Lasker Award

The Lasker Awards have been awarded annually since 1946 to living persons who have made major contributions to medical science or who have performed public service on behalf of medicine . They are administered by the Lasker Foundation, founded by advertising pioneer Albert Lasker and his wife Mary Woodward Lasker (later an influential medical research activist). The awards are sometimes referred to as "America's Nobels." Seventy-six Lasker laureates have received the Nobel Prize, including 28 in the last two decades. Maria C. Freire is the current President of the Foundation.

The four main awards are:

• Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award
• Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award
• Mary Woodard Lasker Public Service Award (renamed in 2000 from Albert Lasker Public Service Award)
• Lasker-Koshland Special Achievement Award in Medical Science (1994-)

Recent awards

Generally the Lasker Award is given in three categories – Basic Medical Research, Clinical Medical Research, and the Special Achievement Award. Recent winners include the following:

2008

• Basic – Victor Ambros, David Baulcombe, and Gary Ruvkun

"For discoveries that revealed an unanticipated world of tiny RNAs that regulate gene function in plants and animals."

• Clinical – Akira Endo

"For the discovery of the statins — drugs with remarkable LDL-cholesterol-lowering properties that have revolutionized the prevention and treatment of coronary heart disease."

• Special Achievement – Stanley Falkow

"For a 51-year career as one of the great microbe hunters of all time — he discovered the molecular nature of antibiotic resistance, revolutionized the way we think about how pathogens cause disease, and mentored more than 100 students, many of whom are now distinguished leaders in the fields of microbiology and infectious diseases."

2007

• Basic – Ralph Steinman

"For the discovery of dendritic cells—the preeminent component of the immune system that initiates and regulates the body's response to foreign antigens."

• Clinical – Alain Carpentier and Albert Starr

"For the development of prosthetic mitral and aortic valves, which have prolonged and enhanced the lives of millions of people with heart disease."

• Public Service – Anthony Fauci

"For his role as the principal architect of two major U.S. governmental programs, one aimed at AIDS and the other at biodefense."

2006

• Basic – Elizabeth Blackburn, Carol Greider, and Jack Szostak

"For the prediction and discovery of telomerase, a remarkable RNA-containing enzyme that synthesizes the ends of chromosomes, protecting them and maintaining the integrity of the genome"

• Clinical – Aaron Beck

"For the development of cognitive therapy, which has transformed the understanding and treatment of many psychiatric conditions, including depression, suicidal behavior, generalized anxiety, panic attacks, and eating disorders."

• Special Achievement – Joseph Gall

"For a distinguished 57-year career—as a founder of modern cell biology and the field of chromosome structure and function; bold experimentalist; inventor of in situ hybridization; and early champion of women in science."

2005

• Basic – Ernest McCulloch and James Till

"For ingenious experiments that first identified a stem cell - the blood-forming stem cell - which set the stage for all current research on adult and embryonic stem cells."

• Clinical – Alec John Jeffreys and Edwin Mellor Southern

"For development of two powerful technologies - Southern hybridization and DNA fingerprinting - that together revolutionized human genetics and forensic diagnostics."

• Public Service – Nancy Brinker

"For creating one of the world's great foundations devoted to curing breast cancer and for dramatically increasing public awareness about this devastating disease."

2004

• Basic – Pierre Chambon, Ronald M. Evans and Elwood V. Jensen

"For the discovery of the superfamily of nuclear hormone receptors and elucidation of a unifying mechanism that regulates embryonic development and diverse metabolic pathways."

• Clinical – Charles Kelman, New York Medical College

"For revolutionizing the surgical removal of cataracts, turning a 10-day hospital stay into an outpatient procedure, and dramatically reducing complications."

• Special Achievement – Matthew Meselson

"For a lifetime career that combines penetrating discovery in molecular biology with creative leadership in the public policy of chemical and biological weapons."

2003

• Basic – Robert G. Roeder, Rockefeller University

"For pioneering studies on eukaryotic RNA polymerases and the general transcriptional machinery, which opened gene expression in animal cells to biochemical analysis."

• Clinical – Marc Feldmann and Ravinder N. Maini

"For discovery of anti-TNF therapy as an effective treatment for rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases."

• Public Service – Christopher Reeve

"For perceptive, sustained, and heroic advocacy for medical research in general, and victims of disability in particular."

External links

• The Lasker Foundation - Official site