·华人科学家陈志坚(Zhijian "James" Chen)教授获得拉斯克奖基础医学奖,三位GLP-1研究先驱Joel Habener、Lotte Bjerre Knudsen、Svetlana Mojsov获得拉斯克奖临床医学奖,Quarraisha Abdool Karim、Salim S. Abdool Karim 获得拉斯克奖公共服务奖。
2024年9月19日,被誉为诺贝尔奖"风向标"的生物医学领域重要奖项——拉斯克奖(The Lasker Awards)揭晓。 华人科学家陈志坚(Zhijian "James" Chen)教授获得拉斯克奖基础医学研究奖,三位GLP-1研究先驱Joel Habener、Lotte Bjerre Knudsen、Svetlana Mojsov获得拉斯克奖临床医学研究奖,Quarraisha Abdool Karim、Salim S. Abdool Karim 获得拉斯克奖公共服务奖。
Professor Zhijian "James" Chen. Image source: Lasker Awards official website
According to the Lasker Prize for Medical Sciences, the 2024 Lasker Prize for Basic Medical Research was awarded to Professor Zhijian "James" Chen of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in United States for his discovery of the cGAS enzyme that senses self and foreign DNA, and solved the mystery of how DNA stimulates immune and inflammatory responses with his unique thinking and first-class experiments. cGAS underlies the main mechanism of mammalian resistance to microbial invasion, and it also promotes anti-tumor immunity. Under certain physiological conditions, inappropriate cGAS activity can lead to autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. The enzyme provides drug targets for a variety of human diseases, and it produces signaling molecules that are expected to be used to fight infectious diseases and cancer.
Chen Zhijian is the sixth Chinese scientist to win the Lasker Prize, the previous five being Li Zhuohao (1962 Basic Medicine Award), Li Minqiu (1972 Clinical Medicine Award), Jian Yuewei (1991 Clinical Medicine Award), Tu Youyou (2011 Lasker Award for Clinical Medicine), and Lu Yuming (2022 Lasker Award for Clinical Medicine).
三位GLP-1研究先驱Joel Habener、Lotte Bjerre Knudsen、Svetlana Mojsov。 图片来源：拉斯克奖官网
2024年拉斯克奖基础医学研究奖授予美国麻省总医院(Massachusetts General Hospital)的Joel Habener、跨国药企诺和诺德(NVO.US)的Lotte Bjerre Knudsen和美国洛克菲勒大学(The Rockefeller University)的Svetlana Mojsov,的Svetlana Mojsov,以表彰他们"发现和开发基于GLP-1的药物,彻底改变了肥胖的治疗"。
"Nearly 900 million adults worldwide suffer from obesity, and excess weight has led to a variety of life-threatening conditions," the citation reads. Obesity is often thought of as a failure of willpower, but for many people, diet and exercise don't solve the problem. Historically, attempts to make safe and effective drugs to help people lose weight have failed. And with the efforts of the three of them, we have entered a new era of weight management, and GLP-1-based drugs are expected to significantly improve health. ”
Quarraisha Abdool Karim and Salim S. Abdool Karim receive the Lasker Award for Public Service. Image source: Lasker Awards official website
The 2024 Lasker Awards for Public Service were awarded to Quarraisha Abdool Karim of the South Africa AIDS Research Center/United States Colombia University and Salim S. Abdool Karim of the South Africa AIDS Research Center/Colombia University for "shedding light on the main drivers of heterosexual transmission of HIV; prevention and treatment of HIV; Leadership in public health policy and advocacy. ”
"Abdool Karims has influenced AIDS programs around the world and they have played a key role in developing science in South Africa. Throughout their careers, they have championed science and its potential to benefit the citizens of the world. Growing up under apartheid in South Africa, they understand how social inequality undermines health, education, and quality of life. Discrimination and segregation limit their educational options, and they also recognize the wider implications. In order to correct their mistakes, they have been effectively practicing professional progressivism. The award citation reads.