Your new post is loading...
The prizes recognized the discoverers of B and T lymphocytes, pioneers in genetic engineering to fight breast cancer, and a nonprofit that helps get vaccines to the world’s poorest children.
Since 1945, the Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation has recognized scientists and physicians who have contributed to fundamental biological discoveries, clinical research and improvements in public health.
This year, the Lasker Awards were given to two researchers who discovered key cells of the immune system, a team that engineered the first antibody for breast cancer treatment and a nonprofit that helps get vaccines to the world’s poorest children. The awards, which were announced Tuesday and will be presented in Manhattan on Sept. 20, carry a prize of $250,000 in each of three categories. They can be a sign of future accolades as well: Eighty-eight Lasker laureates have gone on to receive the Nobel Prize.
Dr. Max D. Cooper and Dr. Jacques Miller
Dr. Max D. Cooper and Dr. Jacques Miller, working independently but building on one another’s findings, pioneered an understanding of how the body fights off germs, identifying two distinct classes of lymphocytes, or white blood cells — B cells and T cells. The two researchers received the Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award, which is given to scientists who exemplify the additive nature of research.
Dr. H. Michael Shepard, Dr. Axel Ullrich and Dr. Dennis J. Slamon
The combined efforts of Dr. H. Michael Shepard and Dr. Axel Ullrich, who were at Genentechwhen they did their research, and Dr. Dennis J. Slamon, an oncologist at the University of California, Los Angeles, resulted in the creation of Herceptin, the first monoclonal antibody therapy for breast cancer. They are the recipients of the Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award. Monoclonal antibodies are proteins produced by B cells that bind to specific invader organisms and abnormal cells. They help the immune system identify and remove abnormal cells, including cancerous ones. In the case of Herceptin, the antibody binds to a protein called HER2 on the surface of breast cancer cells.
GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance
The nonprofit GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, was started in 2000 by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and provides access to childhood vaccines around the world. A public-private partnership, the alliance helps negotiate vaccine prices with manufacturers to allow developing countries to purchase them at cheaper rates. The program has helped strengthen several of the world’s poorest countries’ health systems and substantially increased childhood vaccine coverage.
The nonprofit prices vaccines on a sliding scale. The lowest-income countries pay about 20 cents per dose for each vaccine; as their gross national income increases, they are asked to slowly take on a larger share of the cost.
“The idea behind GAVI was to step in and guarantee a marketplace by consolidating demand from different countries and lowering the risks and costs for manufacturers,” said Seth Berkley, the alliance’s chief executive.
The strategy has paid off. GAVI has helped vaccinate more than 760 million children and save more than 13 million lives in 73 countries, according to Dr. Berkley. Several countries have been able to establish and maintain effective immunization programs. Some have become successful enough that they have been weaned off GAVI’s plan.
