Cornell biologist W. Lee Kraus has received the Endocrine Society's 2007 Richard E. Weitzman Memorial Award, which recognizes an exceptionally promising young clinical or basic investigator for his or her independent scholarship after completion of formal training.

Kraus, an associate professor of molecular biology and genetics at Cornell with a joint appointment in the Department of Pharmacology at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City, will receive the award at the society's 89th annual meeting, June 2-5, in Toronto.

Kraus studies how small molecules, such as the hormone estrogen and the metabolite nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD), act to turn genes on and off. The genes that are regulated by estrogen and NAD control cell growth and proliferation. Kraus' work has implications for cancer and aging.

"Our goal is to use the information that we generate about the molecular and cellular mechanisms of these signaling pathways to find better drug targets for preventing and treating diseases, such as cancer," he said.