-brain barrier expert, has been selected to
receive the University of Minnesota McKnight Land-Grant Professorship, a unique
two-year award designed to enhance the careers of the U's most promising junior
faculty. Hartz is an assistant professor in the College of Pharmacy on the Duluth
campus.
Hartz's research focuses on understanding the mechanisms that regulate blood-
brain barrier function in Alzheimer's disease. The blood-brain barrier is a defense
system that separates the brain from the body's blood circulation. Because it
naturally plays a protective role, the blood-brain barrier can prevent life-saving
drugs from reaching the brain.
"This is an incredible honor and I am deeply touched," said Hartz. "The McKnight
Land-Grant award will help me focus on my research. I owe a great depth of
gratitude to all my mentors, lab members, collaborators and the people who believe
in me. I will work hard to prove myself worthy of this award."
Since joining the College of Pharmacy faculty in 2010, Hartz has helped secure more
than $4.4 million for her research, including $3.2 million from the National Institute
of Health. Her research has garnered international attention, most notably her
discoveries of a potential way to reduce memory decline and an option that could be
combined with other therapies to make Alzheimer's treatment more effective.
"Anika's research is original, innovative and imaginative" said Paul Ranelli,
Ph.D., professor and interim chair of the Department of Pharmacy Practice and
Pharmaceutical Sciences. "Because of the implications for Alzheimer's disease, her
research has high clinical relevance and will be the basis for translational research to advance therapy of Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases."
Hartz earned her doctorate at the University of Heidelberg, Germany, and completed
a postdoctoral fellowship at the National Institutes of Environmental Health
Sciences/National Institutes of Health in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.
Prior to joining the College of Pharmacy faculty, she served as a research associate
at the U's Medical School, Duluth.
The McKnight Land-Grant Professor award includes a research grant in each of the
two years, including a research leave in the second year. Winners are selected based
on the significance of their research and how clearly it is conveyed; the originality
and imagination behind their achievements; the potential to attract outstanding
students; and other key criteria.
UMD News Releases