Dear Members of the HMS and HSDM Community:
I am delighted to share that Timothy Springer has been named a co-recipient of the 2022 Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award. Tim is being recognized for his work elucidating the role of a class of proteins known as integrins, which physically and biochemically connect cells with one another and with their surrounding environment.
The Latham Family Professor of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology at HMS and Boston Children’s Hospital, Tim shares the award with Richard Hynes of MIT and Erkki Ruoslahti of Sanford Burnham Prebys in California. Together, their work launched the field of integrin research, which has yielded impressive new treatments for a range of autoimmune disorders.
Tim’s work on integrins is just one chapter in the story of his prolific career. His findings have influenced disciplines as far-ranging as immunology, hematology, and infectious diseases, and both his fundamental discoveries and his business ventures have led to the development of FDA-approved autoimmune and cancer drugs. His curiosity-based investigations into the structures of proteins could also pave the way for designing new malaria vaccines — an elegant demonstration of the power of translational science to transform fundamental discoveries into advances that impact disease and benefit humanity.
In addition, Tim co-founded the Institute for Protein Innovation, a nonprofit that provides academia and industry with synthetic antibodies and deep expertise in proteins. Its goal is twofold: accelerate antibody science toward the discovery of new drugs and mentor young scientist-entrepreneurs.
After completing his PhD in molecular biology and biochemistry at Harvard in 1976, and a one-year fellowship in the lab of Nobel laureate César Milstein in Cambridge, England, Tim joined the HMS faculty in 1977. He has been a cherished member of the HMS community for nearly 50 years, and I am incredibly honored to have this opportunity to publicly acknowledge his brilliance, tenacity, and commitment to the alleviation of human suffering.
Please join me in congratulating Tim, Richard, and Erkki for receiving one of the highest honors in biomedical science. Their moment in the spotlight is well-deserved.
Sincerely,
George Q. Daley
Dean of the Faculty of Medicine
Harvard University