Benveniste is a professor of cell biology, physiology and biophysics, neurology and neurobiology. She also is a senior scientist at UAB's Arthritis Center, Center for AIDS Research and the Cancer Center. Her research is focused on immune-system and central-nervous-system inter-communication, discoveries which improve the understanding of autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis and AIDS-dementia complex. She is particularly interested in a class of inflammatory and regulatory proteins called cytokines and chemokines present in both the immune and nervous system. Recently, Benveniste has turned her attention to the inflammatory processes that promote brain-cancer growth.

Zhang serves as a senior scientist at UAB's Center for Aging, Center for AIDS Research, Gene Therapy Center and Comprehensive Cancer Center. He was among the first to discover DPD deficiency, an inherited metabolic disorder wherein limited enzyme activity can impact a cancer patient's response to chemotherapy. Zhang also is a leader in studying drugs that work by antisense, which are genetically engineered agents to target the double-stranded structure of DNA for cancer prevention and to deactivate disease-causing genes. Recently, Zhang has been studying a particular gene called MDM2 that helps regulate cancer sensitivity to drug treatment.

The tradition of AAAS fellows began in 1874. Currently, members can be considered for the rank if nominated by the steering groups of the association's 24 sections, or by any three fellows currently AAAS members, or by the AAAS chief executive officer. Each steering group then reviews the nominations of individuals within its respective section and a final list is forwarded to the AAAS Council for a vote.

Source: University of Alabama at Birmingham