NOV. 15, 2016
Nancy Wexler’s journey to find the gene that causes Huntington’s disease began in 1968 when her mother was diagnosed with the condition. It took years of fundraising, collaboration, and conferences, and months spent in the stilt villages of Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela collecting samples, to find the answer.
NOV. 15, 2016
Robert Tjian, the former president of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, discusses whether it’s better to fund people or projects, how to encourage collaboration, and what questions in biology excite him most today.
NOV. 14, 2016
Senator Mark Hatfield received the Albert Lasker Public Service Award for his enduring leadership in support of biomedical research.
2016 Fall
Join the discussion about science funding. We explore the role of science philanthropy and government in funding basic research, talk to former HHMI president Robert Tijan about funding people versus projects, and learn how Lasker Laureate Nancy Wexler persevered in her hunt for the Huntington’s gene before there was funding for that type of research.
APRIL 28, 2016
Newsletter Spring 2016. The 2009 Lasker~DeBakey Clinical Mecical Research Award winners developed one of the first successful targeted molecular therapy drugs that converted chronic myeloid leukemia from a fatal cancer to a manageable chronic condition. What lessons can be learned from that exemplary academia-industry partnership?
APRIL 28, 2016
Newsletter Spring 2016. In 1982, five scientists received the Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award for work that revolutionized our understanding of cancer. Read an excerpt from J. Michael Bishop's inspirational — and revealing — acceptance speech.
APRIL 28, 2016
Newsletter Spring 2016. David Hill shares with Lasker what inspired him to pursue a career in the field of human microbiome, how he prepared for the essay contest, and how he envisions his future as a young scientist.
APRIL 28, 2016
Newsletter Spring 2016. The president of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute — the largest private funder of academic biomedical research in the United States — reflects on what needs to change to better support young scientists and on why, despite tight funding, we need more PhDs.
APRIL 28, 2016
Newsletter Spring 2016. One of the monumental achievements of Mary Lasker’s advocacy in support of biomedical research was the signing of the National Cancer Act in 1971. What has been accomplished in cancer research since then, and how will the National Cancer Moonshot build on its legacy?
2016 Spring
Read about the evolution of cancer research, why we need more PhDs, and check-in with our 2015 Lasker Essay Contest winner.
