Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) scientist Dan Fletcher has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM). He is among a cohort of 100 new members. Election to the academy is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine and recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service.
Fletcher, a faculty scientist in the Biological Systems and Engineering (BSE) Division and the professor of bioengineering at UC Berkeley, studies the properties and behaviors of cell movement in response to stimuli. This work delves into the interactions between proteins, single cells, and tissue layers. In 2010, Fletcher received a Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) award to develop tools for understanding self-assembly of the cytoskeleton, which led to new ways to study biological self-assembly and advanced multiple projects in his lab.
Currently, his research group explores how the physical environment drives changes in internal cell structure, how the physical composition of the cell membrane influences interactions between cells, and how immune cells decide what is friend and what is foe. All of these are leading to new therapeutic strategies for disease treatment.
To study cells and proteins in new ways Fletcher has needed to devote significant effort and ingenuity to developing new imaging and instrumentation tools. His innovative approach to lab techniques has spawned a number of mobile phone–based, point-of-care diagnostic tools for use in areas without access to medical laboratories. The Cellscope has been deployed in Africa to detect Loa loa worm and intestinal parasite infections, in the ocean to survey water quality, and was transformed into a rapid COVID-19 test paired with CRISPR technology.
Established originally as the Institute of Medicine in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine addresses critical issues in health, science, medicine, and related policy and inspires positive actions across sectors. The newly elected members bring NAM’s total membership to more than 2,500, which includes more than 200 international members.
