The American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education announced its annual slate of award recipients, supporting talented pharmaceutical science students preparing for careers in industry drug development or in academia.

Diana Xuan Cao, a third-year Pharm.D. student, won a Gateway to Research Scholarship and Anna Scott, a Ph.D. candidate, earned a Pre-Doctoral Fellowship in Pharmaceutical Sciences. Each winner will receive a cash award.

Cao’s recognition comes for her work under the supervision of Wei-Chiang Shen, the John A. Biles Professor in Pharmaceutical Sciences at the USC School of Pharmacy, and David Ann, professor at the City of Hope, who formerly was on the School of Pharmacy faculty.

Focusing on the cancer drug doxorubicin, Cao’s project looks at how the drug inhibits cell growth. The goal of the work is to improve the specificity of the drug’s action, thereby lessening the agent’s side effects.

While still keeping her options open, Cao is considering a career in industry. Last summer, she did an internship on transdermal product development at Mylan Technologies in Vermont.

Scott works in the lab of Jean C. Shih, the Boyd P. and Elsie D. Welin Professor in Pharmaceutical Sciences and a University Professor. Shih has won international acclaim for her study of how the brain enzyme MAO affects behavior.

Scott’s research looks at the role of monoamine oxidase, or MAO, on neural development. She has identified a spontaneous mutation in mice which is identical to a mutation that occurs in humans. At this point in the project, Scott is studying how this mutation affects behavior.

The American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education recognized 15 Pharm.D. and 59 Ph.D. students nationwide. The Gateway to Research Scholarship honors students involved in faculty-mentored pharmaceutical science research projects designed to introduce them to the challenges of pharmaceutical science research. The Pre-Doctoral Fellowship supports outstanding pharmaceutical science Ph.D. candidates as they do their advanced course work, research and dissertations.