The Lasker Foundation works to accelerate support for medical research through recognition of scientific excellence, education and advocacy.

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It’s #NationalAudiologyAwarenessMonth, which aims to increase public awareness of hearing loss, protection, and diagnosis and treatment. In 2013, three scientists—Graeme M. Clark, Ingeborg Hochmair, and Blake S. Wilson—received a Clinical Medical Research Lasker Award for the development of the modern cochlear implant. This device has transformed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people with profound deafness. laskerfoundation.org/winners…
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A bit late on this, but Masashi’s work in Orexin is profound. UTSW has 3 Lasker in a row. Couldn’t be more proud of my alma mater
🏆 Congratulations to this year’s #LaskerAward winners! Basic: Emmanuel Mignot & Masashi Yanagisawa Clinical: Kunihiro Hattori, Tomoyuki Igawa & Takehisa Kitazawa Public Service: Michael J. Fox Laskerfoundation.org #Lasker2026 #LaskerLaureate
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Dieter Oesterhelt, Peter Hegemann, and Karl Deisseroth received a 2021 Lasker Award for the discovery of light-sensitive microbial proteins that can activate or silence individual brain cells and for their use in developing optogenetics—a revolutionary technique for neuroscience. 🎞️ Watch to see how optogenetics, which also won Hegemann (@Stanford, @hhmi_science) and Deisseroth (@HumboldtUni) the 2026 #NobelPrize in Physiology or Medicine, works. piped.video/watch?v=23_3yXhv…
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What happens when a researcher dedicates eight years to chasing one scientific mystery? 2010 Basic Medical Research Lasker Award recipient Jeffrey Friedman reflects on his quest to identify leptin—and shares what he learned about the scientific process along the way. 💡 Listen in our October newsletter. laskerfoundation.org/october…
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#LaskerLaureate Takehisa Kitazawa says he has “encountered multiple drug discovery challenges” throughout his career. But failure, he reminds us in his 2026 Clinical Medical Research Award acceptance speech, is a necessary step toward success. #Lasker2026
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It's not too late to join @A_P_S_A on November 14 and 15 for #SEMSS2026 at @EmoryUniversity School of Medicine in Atlanta! 💡SEMSS brings together MD/PhD and physician-scientist trainees from across the Southeast to share research, build community, and engage with leaders in academic medicine and biomedical science. Learn more and register by November 7: southeasternmdphd.org
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Today is #WorldPolioDay. Did you know that four Lasker Laureates played a role in the eradication of polio in the 1950s and 60s? In 1954, John F. Enders won a Basic Medical Research Lasker Award for the cultivation of the poliomyelitis, mumps, and measles viruses. Two years later, Jonas E. Salk won a Clinical Medical Research Lasker Award for developing a safe and effective injectable vaccine against poliomyelitis. In 1958, Basil O’Connor received a Public Service Lasker Award for extraordinary administrative leadership in the eradication of poliomyelitis. Then, in 1965, Albert B. Sabin became a Lasker Laureate for the development of a live, oral polio-virus vaccine, which was administered to 350 million people worldwide and played a critical role in quickly controlling epidemics.
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Walsh McDermott was born #OTD in 1909. McDermott received a Clinical Medical Research Lasker Award in 1955 for establishing the efficacy of isoniazid drugs in the treatment of tuberculosis: ow.ly/n8cK50KHbF8
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C. Walton Lillehei of @UMNews was born #OTD. Lillehei was recognized with a 1955 Clinical Medical Research Lasker Award for advances in open-heart surgery. He and his co-recipients showed that the oxygen requirements of the body are significantly less than researchers previously believed, and that the requirements of the heart are dramatically reduced when relieved of its pumping duties: ow.ly/mp8P50KHbxT
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Three days left to submit your abstract! 🤩 The AAP/ @the_asci / @A_P_S_A 2027 Joint Meeting will take place from April 9-11 in Chicago, Illinois. Submit and apply for travel awards by Monday, October 26: ow.ly/wSxi50ZVrJV
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First, they joined forces to prove that hormones from the hypothalamus control the pituitary gland. Then they became implacable scientific enemies. Meet the Lasker Laureates behind this remarkable rivalry—and the research that revealed how hormones influence human physiology in often unexpected ways. 📬 Check out the October newsletter: ow.ly/BpQr50ZXQ7P
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Michael J. Berridge of @TrinityCollege was born #OTD. He received a Basic Medical Research Lasker Award in 1989 for revealing how inositol triphosphate, a second messenger molecule, governs intracellular calcium levels and orchestrates major cellular activities: ow.ly/TnrR50KHbo1 💡Learn about the work of Lasker Awards winners, including Berridge, who deciphered cell signaling mechanisms. ow.ly/ijy250PYMWC
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George Wells Beadle of @Caltech was born #OTD in 1903. Beadle received a Basic Medical Research Lasker Award in 1950 and a #NobelPrize in 1958 for his contributions to the understanding of the genetic control of metabolic processes. Find out more: ow.ly/QNwz50KHbkp
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How do fundamental discoveries lead to breakthrough applications? 🤔 🎥 In this episode of "We Ask a Scientist," several researchers, including cardiologist Elizabeth Nabel and 2021 Lasker Laureate and 2026 #NobelPrize recipient @KarlDeisseroth, discuss the importance of both basic and applied science. piped.video/watch?v=cLFSOMC9…
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The discovery of a single hormone vastly changed the landscape of obesity research. In 2010, Jeffrey Friedman received the Basic Medical Research Lasker Award for discovering leptin, a hormone that regulates appetite and body weight. This breakthrough opened new avenues for investigating obesity at the molecular level. 🎧 In the October newsletter, join us for an interview with Friedman—and read about other Lasker Laureates who identified hormones and uncovered how they exert their effects. laskerfoundation.org/october…
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Oswald Avery of @RockefellerInst was born #OTD in 1877. 🦠 Avery was recognized with a Lasker Award in 1947 for characterizing the immunological and pathogenic properties of pneumococcus bacteria. He is considered to be one of the founders of immunochemistry: ow.ly/whfY50KHbax
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Don C. Wiley of @Harvard was born #OTD in 1944. Wiley received a Basic Medical Research Lasker Award in 1995 for visualizing the 3-D structures of MHC class I and class II proteins and their complexes with antigens and superantigens. Learn more about this work: ow.ly/9ncT50KHbgF
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Tiny chemical messengers, enormous impact. Hormones help regulate a wide range of vital life processes. Meet the Lasker Laureates whose discoveries have deepened our understanding of how hormones work. Explore the feature in our October newsletter: ow.ly/LFH350ZXMw3
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