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Warren Alpert Foundation Prize acknowledges advancements in malaria
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The 2015 Warren Alpert Foundation Prize will be presented to three researchers for their contributions in chemotherapeutic and vaccine-based treatments for malaria, according to a press release.
Ruth S. Nussenzweig, MD, PhD, research professor of pathology, professor emerita of microbiology and pathology, her husband Victor Nussenzweig, MD, PhD, research professor of pathology, professor emeritus of pathology, both at NYU Langone Medical Center, and Youyou Tu, from the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, will share a $500,000 award and be honored at Harvard Medical School on Oct. 1, according to the release.
Tu will be acknowledged for nearly 50 years of malaria research, resulting in the development of artemisinin. Approximately 400 million doses of the drug are administered annually, typically in combination with therapy, according to the release.
Youyou Tu
“When it comes to translation of scientific discovery, this is one of the greatest examples of the century,” Dyann Wirth, PhD, chair of the department of immunology and infectious diseases at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and member of the Alpert Foundation’s scientific advisory prize committee, said in the release.
Tu and colleagues discovered the active ingredient protective against the malaria parasite through examination of plant extracts used to treat fevers. They developed approaches to isolate the agent and assessed its safety in humans through self-administration.
“For me, this award is not only an honor but a responsibility,” Tu said in the release.
The Nussenzweigs will be credited with the development of a malaria vaccine produced by GlaxoSmithKline and slated for FDA approval this year. Previously, Ruth Nussenzweig injected mice with an irradiated parasite to explore immune responses. Through her research, she and her husband discovered a potential target for antibody treatment, CSP, a protein on the parasite’s surface. Further investigation demonstrated the subunits of CSP produce an immune response that prevents binding of infectious molecules in the liver.
“I am profoundly inspired by researchers who see bench-to-bedside as a seamless trajectory, not as isolated silos,” Jeffrey S. Flier, MD, dean of Harvard Medical School, said in the release. “This year we are honoring three scientists who exemplify how the slow and painstaking work of basic biology can mean the difference between life and death for millions of men, women and children.”