Janet Rowley to Receive Japan Prize
January 26, 2012
Janet Davison Rowley, MD, Blum-Riese Distinguished Service Professor of Medicine, Molecular Genetics & Cell Biology and Human Genetics, will share the 2012 Japan Prize for Healthcare and Medical Technology with Brian J. Druker, MD, from the Oregon Health and Science University, and Nicholas B. Lydon, PhD, formerly with Novartis.
Drs. Rowley, Druker and Lydon have been chosen for their respective roles in advancing our understanding of the genetic and molecular basis of cancer that ultimately lead to the development of imatinib (Gleevec), the first precisely targeted anti-cancer drug and one of the most successful targeted cancer therapies to date.
As stated by the Japan Prize Foundation, the three recipients are being celebrated for their “significant contributions to society by achieving momentous scientific and technological breakthroughs in creating and promoting new technologies for medical diagnosis and treatment.”
The Japan Prize is a prestigious international award presented to those whose original and outstanding achievements are scientifically impressive and serve to promote peace and prosperity for all mankind. The Japan Prize Presentation Ceremony will be held in April in the presence of Their Majesties, the Emperor and Empress of Japan, with leaders “from every field of endeavor” in attendance.
Dr. Rowley is a pioneer of translational research; her contributions to identifying chromosomal abnormalities in leukemias and lymphomas have changed the way these diseases are diagnosed and treated. Today, newer techniques can identify the DNA damage within individual cells, offering a much more precise diagnosis of disease and more effective treatments.
Dr. Rowley has received many honors, including the Lasker Award, the National Medal of Science and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. In December, the American Society of Hematology honored Rowley and Druker with its 2011 Ernest Beutler Lecture and Prize for their work on CML. Druker and Lydon received the Lasker Award in 2009.