Westborough, MA, February 22, 2013 —

The National Board of Trustees at the March of Dimes Foundation has awarded Dr. Michael Talkowski of Massachusetts General Hospital with a Basil O’Connor Starter Scholar Research Award grant.

Dr. Talkowski will be conducting research on “Convergent Genomic Profiling of Chromosomal Abnormalities During Fetal Development.” He is an instructor in neurology at the Department of Neurology, Center for Human Genetic Research at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

The amount of the grant is $150,000 for a period of two years through January 31, 2015.

The March of Dimes has invested more than $84 million nationally in research and more than $7.9 million through national research grants in Massachusetts.

In 2012, Dr. Talkowski participated in a research team that helped identify some 33 genes that cause autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders in humans. Previously, only 11 genes had been known to play role in related disorders. Dr. Talkowski is also one of the lead authors of the Cell Paper, a journal for scientific research.  

About the March of Dimes:

In 2013, the March of Dimes celebrates its 75^th Anniversary and its ongoing work to help babies get a healthy start in life.  Early research led to the Salk and Sabin polio vaccines that all babies still receive.  Other breakthroughs include new treatments for premature infants and children with birth defects.  About 4 million babies are born each year in the United States, and all have benefitted from March of Dimes lifesaving research and education.

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