Celestine Hong (L) and Evan Kerek (supplied images)
Celestine Hong and Evan Kerek receive 2024 Charles H. Best Fellowships
Published: March 13, 2025
Celestine Hong and Evan Kerek, post-doctoral researchers in the Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, have been recognized with 2024 Charles H. Best Postdoctoral Fellowships.
The fellowships were established in 2001 in honour of Charles H. Best, a celebrated researcher known for discovering insulin alongside Frederick Banting. They recognize outstanding postdoctoral fellows at the Donnelly Centre who are tackling important questions in biology.
Hong's research – on developing injectable hydrogels to deliver the proteins insulin and FGF2 to the eyes – is taking place under the supervision of Molly Shoichet, University Professor in the department of chemical engineering and applied chemistry in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering.
Kerek's research, which focuses on characterizing the stability of the protein TULP3 in cells, is being carried out under the supervision of Mikko Taipale, associate professor in the department of molecular genetics at Temerty Medicine.
Stéphane Angers, director of the Donnelly Centre and chair of the Charles H. Best Fellowship selection committee, hailed Hong and Kerek as "promising additions to the biomedical community" and deserving recipients of the fellowship. “Both Celestine and Evan embody the spirit of interdisciplinary collaboration that underlies the Donnelly Centre’s success," Angers said.
