Researchers of polycystic kidney disease honored with Kaplan International Prize for Advancement

York Pei, MSc, MD, FRCPC, and Bradley Yoder, PhD, were presented with the Lillian Jean Kaplan International Prize for Advancement at the World Congress of Nephrology in Melbourne, Australia, according to a press release from the PKD Foundation.

The Lillian Jean Kaplan International Prize recognizes individuals whose scientific work results in improving the knowledge and treatment of polycystic kidney disease.

“It is my distinct honor to present both Pei and Yoder with the Lillian Jean Kaplan International Prize for their most significant research in the polycystic kidney field. And, we deeply appreciate Mr. Kaplan’s generous commitment in recognizing researchers in their quest to advance treatments for PKD,” Andy Betts, CEO of the PKD Foundation, said in the release. “The pioneering studies of these researchers provide great hope for the future for all PKD patients.”

According to the release, both researchers were awarded $50,000, a sculpture, a citation depicting their work and an opportunity to lecture during the World Congress of Nephrology about their research. Pei, a professor of medicine at the University of Toronto, focused on genetic, genomic, clinical and translational research and has made a significant contribution to advance diagnosis, prognosis and development of novel treatment in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease.

As professor and chair of the department of cell, developmental, and integrative biology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Medical School, Yoder has spent 2 decades focused on understanding the function of the primary cilium in multiple tissues and during development, with a long-standing interest in how loss of cilia function contributes to cyst development in the kidney. His recent research has uncovered roles for primary cilia in regulating innate immune responses following renal injury that accelerates cyst progression.

Reference:

https://pkdcure.org/