The Georgia Cancer Coalition has announced the recipients of the 2009 Cancer Research Awards, made possible by Georgians who contribute to the Georgia Cancer Research Fund on their state income tax returns. Michelle Dawson, Ph.D., assistant professor at the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology, is one of the eight recipients. She will receive $50,000 for her research into the development of specialized cells designed as gene delivery vehicles to target and treat breast cancer.

Fifty-one researchers submitted proposals for the 2009 awards. Those reviewing the proposals included nationally recognized scientists and clinicians from across the country.

Dawson completed a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in 2008. She earned her Ph.D. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from The Johns Hopkins University in 2005, where she was awarded a Graduate Research Fellowship from the National Science Foundation.

"Dr. Dawson is an outstanding and highly motivated researcher,