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.
Statement from Research!America President and CEO Mary Woolley on Nobel Prize Announcements
October 10, 2012
We congratulate Dr. Robert Lefkowitz and Dr. Brian Kobilka on the announcement of the Nobel Prize in chemistry for their groundbreaking work on protein receptors, paving the way for the development of new drugs to halt the rampage of disease. Patients benefit from unwavering commitment to putting research to work. Lefkowitz, an investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and professor at Duke University Medical Center, and Kobilka of Stanford University School of Medicine, have demonstrated that scientific discovery is the result of painstaking work supported by both the public and private sector. Throughout their careers, both have received government funding for various studies that have culminated in this remarkable achievement. This is an apt illustration of the value of sustained public investment in science. Dr. Shinya Yamanaka of Gladstone Institutes, one of the winners of the Nobel Prize for medicine and physiology, was also supported by the National Institutes of Health. This week’s winners are among the many Nobel laureates whose incredible work was made possible by support from the American taxpayer. We must continue to assure our nation’s leadership in scientific discovery with a strong investment in research and innovation.