Vilcek prizes in biomedical science awarded
The Vilcek Prize in Biomedical Science has been awarded annually since 2006 to an established biomedical scientist whose work has profoundly advanced science over the course of his or her career. Dr. Varshavsky's research on the ubiquitin system led to the discovery of its fundamentally important biological functions in living cells, demonstrating that the regulated protein degradation underlies major physiological processes. Today, the study of ubiquitin has major implications for research into the causes of birth defects, neuro-degenerative syndromes, cancer, and immune disorders. As a pioneer and leader in the field of ubiquitin research who has ushered it into the age of molecular genetics, Dr. Varshavsky has also helped establish this field as one of the most important and "ubiquitous" in biomedical science, a point of convergence for disparate disciplines.
Since 2009, the Vilcek Foundation also awards a Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise to a research scientist who has demonstrated significant creativity and originality in the early stages of his/her career. Dr. Harmit Malik studies genetic conflict, battles raging within a cell's nucleus as genes compete for evolutionary dominance. He uses biochemistry and genomics to study the causes and consequences of these genetic conflicts in yeast, fruit flies and other model organisms. This original and imaginative approach to genetic conflict has led to new ways of examining why humans are susceptible to cancer and other diseases, as well as to the development of a new field called paleovirology – the study of ancient viruses.
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