Gregg Semenza, whose discoveries on how cells respond to low oxygen levels could result in treatments for illnesses ranging from cancer to diabetes, is among three researchers to receive the 2016 Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award.
Last month, The Lasker Foundation recognized Semenza, director of the Vascular Biology Program in the Institute for Cell Engineering, along with co-winners William Kaelin Jr. of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Peter Ratcliffe of Oxford University, for the “discovery of essential pathways by which human and animal cells sense and adapt to the presence of oxygen.” They shared an award of $250,000.
Semenza, 60, is best known for his groundbreaking discovery of hypoxia-inducible factor 1, or HIF-1, the protein that switches genes on and off in cells in response to low oxygen levels. This finding, along with his additional work clarifying the molecular mechanisms of oxygen regulation in cells, has far-reaching implications in understanding the impact of low oxygen levels in cancer, diabetes, coronary artery disease and other conditions.
His research paves the way for developing drugs that could kill cancer cells by cutting off the supply of oxygen a tumor needs to grow or could increase the ability of HIF-1 to ensure that tissues affected by such conditions as arterial disease can survive on low oxygen levels.
The Lasker Awards recognize the contributions of scientists, clinicians and public servants who have made major advances in the understanding, diagnosis, treatment, cure or prevention of human disease. They are among the most prestigious awards in science.
A native of New York City, Semenza earned his M.D./Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania and completed his internship and residency in pediatrics at Duke University. He began his career at Johns Hopkins in 1986 with a postdoctoral fellowship in medical genetics.
A member of the McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine and Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, Semenza has authored more than 400 research articles and book chapters, which have been cited more than 100,000 times. He is editor-in-chief of the Journal of Molecular Medicine.
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