UNESCO-L’ORÉAL Scholarships for Women

What are the UNESCO-L’ORÉAL For Women in Science International Fellowships?
The Fellowships are jointly offered by UNESCO and L’ORÉAL, as part of the For Women In Science Programme, to support and promote women in scientific research all over the world.
The international Fellowships are awarded to promising young women scientists, at the doctoral or postdoctoral level, to undertake a research project in the life sciences which has been accepted by a reputable institution outside their home country.

15 international Fellowships are awarded each year. Each Fellowship is worth a maximum of US$40,000 to cover a research period of up to 24 months.

The international Fellowships aspire to support the scientific vocations of young women, to give them the opportunity to build international networks in the scientific community, and to gain crucial experience that they can bring back and share with others in their home countries.

The Fellowship beneficiaries are geographically spread, three Fellows being selected from each of the following regions: Africa; Arab States; Asia & the Pacific; Europe & North America; and Latin America & the Caribbean.

Eligibility
Candidates must be female and no more than 35 years old (born after 1 January 1975).
Preference will be given to candidates already possessing a PhD degree (or equivalent) in the field of life sciences at the time of application. However, applications from doctoral students will be considered.

Candidates must be proficient in reading and writing the language of instruction in the proposed country of study.

Candidates must already be engaged in and undertake research in one or allied fields of life sciences, including biology, biochemistry, biotechnology, agriculture, medicine, pharmacy and physiology. Projects involving animal models (i.e. experimentation using vertebrate laboratory animals) will not be accepted; and preference is given to non cosmetic researches.

Applications must be submitted through and endorsed by the UNESCO National Commission of the Candidate’s home country.

Procedure and DeadlinesThe deadline for submission to UNESCO headquarters is 30th June 2009. Applications from UK citizens must be submitted through the UK National Commission for UNESCO and received by 1st June 2009. The UK National Commission will consider and evaluate the applications and submit selected applications to UNESCO headquarters with its endorsement. Each National Commission can select and submit a maximum of four candidates.

After submission to UNESCO, the applications will be considered by a special Selection Committee, comprising representatives of UNESCO, L’ORÉAL and Life Sciences research communities & institutions.

Completed applications, together with supporting documentation, should be submitted by post to (UK citizens only): UK National Commission for UNESCO, c/o UNA, 3 Whitehall Court, London SW1A 2EL.

Further info: www.unesco.org

Pakistani student selected for L'Oreal Fellowship at University of Cambridge

lshrat BANO a PhD student in Bionanotechnology at the Quaid-I-Azam University in Islamabad, Pakistan has been selected for L’Oreals fellowship at University of Cambridge UKHer research focuses on the practical applications of nanotechnology in medicine.

Nanoparticles are particles with dimensions of iess than 100nm (a nanometer is one-biliionth of a meter} and are attracting a lot of interest in the field of drug development. Their small size and ability to transport drugs directly to target locations open up many possibilities for more efhcient and effective drug delivery, particularly in cancer patients.

Ishrat Bano is looking into the use of magnetic narioparticles in drug delivery. These offer the additional advantage of being more easily directed to diseased tissue through the use of an external magnetic field to direct the particles. Because they can target so efficiently, they also reduce the quantity of drug required to reach the appropriate concentration in the target location, therefore minimizing severe side effects in other, healthy parts ofthe body. However, magnetic particles have a tendency to stick together and cause potential blockage in the tiny capillaries of the blood system.

lt is therefore essential that the particles used are superparamagnetic — only exhibiting magnetism in the presence of an external magnetic field. During her fellowship she will receive training in the synthesis of magnetic nanoparticles adapted to drug delivery.

The ability of these particles to transport drugs is affected by acidity, temperature and the binding sites on the drug moIecuIe`s surface. She will test different methods of drug binding using insulin as a model protein drug and, using acidic solutions to simulate the conditions found in the stomach, she will also test the stability ofthe insulin-loaded particles and their ability to release the drug.

On return to Pakistan, Ishrat Bano will complete her PhD studies and then, as a postdoctoral researcher, she hopes to have the chance to make an important contribution tothe field of drug delivery using bionariotechnology.

Pakistani Girls should apply for L’Oreal’s scholarship & fellowships which run every year. More details can be found on L’Oreals web site at http://www.loreal.com