Template:Short description Template:Infobox award

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.<ref name=Overview>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=autogenerated1>The Lasker Foundation – 2008 Special Achievement Award</ref> Claire Pomeroy is the current president of the Lasker Foundation.

AwardEdit

The award is given in four branches of medical science:<ref name=Overview/>

  1. Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award
  2. Lasker–DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award
  3. Lasker–Bloomberg Public Service Award (Renamed in 2011 from Mary Woodard Lasker Public Service Award. Renamed in 2000 from Albert Lasker Public Service Award.)
  4. Lasker–Koshland Special Achievement Award in Medical Science (1994– renamed to that name in 2008) (optional)

The awards carry an honorarium of $250,000 for each category.<ref name=Media>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In addition to the main awards, there are historical awards that are no longer awarded.<ref name=Historical>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Recent awardsEdit

Recent winners include the following:

Year Award Laureate(s) Reason
2024 Basic Zhijian Chen citation CitationClass=web

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Clinical Joel Habener GLP-1-based therapy for obesity<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

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Lotte Bjerre Knudsen
Svetlana Mojsov
Public Service Quarraisha Abdool Karim Innovations in HIV prevention, treatment, and advocacy<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

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Salim S. Abdool Karim
2023 Basic Demis Hassabis Creating AlphaFold, artificial intelligence program for protein structure prediction.<ref>The Lasker Foundation – 2023 Basic Medical Research Award</ref>
John M. Jumper
Clinical James G. Fujimoto Inventing optical coherence tomography.<ref>The Lasker Foundation – 2023 Clinical Medical Research Award</ref>
David Huang
Eric A. Swanson
Special Achievement Piet Borst A scientific career spanning 50 years, mentorship, and leadership<ref>The Lasker Foundation – 2023 Special Achievement</ref>
2022 Basic Richard O. Hynes For discoveries concerning the integrins – key mediators of cell–matrix and cell–cell adhesion in physiology and disease.<ref>The Lasker Foundation – 2022 Basic Medical Research Award</ref>
Erkki Ruoslahti
Timothy A. Springer
Clinical Yuk Ming Dennis Lo For the discovery of fetal DNA in maternal blood, leading to noninvasive prenatal testing for Down syndrome.<ref>The Lasker Foundation – 2022 Clinical Medical Research Award</ref>
Public Service Lauren Gardner For creating the Covid-19 Dashboard, which set a new standard for disseminating authoritative public health data in real time.<ref>The Lasker Foundation – 2022 Public Service</ref>
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.<ref>The Lasker Foundation – 2021 Basic Medical Research Award</ref>
Peter Hegemann
Dieter Oesterhelt
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.<ref>The Lasker Foundation – 2021 Clinical Medical Research Award</ref>
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.<ref>The Lasker Foundation – 2021 Special Achievement</ref>
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.<ref>The Lasker Foundation – 2019 Basic Medical Research Award</ref>
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.<ref>The Lasker Foundation – 2019 Clinical Medical Research Award</ref>
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.<ref>The Lasker Foundation – 2019 Public Service Award</ref>
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.<ref>The Lasker Foundation – 2017 Basic Medical Research Award</ref>
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.
John T. Schiller
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.<ref>The Lasker Foundation – 2016 Basic Medical Research Award</ref>
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.<ref>The Lasker Foundation – 2016 Clinical Medical Research Award</ref>
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.<ref>The Lasker Foundation – 2016 Special Achievement</ref>
2015 Basic Stephen J. Elledge For discoveries concerning the DNA-damage response – a fundamental mechanism that protects the genomes of all living organisms.<ref>The Lasker Foundation – 2015 Basic Medical Research Award</ref>
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.<ref>The Lasker Foundation – 2015 Clinical Medical Research Award</ref>
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.<ref>

The Lasker Foundation – 2015 Public Service Award</ref>

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.<ref>

The Lasker Foundation – 2013 Basic Medical Research Award</ref>

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.<ref>

The Lasker Foundation – 2013 Clinical Medical Research Award</ref>

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.<ref>The Lasker Foundation – 2013 Public Service</ref>
Melinda Gates
2012 Basic Michael Sheetz For discoveries concerning cytoskeletal motor proteins, machines that move cargoes within cells, contract muscles, and enable cell movements.<ref>

The Lasker Foundation – 2012 Basic Medical Research Award Template:Webarchive</ref>

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.<ref>

The Lasker Foundation – 2012 Clinical Medical Research Award</ref>

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.<ref>The Lasker Foundation – 2012 Special Achievement Template:Webarchive</ref>
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.<ref>

The Lasker Foundation – 2011 Basic Medical Research Award Template:Webarchive</ref>

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.<ref>

The Lasker Foundation – 2011 Clinical Medical Research Award</ref>

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.<ref>

The Lasker Foundation – 2011 Public Service Award Template:Webarchive</ref>

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.<ref>The Lasker Foundation – 2010 Basic Medical Research Award Template:Webarchive</ref>
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.<ref>The Lasker Foundation – 2010 Clinical Medical Research Award Template:Webarchive</ref>
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.<ref>The Lasker Foundation – 2010 Special Achievement Award Template:Webarchive</ref>
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.<ref>The Lasker Foundation – 2009 Basic Medical Research Award Template:Webarchive</ref>
Shinya Yamanaka
Clinical Brian Druker The development of molecularly-targeted treatments for chronic myeloid leukemia, converting a fatal cancer into a manageable chronic condition.<ref>The Lasker Foundation – 2009 Clinical Medical Research Award Template:Webarchive</ref>
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.<ref>The Lasker Foundation – 2009 Public Service Award Template:Webarchive</ref>
2008 Basic Victor Ambros Discoveries that revealed an unanticipated world of tiny RNAs that regulate gene function in plants and animals.<ref>The Lasker Foundation – 2008 Basic Medical Research Award Template:Webarchive</ref>
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.<ref>The Lasker Foundation – 2008 Clinical Medical Research Award Template:Webarchive</ref>
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.<ref name=autogenerated1 />
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.<ref>The Lasker Foundation – 2007 Basic Medical Research Award</ref>
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.<ref>The Lasker Foundation – 2007 Clinical Medical Research Award Template:Webarchive</ref>
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.<ref>The Lasker Foundation – 2007 Public Service Award Template:Webarchive</ref>
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<ref>The Lasker Foundation – 2006 Basic Medical Research Award</ref>
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.<ref>The Lasker Foundation – 2006 Clinical Medical Research Award Template:Webarchive</ref>
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.<ref>The Lasker Foundation – 2006 Special Achievement Award Template:Webarchive</ref>
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.<ref>The Lasker Foundation – 2005 Basic Medical Research Award Template:Webarchive</ref>
James Till
Clinical Alec John Jeffreys Development of two powerful technologies – Southern hybridization and DNA fingerprinting – that together revolutionized human genetics and forensic diagnostics.<ref>The Lasker Foundation – 2005 Clinical Medical Research Award Template:Webarchive</ref>
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.<ref>The Lasker Foundation – 2005 Public Service Award Template:Webarchive</ref>
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.<ref>The Lasker Foundation – 2004 Basic Medical Research Award</ref>
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.<ref>The Lasker Foundation – 2004 Clinical Medical Research Award Template:Webarchive</ref>
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.<ref>The Lasker Foundation – 2004 Special Achievement Award Template:Webarchive</ref>
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.<ref>The Lasker Foundation – 2003 Basic Medical Research Award Template:Webarchive</ref>
Clinical Marc Feldmann Discovery of anti-TNF therapy as an effective treatment for rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases.<ref>The Lasker Foundation – 2003 Clinical Medical Research Award Template:Webarchive</ref>
Ravinder N. Maini
Public Service Christopher Reeve Perceptive, sustained, and heroic advocacy for medical research in general, and victims of disability in particular.<ref>The Lasker Foundation – 2003 Public Service Award Template:Webarchive</ref>
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.<ref>The Lasker Foundation – 2002 Basic Medical Research Award Template:Webarchive</ref>
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.<ref>The Lasker Foundation – 2002 Clinical Medical Research Award Template:Webarchive</ref>
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.<ref>The Lasker Foundation – 2002 Special Achievement Award Template:Webarchive</ref>
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.<ref>The Lasker Foundation – 2001 Basic Medical Research Award Template:Webarchive</ref>
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.<ref>The Lasker Foundation – 2001 Clinical Medical Research Award Template:Webarchive</ref>
Public Service William H. Foege For courageous leadership in improving worldwide public health, and his prominent role in the eradication of smallpox.<ref>The Lasker Foundation – 2001 Public Service Award Template:Webarchive</ref>
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.<ref>The Lasker Foundation – 2000 Basic Medical Research Award Template:Webarchive</ref>
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.<ref>The Lasker Foundation – 2000 Clinical Medical Research Award Template:Webarchive</ref>
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.<ref>The Lasker Foundation – 2000 Special Achievement Award</ref>

Historical awardsEdit

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.<ref name=Historical/> Awards were also presented for medical journalism.<ref name=Historical/>

Special Public Health awardsEdit

Special awardsEdit

Group awardsEdit

International Society for the Rehabilitation of the DisabledEdit

National Committee Against Mental IllnessEdit

Planned Parenthood – World PopulationEdit

See alsoEdit

ReferencesEdit

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External linksEdit

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