PHOENIX, Ariz. – Joshua Niska, an intern at the Translational Genomics Research
Institute (TGen), has won a $7,500 national Goldwater Scholarship from the Barry
M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence In Education Foundation.

Niska is among five TGen interns who have won this prestigious national award
including his brother, Jared Niska. Goldwater Scholarships are considered the
nation's highest undergraduate award in science, math and engineering.

Josh Niska, who plans to attend medical school, teach and pursue a career in
medicine and cancer research, is majoring in Biochemistry with an emphasis on
Medicinal Chemistry at Arizona State University.

"As a cancer researcher and oncologist, I hope to benefit cancer patients in
three ways," Niska said. "By conducting research in the laboratory, I will have
the opportunity to discover new treatments and improve the standards of care. In
the clinic, I will be able to provide novel treatments as part of clinical
trials. Through teaching at the university/medical school level, I will be able
to train the next generation of researchers who will make further advances."

Niska, who has interned at TGen since 2005, most recently worked in the lab of
Dr. Heather Cunliffe, Head of TGen's Breast & Ovarian Cancer Research Unit. He
has focused on development of a new diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for
invasive breast cancer.

"This is fabulous news for Josh," Dr. Cunliffe said. "He has won several
prestigious national awards while at TGen that will weigh heavily in his
acceptance into a leading medical school. It has been my privilege to train some
of the bright young minds of tomorrow. There is a tremendous need for additional
biomedical research emphasis in clinical training to impact a revolution in
health care."

Niska also has won the American Association for Cancer Research Thomas J. Bardos
Science Education Award for Undergraduate Students (2008 and 2009), American
Association for the Advancement of Science Travel Grant, and the
Chemistry/Biochemistry Department Alpha Chi Sigma Merit Award.

Niska started at TGen with a voluntary summer internship in 2005, continued his
project during his senior year of high school, and was again a summer intern in
2006. In 2007 he was a summer intern under the Helios Scholars Program at TGen,
and in 2008 was a summer intern as a TGen Undergraduate Research Fellow (TURF).
He was awarded research fellowships in 2007, 2008 and 2009 by the ASU School of
Life Sciences Undergraduate Research (SOLUR) program to continue his research
training throughout the academic year.

"Josh's achievements are proof positive that internships are a vital component
in fostering the next generation of scientists," said Dr. Jeffrey Trent, TGen's
President and Research Director. "Appropriate mentorship, coupled with a great
community partner such as the Helios Education Foundation, can produce a winning
environment that allows students to gain valuable hands-on experience in the
biomedical sciences."

In TGen's Breast & Ovarian Cancer Research Unit, Niska has gained experience in
cell-based mechanistic perturbation technologies, molecular pathology and
array-based gene expression profiling. His lab mentor has been Research
Associate Amanda Willis. He also worked in a TGen lab where he received basic
laboratory training and participated in a research project investigating
mechanisms impacting brain tumor cell invasion.

Niska is one of 278 students nationwide awarded the Goldwater Scholarship for
the 2009-10 academic year; one of six from Arizona, and one of three from
Arizona State University.

Other recipients of Goldwater Scholarship who interned at TGen include:

-- Lara Cardy (2007-08) who worked in the Neurogenomics Division.

-- Eric Anderson (2006-07) who also works with Dr. Cunliffe.

-- Shannon Fortin (2005-06) who worked with Dr. Nhan Tran, Head of TGen's
Central Nervous System Tumor Research Lab. Fortin went on to win a Fulbright
Scholarship.

-- Jared Niska (2003-04) who worked with Dr. Michael Berens, Director of TGen's
Cancer and Cell Biology Division.

All attended ASU.

About the Goldwater Foundation
The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence In Education Foundation is a
federally endowed agency based in Springfield, Virginia, honoring the late
Arizona Sen. Barry M. Goldwater. It is designed to encourage outstanding
students to pursue careers in mathematics, the natural sciences and engineering,
and it is considered the premier undergraduate award of its type in these
fields. Since Congress established the program in 1986, the foundation has
awarded 5,801 scholarships worth nearly $56 million. Trustees plan to award
about 300 scholarships for the 2010–11 academic year.

About TGen
The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) is a non-profit
organization based in Phoenix, Ariz., dedicated to conducting groundbreaking
research with life changing results. Research at TGen is focused on helping
patients with diseases such as cancer, neurological disorders and diabetes. TGen
is on the cutting edge of translational research where investigators are able to
unravel the genetic components of common and complex diseases. Working with
collaborators in the scientific and medical communities, TGen believes it can
make a substantial contribution to the efficiency and effectiveness of the
translational process. For more information, visit: www.tgen.org