Joel Habener, HMS professor of medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, has been named to receive the 2024 Tang Prize in Biopharmaceutical Science.
Habener and co-recipients Svetlana Mojsov of the Rockefeller University and Jens Juul Holst of the University of Copenhagen are being recognized for the discovery of GLP-1 (7-37) as an insulinotropic factor and the development of GLP-1 (7-37)-based anti-diabetic and anti-obesity drugs.
GLP-1 (7-37) – or Glucagon-like peptide-1 (7-37) – is a bioactive hormone with anti-diabetes and anti-obesity functions. GLP-1-based therapeutics have begun being used to treat obesity and diabetes, already benefiting hundreds of millions of users. This translation of basic research into pharmaceutical success has had major impacts on human health.
Habener and his co-recipients will be formally honored at a ceremony in Taiwan in September.
Adapted from Tang Prize press materials.
Two HMS faculty members have been elected to the American Philosophical Society (APS). Election to the APS honors extraordinary accomplishments in a wide variety of academic disciplines.
The two new members from HMS are:
William Kaelin, the HMS Sidney Farber Professor of Medicine at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Christine Seidman, the HMS Thomas W. Smith Professor of Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
Founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1743, the APS is the oldest learned society in the United States. Since 1900, over 270 members have received the Nobel Prize.
Adapted from American Philosophical Society press materials.
Stuart Orkin, the HMS David G. Nathan Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital, has been honored with the Shaw Prize in Life Science and Medicine for his pioneering work discovering the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying the switch from fetal to adult hemoglobin. Orkin shares the prize with Swee Lay Thein of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Established in 2002 by philanthropist Run Run Shaw, the Shaw Prize honors individuals who have made outstanding contributions in academic and scientific research or applications.
Orkin’s discoveries made possible the world’s first FDA-approved therapy using CRISPR/Cas9. The therapy is intended to treat patients with sickle cell anemia and β thalassemia, debilitating blood disorders affecting millions worldwide.
“Receiving the Shaw Prize is an honor and a testament to the dedication of countless researchers who have contributed to our understanding of hemoglobin regulation over the years,” said Orkin.
Adapted from Boston Children’s Hospital press materials.
Michael Charness, HMS professor of neurology at Brigham and Women's Hospital and chief of staff for the VA Boston Healthcare System, has received the Veterans Health Administration’s Wolcott Award for Excellence in Clinical Care Leadership. Established in 1996, this award recognizes outstanding Veterans Health Administration (VHA) health care practitioners deserving special recognition for their contributions in enhancing clinical care. The award was named after Mark Wolcott, who dedicated more than 40 years of his life to serving and improving the quality of health care for VHA’s veteran population.
Charness was presented with a plaque and a $5,000 award at the VHA Governance Board meeting in Washington, D.C., in May.
Adapted from Veterans Health Administration press materials.
