Newswise — On Monday, April 11, The Biotechnology Study Center of NYU School of Medicine will hold its annual awards symposium to honor three outstanding pioneers in molecular biology, biotechnology and translational medicine at its annual awards symposium. The Dart/NYU Biotechnology Achievement Awards recognize the role of pure science in the development of pharmaceuticals, and particularly honor those scientists whose work has led to major advances at the bedside. A traditional Steuben glass sculpture and honorarium accompanies each award.
The 2005 awards will be given to Richard A. Lerner, M.D., a pioneer in the field of catalytic antibodies; Philip Needleman, Ph.D., who pioneered the use of novel anti-inflammatory compounds in clinical medicine; and Stuart F. Schlossman, M.D., who conducted seminal studies in the field of immunology that served as the basis for several monoclonal antibodies now used to treat disease.
These distinguished medical researchers will receive their awards at a ceremony to be held at 4:00 p.m. in Schwartz Lecture Hall F at NYU School of Medicine. Dr. Gerald Weissmann, Director of the Biotechnology Study Center, will chair the symposium, which will feature presentations by each of the awardees.
The ceremony will be followed by a public reception in the Faculty Dining Room. Since last year, the awards have been aided by a generous grant from Dart Neurosciences LLP and are awarded on behalf of the Fellows of the Center.
The Award Recipients
Richard A. Lerner is one of the world's experts in the field of catalytic antibodies, which is based on understanding the binding energy of proteins and how that energy can be used to facilitate chemical transformations. In short, he has plumbed "nature's own combinatorial library" to employ antibodies as enzymes. Based on analyses of structural biochemistry and mechanistic enzymology, Dr. Lerner's research has yielded novel antibodies that function as catalysts. These new catalysts often employ reaction mechanisms similar to those involved in natural enzymes. Some reactions are not promoted by any known enzyme; others cannot proceed at all without the antibody. This line of investigation led to the novel discovery that ozone, a metabolic product of inflammation, may play a role in atherosclerosis and Alzheimer's disease. Dr. Lerner is Professor of Immunochemistry, Chair in Chemistry, and President of Scripps Research Institute, based in La Jolla, CA. Scripps is a large private, non-profit research organization.
Philip Needleman is widely recognized for his pioneering studies on the role of Cox 1 and Cox 2 enzymes in inflammation, cardiovascular and renal disease, and in tumor progression. He and his research team were responsible for the basic research on Cox-2 enzyme inhibitors that led to the development of Celebrex®, which reduces the symptoms associated with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Dr. Needleman also developed the first angiotensin receptor antagonist, the first thromboxane synthetase inhibitor, and he discovered atriopeptin, the atrial natriuretic factor, a novel endocrine peptide that permits the heart to communicate with the kidneys and blood vessels. Dr. Needleman has held positions in industry and academia. He was Chief Scientific Officer and Senior Executive Vice President of Pharmacia from 2000 to 2003, and Senior Vice President of Monsanto and President of Searle Research and Development in the 1990s. Prior to joining the pharmaceutical industry, he had a long tenure at Washington University School of Medicine where he served as Professor and Chairman of the Department of Pharmacology. He is now a partner of Prospect Ventures Partners.
Stuart F. Schlossman, an NYU School of Medicine alumnus ('58), is widely recognized as one of the pioneers of molecular immunology. His research has greatly contributed to understanding the human immune response. Using specially designed antibodies, his laboratory was the first to define the CD4 and CD8 subsets of human T cells and the T cell receptor complex, contributing to the elucidation of the structures involved in T cell ontogeny, function and antigen recognition. Monoclonal antibodies now used in the clinic against these and other cell surface antigens on T cells (e.g. against "costimulatory molecules") are based on his discoveries. Dr. Schlossman is the Baruj Benacerraf Professor of Medicine, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School.
Previous winners
This is the fifth year that The Biotechnology Study Center is holding an awards symposium. In previous years, Craig Venter, David Baltimore, Alexander Rich, Eugene Bell, among other notable scientists, were honored. The award also honors members of the NYU School of Medicine community whose achievements have resulted in far-reaching therapeutic advances. Steven Shak, Jan Vilcek and Barry Coller have received the awards in previous years. The previous winners are listed below.
About the Center The Biotechnology Study Center brings together an extraordinary group of biomedical scientists, social scientists, legal experts, and business leaders, who are among the top movers and shakers in their fields. It was established in 2000 by Dr. Weissmann, Professor of Medicine at NYU School of Medicine and Director of the Division of Rheumatology, and Nobel laureates Sir John Vane of the William Harvey Research Institute, and Bengt Samuelsson of the Karolinska Institute, among others. In addition to its other activities, the Center serves as an academic center for the study of biotechnology as a discipline. It also provides an unusually rich resource for advice and expertise in the burgeoning field of biotechnology. The Center also is analyzing how biotechnology can have an impact on public health, and it is already pursuing innovative initiatives that could bring desperately needed experimental drugs into the clinic for the benefit of underdeveloped countries and underserved areas of developed countries. A list of the Center's Fellows can be obtained by calling the Public Affairs Office at NYU School of Medicine.
RSS