2013 Canada Gairdner Awards
Since 1959, the Canada Gairdner Awards recognize and reward the achievements of medical researchers whose work contributes significantly to improving the quality of human life. Among the world’s most esteemed medical research prizes, the awards distinguish Canada as a leader in science and provide a $100,000 prize to each scientist for their work.
Four U.S. scientists are among this year’s winners:
Harvey J. Alter, MD and Daniel W. Bradley, PhD received the Canada Gairdner International Award for their contributions to the discovery and isolation of the hepatitis C virus. Dr. Alter is a senior investigator and Chief Infectious Diseases Section and associate director for research, Department of Transfusion Medicine at the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Bradley is a consultant for infectious diseases viral hepatitis at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- Stephen Joseph Elledge, PhD, received the Canada Gairdner International Award for his work in DNA repair. Dr. Elledge is a Gregor Mendel Professor of Genetics and Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Continue reading →
Eli Lilly SVP on Research Hurdles and Drug Development
Bart Peterson, JD, Senior Vice President for Corporate Affairs and Communications at Eli Lilly, and the keynote speaker of the Research!America’s National Research Health Forum talked with Medscape about the future of research and drug development, and whether cooperation between industry and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) can ever truly exist. To see the interview, click here.
Heroes for scientific knowledge
By Benjamin Caballero MS, PhD Candidate, Department of Developmental and Molecular Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Although science is perceived to have a fundamental role in addressing major problems of modern society — from climate change to global healthcare — the persistent dwindling of its funding by government agencies is a global trend. It seems that the betterment of humankind is in jeopardy if this trend continues. But who is responsible for this? And more importantly, how can it be changed?
During the “Research Matters Communications Workshop for Early Career Scientists” at the George Washington University (GW) on October 9 organized by Research!America, Elsevier, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Society for Neuroscience and GW, this was among many questions sought to be answered. Nearly 100 scientists in different career stages felt that it was us, scientists, responsible for why science is poorly understood by general audiences, hence it is not a priority when decisions to fund it are made by elected officials. Scientists need to understand that the work performed cannot stay in laboratories. We need to cogently communicate our research, its importance and the implications that could have in the future to a broad public. We need to engage ourselves with society, advocacy and public outreach to explain why basic research is essential for the health and economic prosperity of every man, woman and child. This will be the first crucial step for science to become more engaged in the public agenda and away from the ivory tower. Continue reading →
Research!America President and CEO Mary Woolley on Al Jazeera America News Network, October 18, 2013
Big Loss for Science
Science and Medical Research Impacted by Government Shutdown
Last Friday, Research!America President and CEO Mary Woolley was interviewed by Al Jazeera America television news network on the effects of the government shutdown on science and medical research. “Science is 24/7. The government was shutdown but Alzheimer’s was not shutdown, cancer wasn’t, diabetes wasn’t.”
When asked about the biggest problem about the shutdown for science, Woolley said, “I think it was this dispiriting message that science isn’t prioritized anymore.”
Watch the full interview here.
Life According to Sam
Next Monday, October 21 at 9:00 pm EST, HBO will debut LIFE ACCORDING TO SAM, the story of Sam Berns, a young boy with an extremely rare and highly-rapid aging disease called Progeria, and his family’s 13-year fight to find a cure.
This film tells a story not only about the love of physician parents trying to save their son – it also portrays a winding journey throughout the scientific process and the pivotal role that medical innovation plays in our lives. In the film we see children with Progeria gather in Boston from around the world – all expected to live no longer than 13 years – to receive treatment and participate in a first-of-its-kind clinical trial.
The film’s Oscar®-winning Directors Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine have earned multiple awards for LIFE ACCORDING TO SAM, winning the “Best of Fest” at the AFI Docs Festival in Washington, DC; the Audience Award at the Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard Film Festivals the Best Storytelling Award at Nantucket and Best Feature Documentary at the Woods Hole and Rhode Island International Film Festivals.
The Progeria Research Foundation, a Research!America member, is leading the fight to find better treatments – and ultimately the cure – for Progeria, the rare and fatal “rapid aging” disease affecting children around the world.
You can learn more online, visit their Facebook page and follow them on Twitter.
Research Matters Communications Workshop for Early-Career Scientists: October 9, 2013
Research!America’s science communications event, “Research Matters Communications Workshop: Promoting Basic Research in a New Age of Communications: Challenges and Opportunities,” was held October 9 at the Marvin Center on the campus of the George Washington University in Washington, DC.
GWU’s vice president for research, Leo Chalupa, PhD (pictured at right), opened the day with remarks that implored the nearly 100 young scientists in attendance to think about their families when they communicate.
“Act like your Aunt Harriet is in the audience,” Chalupa said; his welcoming remarks indeed laid the groundwork for the workshop, as Aunt Harriet would be referenced frequently throughout the morning.
Research!America President and CEO Mary Woolley followed with an introduction of the plenary speaker; Woolley also hit on a theme that is especially relevant this week. She recalled the story of 2000 Nobel Prize winner Paul Greengard, PhD and his sister, Chris Chase. In an op-ed in The New York Times a few days after Greengard’s win, Chase lamented that she never fully understood the research her brother had undertaken. Upon winning, however, she read news accounts that explained his work as determining how brain cells communicate; this work could one day impact Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease.
“I’m thrilled he won,” Chase wrote, and Woolley recounted. “Now I know what he does.”
That segued into the plenary session from Christie Nicholson, a lecturer at the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook University. Nicholson (pictured below) began the session by reminding the audience that effective communication isn’t just necessary when dealing with the public; because science has become so specialized, researchers sometimes can’t understand what their own colleagues are saying.
Nicholson explained that it’s important to tell a story. But before you can begin to craft a story, she said it’s critical to not only understand the goal you’re trying to achieve, but also to understand your audience. And to do that, one must know what the audience knows, what the audience cares about and what motivates them. Continue reading →
Statement by Research!America President and CEO Mary Woolley on Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
Statement by Research!America President and CEO Mary Woolley on Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
October 7, 2013
Research!America salutes this year’s Nobel Prize winners in physiology or medicine, Drs. James Rothman of Yale University; Randy Schekman of the University of California, Berkeley; and Thomas Sudhof of Stanford University. Their transformative research into the cell transport system has unleashed opportunities to develop medicines for the treatment of diseases such as diabetes, epilepsy and other metabolism deficiencies that afflict millions of Americans. The winners, whose research was partly funded by the National Institutes of Health, laid the groundwork for research into how brain cells communicate and the inner-workings of other cells that release hormones. This type of federally funded basic research has spurred the expansion of our nation’s biotech industry, which plays an important role in advancing medical progress and stimulating the economy. The awardees exemplify the spirit of innovation sorely needed to inspire the next generation of Nobel laureates. The Howard Hughes Medical Institute, a Research!America member, also deserves recognition for supporting the work of HHMI investigators Drs. Schekman and Sudhof.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month
It’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month! Although many great strides in new treatments and therapies for breast cancer have been made, patients and their families are still waiting desperately for a cure. According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer is the most common cancer among American women, except for skin cancers. About 1 in 8 women in the U.S. will develop invasive breast cancer during their lifetime.
This month, organizations will raise awareness and funding for breast cancer, and it’s important that we continue advocating to policy makers, media and the public about the importance of funding research at the level of scientific opportunity. Throughout October, please visit Research!America members American Cancer Society and American Association for Cancer Research to learn more about preventative care, new research and ways you can help make a difference in the fight against cancer.
Now is the time to tell Congress that we need #curesnotcuts; we need access to quality breast cancer screenings, diagnostic services and treatment, and care for all women. Speak up for breast cancer research!
