The Lurie Prize in Biomedical Sciences recognizes outstanding achievement by a promising young scientist (52 or younger) in biomedical research.
It is worth $100,000, and awarded annually by the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health. Prizewinners are selected, by a jury of six distinguished biomedical researchers, from a list of nominations.
This year, for the first time ever, the two winners are both leaders in research on mitochondrial disease, Drs. Navdeep Chandel of Northwestern University and Vamsi Mootha of Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Harvard Medical School.
It is thrilling to see mitochondrial research recognized at the highest levels in biomedicine!
From the press release:
https://fnih.org/press-release/the-fnih-awards-2023-lurie-prize-in-biomedical-sciences-to-navdeep-s-chandel-ph-d-and-vamsi-mootha-m-d/
“Navdeep S. Chandel, Ph.D., of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and Vamsi Mootha, M.D., of Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Harvard Medical School, as recipients of the 2023 Lurie Prize in Biomedical Sciences. Each has made important and distinct discoveries in the field of mitochondrial science by exploring the characteristics and functions of mitochondria in human physiology and disease.
“Each of this year’s Lurie Prize recipients are breaking new ground in mitochondrial research,” said Dr. Julie Gerberding, President and CEO of the FNIH. “Drs. Chandel and Mootha embody the innovative spirit of the Lurie Prize as they advance our understanding of the many roles these complex structures play in health and disease.”
Dr. Navdeep Chandel is the David W. Cugell Professor of Medicine, Biochemistry, and Molecular Genetics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. The Chandel research team has shown that mitochondria do much more than supply energy to cells. His research team has revealed how mitochondria function as signaling organelles that control the body’s normal functions and impact diseases, including cancer and inflammation.
“Mitochondrial signals are critical regulators and unraveling their complex functions could advance the design of new therapies,” said Dr. Chandel. “Receiving the Lurie Prize honors the entire past and present Chandel Lab. It is a celebration of my mentors, collaborators, and my mentees and a recognition of the importance of progress in the mitochondrial field.”
Dr. Vamsi Mootha is an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, investigator in the Department of Molecular Biology at Massachusetts General Hospital, a member of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, and a professor of Systems Biology and Medicine at Harvard Medical School. His laboratory team combines genomics and computation with classic biochemistry and physiology to gain a holistic view of the genes and proteins relevant to mitochondrial function. Although mitochondria contain their own DNA that encodes just 13 proteins, the Mootha research team has identified the other 99% of mitochondrial proteins encoded by nuclear DNA and compiled their findings in a widely used reference tool used to discover new protein functions and disease genes.
“I’ve dedicated much of my research career to treating these organelles as a ‘system,’ trying to define all of their individual components, how they operate together, and uncovering what happens when they are disrupted,” said Dr. Mootha. “I am deeply humbled to receive the Lurie Prize. I have been lucky to assemble an amazing group of multidisciplinary researchers who work in synergy to impact science and medicine. This award really honors the contributions of past and present lab members.”
The Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) is a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) charitable organization established by the US Congress in 1990. Located in North Bethesda, MD, the FNIH raises private-sector funds, and creates and manages alliances with public and private institutions in support of the mission of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
