NEW YORK (Nov. 17, 2005) -- Recognized for his breakthrough biomedical research in the area of inflammation, Weill Cornell Medical College scientist Dr. William A. Muller has been selected by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) to receive a 2005 NIH Method to Extend Research in Time (MERIT) Award.

The prestigious $2.1 million five-year research grant will provide long-term support toward a greater understanding of the specific processes of inflammation and methods to control them. Potential clinical applications are numerous and far-reaching -- from the defense against pathogenic microorganisms and cancer to treatments for atherosclerosis, asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, and rheumatoid arthritis.

Dr. Muller is Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Weill Medical College of Cornell University and Professor in the Graduate Program in Immunology at Weill Graduate School of Medical Sciences. He is also Attending Pathologist at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, and an adjunct faculty member in the Laboratory of Cellular Physiology and Immunology at The Rockefeller University.

"Congratulations to Dr. Muller, whose groundbreaking research has greatly expanded our knowledge of inflammation and immune response, specifically the process of diapedesis -- the inflammatory process by which white blood cells cross the blood stream into neighboring tissue, to either successfully eradicate an infection or wreak tissue damage," says Dr. Antonio M. Gotto Jr., Dean of Weill Cornell Medical College.

The discovery of how two molecules, PECAM and CD99, are involved in diapedesis has been one of Dr. Muller's major contributions. Through earlier NHLBI-supported research, Dr. Muller was the first to describe and demonstrate the process by which these molecules on white blood cells bind to other copies of the same molecules at blood vessels' endothelial borders. And he has shown that by blocking the function of PECAM, it is possible to block diapedesis, and therefore arrest inflammation. In a related fashion, blocking the function of CD99 also blocks diapedesis -- but at a later stage, leaving white blood cells "stuck," halfway between the cells at the endothelial border.

"This grant will help us identify the role of CD99 in diapedesis, including the unusual, but probably important, instances when the molecules migrate through the endothelial cells rather than between them -- a process called transcellular migration," says Dr. Muller. "We are especially interested in how white blood cells migrate through the cytoplasm of endothelial cells at the Blood-Brain barrier."

"Dr. Muller's research is leading the way towards understanding the complex processes involved in inflammatory response. He is truly at the vanguard of his field," says Dr. David P. Hajjar, Rhodes Professor, Dean of the Graduate School, and Vice Provost of the Medical College.

NHLBI is part of the National Institutes of Health, the Federal government's primary agency for biomedical and behavioral research. NIH established the MERIT Award in 1986 to provide extended grant support to investigators whose research competence, productivity, and scientific contributions are distinctly superior. NIH is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Dr. William A. Muller Dr. Muller received his M.D. from Cornell University Medical College (now Weill Medical College of Cornell University) and Ph.D. from The Rockefeller University. He interned in Internal Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and completed his residency in Pathology at Brigham and Women's Hospital. In 1987, he joined the faculty of The Rockefeller University and became affiliated with Cornell and The New York Hospital (now NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center).

Dr. Muller is also an Editor of The Journal of Experimental Medicine, and Associate Editor of Cell Communication and Adhesion. He serves as President of the North American Vascular Biology Organization (NAVBO).

View a photo of Dr. Muller athttp://global.med.cornell.edu/news/wcmc/wcmc_2005/11_17_05.shtml

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