28 October 2009
Ottawa, Ontario
Prime Minister Stephen Harper today met with five Nobel Laureates in Physiology or Medicine on Parliament Hill as part of the celebrations surrounding the Gairdner Foundation’s 50th anniversary.
“Canadians are delighted to welcome the largest gathering of the world’s most accomplished scientists ever held in our country,” said the Prime Minister. “Scientific collaboration is a hallmark of Canadian society. Our public and private sectors have enjoyed longstanding, productive partnerships. This collaboration has allowed our scientists to excel on the global stage and has attracted the best and brightest researchers from around the world.”
Prime Minister Harper met with Dr. Peter C. Doherty and Dr. Rolf M. Zinkernagel, who were awarded the Nobel Prize in 1996 for the discovery of how the immune system recognizes virus-infected cells; Dr. Craig C. Mello, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2006 jointly with Andrew Z. Fire for the discovery of RNA interference; Dr. Harald zur Hausen, who received one half of the Nobel in 2008 for his work on the discovery of human papilloma viruses; and Dr. Bengt I. Samuelsson, who in 1982 received the Nobel Prize with John R. Vane for their discoveries concerning prostaglandins and related biologically active substances. All of the scientists at today’s event are past recipients of the Gairdner Foundation’s annual awards in biomedical science.
“The dedication and scientific excellence of each of these individuals is a remarkable accomplishment,” said the Prime Minister. “Thanks to their work, people in Canada and around the world have benefited and the boundaries of science and medicine have expanded.”
The Government of Canada provided the Gairdner Foundation with a $20-million endowment in 2008 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Gairdner International Awards and to promote exceptional achievements in health research. This endowment allowed the Foundation to raise the value of Gairdner prizes – already seen as some of the world’s most prestigious in biomedical science – and to add a prize for global health research. In recognition of this significant investment, the Foundation has renamed its awards the Canada Gairdner International Awards.
Peter C. Doherty and Rolf M. Zinkernagel – The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1996
John Curtin School of Medical Research
Canberra, Australia
Peter Doherty and Rolf Zinkernagel were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discovery of how the immune system recognizes virus-infected cells. Their discovery has laid a foundation for an understanding of general mechanisms used by the cellular immune system to recognize both foreign microorganisms and self molecules, which is highly relevant to clinical medicine. The discovery relates both to efforts to strengthen the immune response against invading microorganisms and certain forms of cancer, but also to efforts to diminish the effects of autoimmune reactions in inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatic conditions, multiple sclerosis and diabetes.
The two Nobel Laureates carried out the prize-winning research in 1973-75 at the John Curtin School of Medical Research in Canberra, Australia, where Peter Doherty already held a position and where Rolf Zinkernagel came from Switzerland as a research fellow. During their studies of the response of mice to viruses, they found that white blood cells (lymphocytes) must recognize both the virus and certain self molecules – the so-called major histocompatibility antigens – in order to kill the virus-infected cells. This principle of simultaneous recognition of both self and foreign molecules has since then constituted a foundation for the further understanding of the specificity of the cellular immune system.
Craig C. Mello – The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2006
Professor, Molecular Medicine
University of Massachusetts Medical School
Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
Andrew Z. Fire and Craig C. Mello were jointly awarded the 2006 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discovery of a fundamental mechanism for controlling the flow of genetic information – RNA interference. An interference occurs in plants, animals, and humans, helping to regulate gene expression, participating in defense against viral infections and keeping jumping genes under control. RNA interference is already being widely used in basic science as a method to study the function of genes and it may lead to novel therapies in the future.
Craig Mello, born in 1960, is a US citizen and a professor of Molecular Medicine. Since 1994, he has worked within the Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA. He is also a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator. In 1990 he was awarded his PhD in Cellular and Developmental Biology at Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts. Before he moved to the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, he worked at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.
Harald zur Hausen – The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2008
German Cancer Research Centre
Heidelberg, Germany
The 2008 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine awards were for discoveries of two viruses causing severe human diseases. Harald zur Hausen was awarded one half of The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2008 for his discovery of “human papilloma viruses causing cervical cancer.” The other half was awarded jointly to Françoise Barré-Sinoussi and Luc Montagnier for their discovery of human immunodeficiency virus.
Harald zur Hausen went against accepted thought and postulated that oncogenic human papilloma virus (HPV) caused cervical cancer, the second most common cancer among women. He realized that HPV-DNA could exist in a non-productive state in the tumours, and should be detectable by specific searches for viral DNA. He found HPV to be a heterogeneous family of viruses. Only some HPV types cause cancer. His discovery has led to characterization of the natural history of HPV infection, an understanding of mechanisms of HPV-induced carcinogenesis and the development of prophylactic vaccines against HPV acquisition.
Bengt I. Samuelsson – The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1982
Karolinska Institutet
Stockholm, Sweden
Sune K. Bergström, Bengt I. Samuelsson and John R. Vane were jointly awarded the 1982 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discoveries concerning "prostaglandins and related biologically active substances." Bengt Samuelsson has provided a detailed picture of arachidonic acid and prostaglandin metabolism and clarified the chemical processes involved in the formation and breakdown of the various compounds in the system. Samuelsson's discoveries of the endoperoxides, thromboxanes and leukotrienes were crucial for the present understanding of the biological significance of this system.
Biological processes in cells and tissues of living organisms are regulated by a number of mechanisms in order to maintain a steady state, even when large changes occur in the environment. For instance, blood pressure and body temperature normally vary within a very limited range. The organism also has a large capacity to adjust to various needs; for example, the blood flow in each situation is well adjusted to the local need for energy. Prostaglandins and related substances play an essential role in this connection by forming a biological system with important regulatory functions.
