| Lasker Award | |
| Current Awards: | --> |
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| Awarded For: | Major contributions to medical science |
| Sponsor: | Lasker Foundation |
| Date: | 1945 |
| Venue: | or |
| Site: | --> |
| Reward: | $250,000 |
| Winner: | or |
| Winners: | --> |
| Most Wins: | --> |
| Award1 Type: | Basic (2019) |
| Award1 Winner: | Max Dale Cooper Jacques Miller |
| Award2 Type: | Clinical (2019) |
| Award2 Winner: | H. Michael Shepard Dennis J. Slamon Axel Ullrich |
| Award3 Type: | Public |
| Award3 Winner: | GAVI |
| Network List: | --> |
| Ratings: | --> |
In 1945 Albert Lasker and Mary Woodard Lasker created the Lasker Awards. Every year since then the award has been given to the living person considered to have made the greatest contribution to medical science or who has demonstrated public service on behalf of medicine. They are administered by the Lasker Foundation. The Lasker is sometimes referred to as "America's Nobels".
The Lasker Awards have gained a reputation for identifying future winners of the Nobel Prize. Eighty-six Lasker laureates have received the Nobel Prize, including 32 in the last two decades.[1] [2] Claire Pomeroy is the current president of the Lasker Foundation.
The award is given in four branches of medical science:[1]
The awards carry an honorarium of $250,000 for each category.[3]
A collection of papers from the Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation were donated to the National Library of Medicine by Mrs. Albert D. Lasker in April 1985.[4]
In addition to the main awards, there are historical awards that are no longer awarded.[5]
Recent winners include the following:
| Year | Award | Laureate(s) | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Basic | Demis Hassabis | Creating AlphaFold, artificial intelligence program for protein structure prediction.[6] |
| John M. Jumper | |||
| Clinical | James G. Fujimoto | Inventing optical coherence tomography.[7] | |
| David Huang | |||
| Eric A. Swanson | |||
| Special Achievement | Piet Borst | A scientific career spanning 50 years, mentorship, and leadership[8] | |
| 2022 | Basic | Richard O. Hynes | For discoveries concerning the integrins – key mediators of cell–matrix and cell–cell adhesion in physiology and disease.[9] |
| Erkki Ruoslahti | |||
| Clinical | Yuk Ming Dennis Lo | For the discovery of fetal DNA in maternal blood, leading to noninvasive prenatal testing for Down syndrome.[10] | |
| Public Service | Lauren Gardner | For creating the Covid-19 Dashboard, which set a new standard for disseminating authoritative public health data in real time.[11] | |
| 2021 | Basic | Karl Deisseroth | For the discovery of light-sensitive microbial proteins that can activate or silence individual brain cells which was integral in developing optogenetics – a revolutionary technique for neuroscience.[12] |
| Peter Hegemann | |||
| Clinical | Katalin Karikó | For the discovery of a new therapeutic technology based on the modification of messenger RNA – enabling rapid development of highly effective Covid-19 vaccines.[13] | |
| Drew Weissman | |||
| Special Achievement | David Baltimore | As one of the premier biomedical scientists of the last five decades, he is renowned for the breadth and beauty of his discoveries in virology, immunology, and cancer; for his academic leadership; for his mentorship of prominent scientists; and for his influence as a public advocate for science.[14] | |
| 2019 | Basic | Max Dale Cooper | For their discovery of the two distinct classes of lymphocytes, B cells and T cells – a monumental achievement that provided the organizing principle of the adaptive immune system and launched the course of modern immunology.[15] |
| Jacques Miller | |||
| Clinical | H. Michael Shepard | For their invention of Herceptin, the first monoclonal antibody that blocks HER2, a cancer-causing protein, and for its development as a life-saving therapy for women with breast cancer.[16] | |
| Dennis J. Slamon | |||
| Axel Ullrich | |||
| Public Service | GAVI vaccination alliance | For providing sustained access to childhood vaccines around the globe, saving millions of lives, and for highlighting the power of immunization to prevent disease.[17] | |
| 2018 | Basic | C. David Allis | For discoveries elucidating how gene expression is influenced by chemical modification of histones – the proteins that package DNA within chromosomes. |
| Michael Grunstein | |||
| Clinical | John B. Glen | For the discovery and development of propofol, a chemical whose rapid action and freedom from residual effects have made it the most widely used agent for induction of anesthesia in patients throughout the world. | |
| Special Achievement | Joan Argetsinger Steitz | For four decades of leadership in biomedical science – exemplified by pioneering discoveries in RNA biology, generous mentorship of budding scientists, and vigorous and passionate support of women in science. | |
| 2017 | Basic | Michael N. Hall | For discoveries concerning the nutrient-activated TOR proteins and their central role in the metabolic control of cell growth.[18] |
| Clinical | Douglas R. Lowy | For technological advances that enabled development of HPV vaccines for prevention of cervical cancer and other tumors caused by human papillomaviruses. | |
| Public Service | Planned Parenthood | For providing essential health services and reproductive care to millions of women for more than a century. | |
| 2016 | Basic | William G. Kaelin Jr. | For the discovery of the pathway by which cells from humans and most animals sense and adapt to changes in oxygen availability – a process essential for survival.[19] |
| Peter J. Ratcliffe | |||
| Gregg L. Semenza | |||
| Clinical | Ralf F. W. Bartenschlager | For development of a system to study the replication of the virus that causes hepatitis C and for use of this system to revolutionize the treatment of this chronic, often lethal disease.[20] | |
| Charles M. Rice | |||
| Michael J. Sofia | |||
| Special Achievement | Bruce M. Alberts | For fundamental discoveries in DNA replication and protein biochemistry; for visionary leadership in directing national and international scientific organizations to better people’s lives; and for passionate dedication to improving education in science and mathematics.[21] | |
| 2015 | Basic | Stephen J. Elledge | For discoveries concerning the DNA-damage response – a fundamental mechanism that protects the genomes of all living organisms.[22] |
| Evelyn M. Witkin | |||
| Clinical | James P. Allison | For the discovery and development of a monoclonal antibody therapy that unleashes the immune system to combat cancer.[23] | |
| Public Service | Médecins Sans Frontières | For bold leadership in responding to the recent Ebola outbreak in Africa and for sustained and effective frontline responses to health emergencies.[24] | |
| 2014 | Basic | Kazutoshi Mori | For discoveries concerning the unfolded protein response – an intracellular quality control system that detects harmful misfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum and signals the nucleus to carry out corrective measures. |
| Peter Walter | |||
| Clinical | Alim-Louis Benabid | For the development of deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus, a surgical technique that reduces tremors and restores motor function in patients with advanced Parkinson's disease. | |
| Mahlon R. DeLong | |||
| Special Achievement | Mary-Claire King | For bold, imaginative, and diverse contributions to medical science and human rights – she discovered the BRCA1 gene locus that causes hereditary breast cancer and deployed DNA strategies that reunite missing persons or their remains with their families. | |
| 2013 | Basic | Richard H. Scheller | For discoveries concerning the molecular machinery and regulatory mechanism that underlie the rapid release of neurotransmitters.[25] |
| Thomas C. Südhof | |||
| Clinical | Graeme M. Clark | For the development of the modern cochlear implant – a device that bestows hearing to individuals with profound deafness.[26] | |
| Ingeborg Hochmair | |||
| Blake S. Wilson | |||
| Public Service | Bill Gates | For leading a historic transformation in the way we view the globe's most pressing health concerns and improving the lives of millions of the world's most vulnerable.[27] | |
| Melinda Gates | |||
| 2012 | Basic | Michael Sheetz | For discoveries concerning cytoskeletal motor proteins, machines that move cargoes within cells, contract muscles, and enable cell movements.[28] |
| James Spudich | |||
| Ronald Vale | |||
| Clinical | Roy Calne | For the development of liver transplantation, which has restored normal life to thousands of patients with end-stage liver disease.[29] | |
| Thomas Starzl | |||
| Special Achievement | Donald D. Brown | For exceptional leadership and citizenship in biomedical science – exemplified by fundamental discoveries concerning the nature of genes; by selfless commitment to young scientists; and by disseminating revolutionary technologies to the scientific community.[30] | |
| Tom Maniatis | |||
| 2011 | Basic | Franz-Ulrich Hartl | For discoveries concerning the cell's protein-folding machinery, exemplified by cage-like structures that convert newly made proteins into their biologically active forms.[31] |
| Arthur L. Horwich | |||
| Clinical | Tu Youyou | For the discovery of artemisinin, a drug therapy for malaria that has saved millions of lives across the globe, especially in the developing world.[32] | |
| Public Service | National Institutes of Health Clinical Center | For serving, since its inception, as a model research hospital – providing innovative therapy and high-quality patient care, treating rare and severe diseases, and producing outstanding physician-scientists whose collective work has set a standard of excellence in biomedical research.[33] | |
| 2010 | Basic | Douglas L. Coleman | Discovery of leptin, a hormone that regulates appetite and body weight – a breakthrough that opened obesity research to molecular exploration.[34] |
| Jeffrey M. Friedman | |||
| Clinical | Napoleone Ferrara | Discovery of VEGF as a major mediator of angiogenesis and the development of an effective anti-VEGF therapy for wet macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness in the elderly.[35] | |
| Special Achievement | David Weatherall | For 50 years of international statesmanship in biomedical science – exemplified by discoveries concerning genetic diseases of the blood and for leadership in improving clinical care for thousands of children with thalassemia throughout the developing world.[36] | |
| 2009 | Basic | John Gurdon | Discoveries concerning nuclear reprogramming, the process that instructs specialized adult cells to form early stem cells – creating the potential to become any type of mature cell for experimental or therapeutic purposes.[37] |
| Shinya Yamanaka | |||
| Clinical | Brian Druker | The development of molecularly-targeted treatments for chronic myeloid leukemia, converting a fatal cancer into a manageable chronic condition.[38] | |
| Nicholas Lydon | |||
| Charles Sawyers | |||
| Public Service | Michael Bloomberg | Employing sound science in political decision making; setting a world standard for the public's health as an impetus for government action; leading the way to reduce the scourge of tobacco use; and advancing public health through enlightened philanthropy.[39] | |
| 2008 | Basic | Victor Ambros | Discoveries that revealed an unanticipated world of tiny RNAs that regulate gene function in plants and animals.[40] |
| David Baulcombe | |||
| Gary Ruvkun | |||
| Clinical | Akira Endo | The discovery of the statins – drugs with remarkable LDL-cholesterol-lowering properties that have revolutionized the prevention and treatment of coronary heart disease.[41] | |
| Special Achievement | Stanley Falkow | 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 | The discovery of dendritic cells – the preeminent component of the immune system that initiates and regulates the body's response to foreign antigens.[42] |
| Clinical | Alain Carpentier | The development of prosthetic mitral and aortic valves, which have prolonged and enhanced the lives of millions of people with heart disease.[43] | |
| Albert Starr | |||
| 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.[44] | |
| 2006 | Basic | Elizabeth Blackburn | 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[45] |
| Carol Greider | |||
| Jack Szostak | |||
| Clinical | Aaron Beck | 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.[46] | |
| Special Achievement | Joseph Gall | 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.[47] | |
| 2005 | Basic | Ernest McCulloch | 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.[48] |
| James Till | |||
| Clinical | Alec John Jeffreys | Development of two powerful technologies – Southern hybridization and DNA fingerprinting – that together revolutionized human genetics and forensic diagnostics.[49] | |
| Edwin Mellor Southern | |||
| 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.[50] | |
| 2004 | Basic | Pierre Chambon | For the discovery of the superfamily of nuclear hormone receptors and elucidation of a unifying mechanism that regulates embryonic development and diverse metabolic pathways.[51] |
| Ronald M. Evans | |||
| Elwood V. Jensen | |||
| Clinical | Charles Kelman | For revolutionizing the surgical removal of cataracts, turning a 10-day hospital stay into an outpatient procedure, and dramatically reducing complications.[52] | |
| 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.[53] | |
| 2003 | Basic | Robert G. Roeder | Pioneering studies on eukaryotic RNA polymerases and the general transcriptional machinery, which opened gene expression in animal cells to biochemical analysis.[54] |
| Clinical | Marc Feldmann | Discovery of anti-TNF therapy as an effective treatment for rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases.[55] | |
| Ravinder N. Maini | |||
| Public Service | Christopher Reeve | Perceptive, sustained, and heroic advocacy for medical research in general, and victims of disability in particular.[56] | |
| 2002 | Basic | James E. Rothman | Discoveries revealing the universal molecular machinery that orchestrates the budding and fusion of membrane vesicles – a process essential to organelle formation, nutrient uptake, and secretion of hormones and neurotransmitters.[57] |
| Randy W. Schekman | |||
| Clinical | Willem J. Kolff | Development of renal hemodialysis, which changed kidney failure from a fatal to a treatable disease, prolonging the useful lives of millions of patients.[58] | |
| Belding H. Scribner | |||
| Special Achievement | James E. Darnell Jr. | For an exceptional career in biomedical science during which he opened two fields in biology – RNA processing and cytokine signaling – and fostered the development of many creative scientists.[59] | |
| 2001 | Basic | Mario R. Capecchi | Development of a powerful technology for manipulating the mouse genome with exquisite precision, which allows the creation of animal models of human disease.[60] |
| Martin J. Evans | |||
| Oliver Smithies | |||
| Clinical | Robert G. Edwards | Development of in vitro fertilization, a technological advance that has revolutionized the treatment of human infertility.[61] | |
| Public Service | William H. Foege | For courageous leadership in improving worldwide public health, and his prominent role in the eradication of smallpox.[62] | |
| 2000 | Basic | Aaron Ciechanover | For the discovery and recognition of the broad significance of the ubiquitin system of regulated protein degradation, a fundamental process that influences vital cellular events, including the cell cycle, malignant transformation, and responses to inflammation and immunity.[63] |
| Avram Hershko | |||
| Alexander Varshavsky | |||
| Clinical | Harvey J. Alter | Discovery of the virus that causes hepatitis C and the development of screening methods that reduced the risk of blood transfusion-associated hepatitis in the U.S. from 30% in 1970 to virtually zero in 2000.[64] | |
| Michael Houghton | |||
| Special Achievement | Sydney Brenner | For 50 years of brilliant creativity in biomedical science – exemplified by his legendary work on the genetic code; his daring introduction of the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans as a system for tracing the birth and death of every cell in a living animal; his rational voice in the debate on recombinant DNA; and his trenchant wit.[65] |
Awards no longer made include Special Public Health Awards, Special Awards, Group Awards, and Lasker Awards made by the International Society for the Rehabilitation of the Disabled, the National Committee Against Mental Illness, and Planned Parenthood – World Population.[5] Awards were also presented for medical journalism.[5]