The GlaxoSmithKline Award is given in recognition of research leading to new advances in medical science for research carried out in the UK or the Republic of Ireland during the seven years preceding the date of nomination. The award is made every two years and is specifically intended to recognize meritorious research by mid-career biochemists in the field of biochemistry related to medicine.
On winning the GlaxoSmithKline Award for 2024, Prof Tzima said: "I am humbled and honoured to receive this award. It is a testament to the wonderful people who have been part of my journey and the stimulating collaborations and incredible support I have had from mentors, family and friends over the years."
Prof Tzima has been funded by major grants from the NIH, Wellcome, BHF and MRC, served as Director of Graduate Studies, and was on the Editorial Board of Circulation Research and ATVB. She was a recipient of an American Heart Association Established Investigator Award, Ellison Medical Foundation Scholar in Aging and a member of several grant panel reviewing committees.
The Tzima lab
Prof Tzima was an AHA-postdoctoral fellow in Prof Martin Schwartz’s laboratory at the Scripps Research Institute (La Jolla) from 2000-2004, working on endothelial mechanotransduction, and a Senior Postdoctoral Fellow in Prof Paul Schimmel’s laboratory. When cells in our body react to physical or mechanical stimuli (like pressure or stretching) and turn them into chemical signals that trigger a response in the body. This process is called ‘Mechanotransduction’.
Together with a talented and enthusiastic team of students and postdocs, Prof Tzima investigates how cells sense and respond to mechanical forces and the role of mechanotransduction in homeostasis and pathology. Along with this, her lab also focuses on identifying the novel pathways that regulate communication between the cells in the heart and, ultimately, cardiac function.