Pratap Singh, principal scientist at the Glasgow, Delaware research and development facility at Dade Behring, a leading clinical diagnostics company, has been honored with the  American Association of Clinical Chemistry's prestigious 2007 Edwin F Ullman Award.

The annual award recognizes individuals for contributions that advance the technology of clinical laboratory sciences, a field essential to providing physicians with information to help diagnose and treat patients with medical conditions. It was named after Ullman to acknowledge his contributions to the field of clinical chemistry through the creation of new technologies and analytical methods. The award consists of a plaque and $5,000 in cash.

Singh, who jointly holds six patents with Dade Behring and has several more pending, is the company's leading specialist in developing conjugation processes. These processes are critical to developing and producing immunoassay tests used on Dade Behring's flagship Dimension family of clinical diagnostic chemistry instruments. He has also played a key role in developing the tests for cardiac disease used in a cardiac instrument used in emergency care settings.

'I have worked with Dr Singh for more than 15 years and I am thrilled that his scientific contributions have been recognized by our industry's most prestigious professional association,' said Mark Wolsey-Paige, chief strategy and technology officer, Dade Behring.

'He has played an important role in establishing Dade Behring as a global leader in cardiac diagnostics, while helping to make new cardiac tests available to patients worldwide,' Wolsey-Paige added.

Singh was named a Dade Behring Fellow in 2005 for his achievements in research and development. He did his BS (honors), MS, and PhD in organic chemistry from the University of Delhi. Between 1971 and 1974, he was involved in the drug discovery program at the Central Drug Research Institute in Lucknow, India. He was a post doctoral fellow at the University of Chicago, Fordham University, New York, and the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, and a research fellow at the Henry Ford Hospital.

With revenue of more than $1.7 billion, Dade Behring is the world's largest company solely dedicated to clinical diagnostics.

Headquartered in Washington, DC and founded in 1948, the AACC is an international scientific/medical society of clinical laboratory professionals, physicians, research scientists and other individuals involved with clinical chemistry and related disciplines.

It is best known for the journal Clinical Chemistry, among the most cited in the field, and famed for its annual meeting, the world's largest lab conference, with about 17,000 to 19,000 registrants from more than 100 countries.

The AACC offers many programs that address the scientific, clinical, technical, and management challenges facing laboratory professionals. The Association is divided geographically into 22 local sections, which provide local conferences and networking opportunities throughout the United States.