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The University of Colorado’s BioFrontiers Institute has received a $1 million gift from John F. Milligan and Kathryn Bradford-Milligan of Hillsborough, California to establish a fund for graduate students participating in an interdisciplinary bioscience program.

The new endowment, the Olke C. Uhlenbeck Endowed Graduate Fund, will support first-year graduate students pursuing doctorates in one of nine academic departments and includes additional coursework in interdisciplinary bioscience. The fellowship is intended to fund each recipient for a two-year period for roughly $55,000 and is expected to be awarded every other year beginning in fall 2016.

The funding will support tuition and stipend costs for first-year graduate students pursuing doctoral degrees as part of the BioFrontiers IQ Biology PhD Certificate program.

Milligan is president and CEO of the California-based Gilead Sciences Inc. With operations in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia, the biopharmaceutical company is focused on discovering, developing and commercializing therapeutics and advancing the care of patients suffering from life-threatening diseases worldwide.

Milligan spent two years of his doctoral studies in Uhlenbeck’s lab at CU Boulder after it was moved from the University of Illinois in 1986. Milligan subsequently joined Gilead Sciences as a research scientist.

Uhlenbeck, an internationally known biochemist, spent 16 years at CU Boulder at a time when the university was becoming a leader in RNA research. He was elected into the National Academy of Sciences in 1993 and is a founding member of the RNA Society, which publishes the scientific journal RNA.

DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, acts like a blueprint of biological guidelines that a living organism must follow to exist and remain functional. RNA, or ribonucleic acid, helps carry out the blueprint guidelines.

Uhlenbeck was recruited to chair CU Boulder’s biochemistry division in 1986. He agreed to come on the condition that CU’s internationally known RNA research groups meet together on a regular basis to share their research.

The CU Boulder RNA Club eventually grew to more than 100 faculty members, students and industry scientists sharing what they were discovering about RNA, a group that continues to thrive on campus three decades later. The interactive meetings helped CU Boulder to grow in its RNA research dominance that supported the launch of a number of Boulder biotechnology startups, including Ribozyme Pharmaceuticals Inc. and NeXstar Pharmaceuticals Inc.

“I really value the time I spent at CU Boulder with Olke,” said Milligan. “I appreciate the conversations we had as I developed into a scientist. He also taught me to be a leader by showing me what it meant to be engaged in research and intellectually curious.”

Milligan said he also is a fan of the IQ Biology program at BioFrontiers because it exposes graduate students to other aspects of the biological sciences, from writing computer code and learning applied math to focusing on professional development. All are skills important to any career, whether in industry or academia, Milligan said.

Distinguished Professor Tom Cech, director of the BioFrontiers Institute, will participate in selecting the first Uhlenbeck Fellow from the incoming class of IQ Biology students this fall. Cech shared the 1989 Nobel Prize in chemistry for his discovery that RNA in living cells is not only a molecule of heredity but also can function as a catalyst.

At the BioFrontiers Institute researchers from the life sciences, physical sciences, computer science and engineering are working together to uncover new knowledge at the frontiers of science and partnering with industry to make their discoveries relevant. For more information on BioFrontiers visit .

Contact:
Hilary Furlong, BioFrontiers Institute Advancement, 303-735-9073
hilary.furlong@colorado.edu
Emilia Costales, BioFrontiers Institute media relations, 303-735-3001
emilia.costales@colorado.edu