The Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation announced five winners of its coveted annual awards today (September 28), and the awardees were honored in an online celebration on the foundation’s website. The awards, which highlight major developments or findings in biomedical, clinical, and public health research, come with a $250,000 honorarium—and Lasker winners often go on to win Nobel Prizes as well.
The Basic Medical Research Award went to Richard Hynes of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Erkki Ruoslahti of Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, and Timothy Springer of the Harvard Medical Institute for their work on integrins: proteins that bind cells to the extracellular matrix. The research of all three scientists collectively “launched the field of integrin research,” according to the Lasker Foundation’s announcement. Their work got the ball rolling on anti-inflammatory drugs known as anti-integrins for autoimmune diseases such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
Yuk Ming Dennis ...
