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Q&A with the Winner of the 2016 Lasker Essay Contest
JUNE 27, 2017
David Ottenheimer shares with Lasker what inspired him to pursue a career in the field of psychiatric illness, the role of researchers in science communication, and how he sees his future as a young scientist.
Summer 2017 Newsletter
2017 Summer
Get advice on how to succeed in science from three accomplished women in science—Lasker Laureate Elizabeth Neufeld, president emerita of Princeton University Shirley Tilghman, and Lasker/NIH Clinical Research Scholar Beth Kozel. We also talk to the 2016 Lasker Essay Contest winner about his future as a young scientist.
21st-Century Healthcare: Big Data Medicine
APRIL 10, 2017
Precision medicine and systems medicine approaches explore the possibility of integrating big data into medical practice to provide more effective therapies and disease prevention strategies.
Leroy Hood: There Is Going to Be a Fantastic Revolution in Medicine
APRIL 10, 2017
Leroy Hood, Lasker laureate and president and co-founder of the Institute for Systems Biology, discusses how systems medicine could revolutionize current medical care.
Susumu Tonegawa on Heading World-Class Brain Research Institutes
APRIL 10, 2017
Susumu Tonegawa, Lasker laureate, director of the RIKEN Brain Science Institute in Japan, and former director of MIT’s Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, shares his thoughts on what makes the RIKEN Institute special and why collaboration occurs naturally at the Picower Institute.
Lasker Archives: Passion and Optimism in Scientific Research
APRIL 9, 2017
From the archives: Geneticist and Lasker laureate Philip Leder discusses his work on solving the genetic code, why patents are important, and what drives his research.
Spring 2017 Newsletter
2017 Spring
Learn about 21st-century healthcare—precision medicine and systems medicine—and how the Lasker Laureates who discovered the genetic basis of antibody diversity are leading the way. Read exclusive interviews with Leroy Hood, Susumu Tonegawa, and Philip Leder
Catalyst for the National Cancer Act: Mary Lasker
DEC. 15, 2016
From the community: High-School Senior, aspiring scientists and student cancer researcher, Langley Grace Wallace, writes about Mary Lasker's role as a catalyst for the National Cancer Act of 1971 and her impact on the nation's elite scientists.
Enlisting Philanthropies to Invest in Basic Medical Research
NOV. 15, 2016
What is the role of science philanthropy today? How does private investment in science and technology compare to that of the government, and what challenges stand in the way of more support for basic research?
Investing In Projects That Are “a Little Crazy” – Jim and Marilyn Simons on Science Philanthropy
NOV. 15, 2016
Jim and Marilyn Simons talk about establishing and running the Simons Foundation — one of the most dynamic science foundations based in New York — and how they see the role of philanthropy in supporting science.
The Hunt for the Huntington’s Gene: A Conversation with Nancy Wexler
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.
The Last Big Piece of the Biology Puzzle – a Conversation with Robert Tjian
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.
Senator Mark Hatfield: The NIH Is the Cornerstone of Improved Quality of Life in This Nation
NOV. 14, 2016
Senator Mark Hatfield received the Albert Lasker Public Service Award for his enduring leadership in support of biomedical research.
Fall 2016 Newsletter
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.
Advancing Cancer Research from the Lab to Therapies
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?
Lasker Archives: When Cancer Drugs Were Still a Distant Dream
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.
Q&A with David Hill, Winner of 2015 Essay Contest
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.
The Country Needs More PhDs – a Conversation with HHMI’s President Robert Tjian
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.
The Promise of the Cancer Moonshot
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?
Spring 2016 Newsletter
2016 Spring
Read about the evolution of cancer research, why we need more PhDs, and check-in with our 2015 Lasker Essay Contest winner.
