HMS Professor of Genetics George Church has received the Bower Award and Prize for Achievement in Science, one of seven international awards given this year by the Franklin Institute. Church was honored for his contributions to human genomics and synthetic biology.
As founder of the Personal Genome Project, Church is working to make genome sequencing, which can help predict and diagnose disease, more affordable, accessible and useful through research, the development of tools and technologies, and the sharing of genetic information from the program’s thousands of volunteers. In addition, Church, who is also a core faculty member of the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University, has used synthetic biology— the creation of new organisms using artificial DNA—to reengineer bacteria to produce biofuels.
The Bower Award includes a $250,000 prize and will be presented in April. The Franklin Institute awards identify individuals whose work has benefited humanity, advanced science, launched new fields of inquiry and deepened understanding of the universe.
