Dr. Paul Janssen Award for Biomedical Research
Encyclopedia
The Dr. Paul Janssen Award for Biomedical Research is given to honor the work of an active scientist in academia, industry or a scientific institute.
, whose legacy as one of the most productive scientists of the 20th century continues to inspire the company’s commitment to finding innovative cures for unmet medical needs. The Dr. Paul Janssen Award includes a $100,000 prize and acknowledges the work of an individual who has made a significant, transformational contribution toward the improvement of human health.
Johnson & Johnson
created the award in 2004 with the following goals:
• To honor the memory of Janssen, his dedication to excellence and his leadership of young scientists
• To promote, recognize and reward passion and creativity in biomedical research
• To underscore Johnson & Johnson
's commitment to scientific excellence in the advancement of healthcare knowledge, while fulfilling its responsibility in the community
, Belgium
, and a physician-scientist who helped save millions of lives through his contribution to the discovery and development of more than 80 medicines. His work was responsible for many breakthroughs in several fields of disease, including pain
management, psychiatry
, infectious disease
and gastroenterology
. In addition, he has more than 100 patents to his name.
The Selection Committee chooses a scientist in basic or clinical research, who:
• Has made a significant contribution to research that has impacted, or has strong potential to impact, human health through the diagnosis, treatment or prevention of disease
• Exhibits the standards of innovation, insight and leadership that Janssen exemplified during his career
• Provides a living example that the study of science and technology can enable or has the potential to enable extended, healthy, productive life
• Displays a set of ethical values consistent with the Johnson & Johnson Credo and those values that guide Johnson & Johnson
The Dr. Paul Janssen Award can be given to a scientist in academia, government, industry, a private research institution or medical or clinical practice. It typically will recognize an individual scientist, but can be shared in circumstances in which the contributions of the nominees are viewed as being of similar importance.
Johnson & Johnson
Craig Mello, Ph.D.
Imperial College London
The Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry in Martinsried near Munich
The Award
The Dr. Paul Janssen Award for Biomedical Research salutes the most passionate and creative scientists of our day. It serves as a tribute to Johnson & Johnson’s own Dr. Paul JanssenPaul Janssen
Paul Adriaan Jan, Baron Janssen was the founder of Janssen Pharmaceutica, a pharmaceutical company with over 20,000 employees. In 2005 he finished as runner up, after Father Damien, in the poll for The Greatest Belgian organized by the regional Flemish television...
, whose legacy as one of the most productive scientists of the 20th century continues to inspire the company’s commitment to finding innovative cures for unmet medical needs. The Dr. Paul Janssen Award includes a $100,000 prize and acknowledges the work of an individual who has made a significant, transformational contribution toward the improvement of human health.
Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson is an American multinational pharmaceutical, medical devices and consumer packaged goods manufacturer founded in 1886. Its common stock is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the company is listed among the Fortune 500....
created the award in 2004 with the following goals:
• To honor the memory of Janssen, his dedication to excellence and his leadership of young scientists
• To promote, recognize and reward passion and creativity in biomedical research
• To underscore Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson is an American multinational pharmaceutical, medical devices and consumer packaged goods manufacturer founded in 1886. Its common stock is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the company is listed among the Fortune 500....
's commitment to scientific excellence in the advancement of healthcare knowledge, while fulfilling its responsibility in the community
Paul Adriaan Jan Janssen (1926 - 2003)
Known to his colleagues as “Dr. Paul,” Janssen was the founder of Janssen Pharmaceutica, N.V., a pharmaceutical research laboratory based in BeerseBeerse
Beerse is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the towns of Beerse proper and Vlimmeren. On 1 January 2006 Beerse had a total population of 16,482. By the end of 2007, this number had risen to 16,757. The total area is 37.48 km² which gives a...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, and a physician-scientist who helped save millions of lives through his contribution to the discovery and development of more than 80 medicines. His work was responsible for many breakthroughs in several fields of disease, including pain
Pain
Pain is an unpleasant sensation often caused by intense or damaging stimuli such as stubbing a toe, burning a finger, putting iodine on a cut, and bumping the "funny bone."...
management, psychiatry
Psychiatry
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the study and treatment of mental disorders. These mental disorders include various affective, behavioural, cognitive and perceptual abnormalities...
, infectious disease
Infectious disease
Infectious diseases, also known as communicable diseases, contagious diseases or transmissible diseases comprise clinically evident illness resulting from the infection, presence and growth of pathogenic biological agents in an individual host organism...
and gastroenterology
Gastroenterology
Gastroenterology is the branch of medicine whereby the digestive system and its disorders are studied. The name is a combination of three Ancient Greek words gaster , enteron , and logos...
. In addition, he has more than 100 patents to his name.
The Selection Process
The Dr. Paul Janssen Award recipients are selected by an independent committee of internationally renowned scientists from leading academic and scientific institutions, whose own research contributions have resulted in critical advances in improving human health. The 2010 Selection Committee includes past Nobel Laureates, members of the National Academy of Sciences and previous winners of The Dr. Paul Janssen Award.The Selection Committee chooses a scientist in basic or clinical research, who:
• Has made a significant contribution to research that has impacted, or has strong potential to impact, human health through the diagnosis, treatment or prevention of disease
• Exhibits the standards of innovation, insight and leadership that Janssen exemplified during his career
• Provides a living example that the study of science and technology can enable or has the potential to enable extended, healthy, productive life
• Displays a set of ethical values consistent with the Johnson & Johnson Credo and those values that guide Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson is an American multinational pharmaceutical, medical devices and consumer packaged goods manufacturer founded in 1886. Its common stock is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the company is listed among the Fortune 500....
The Dr. Paul Janssen Award can be given to a scientist in academia, government, industry, a private research institution or medical or clinical practice. It typically will recognize an individual scientist, but can be shared in circumstances in which the contributions of the nominees are viewed as being of similar importance.
Previous Recipients
- 2006
In September 2006, Craig C. MelloCraig MelloCraig Cameron Mello is a Portuguese-American biologist and Professor of Molecular Medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, Massachusetts. He was awarded the 2006 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine, along with Andrew Z. Fire, for the discovery of RNA interference...
, a professor of Molecular Medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical SchoolUniversity of Massachusetts Medical SchoolThe University of Massachusetts Medical School is one of five campuses of the University of Massachusetts system and is home to three schools: the School of Medicine, the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, the Graduate School of Nursing; a biomedical research enterprise; and a range of...
, WorcesterWorcester, MassachusettsWorcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
, MAMassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, and an investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical InstituteHoward Hughes Medical InstituteHoward Hughes Medical Institute is a United States non-profit medical research organization based in Chevy Chase, Maryland. It was founded by the American businessman Howard Hughes in 1953. It is one of the largest private funding organizations for biological and medical research in the United...
, was named the inaugural recipient of The Dr. Paul Janssen Award. Mello was selected for his role in the discovery of RNA interferenceRNA interferenceRNA interference is a process within living cells that moderates the activity of their genes. Historically, it was known by other names, including co-suppression, post transcriptional gene silencing , and quelling. Only after these apparently unrelated processes were fully understood did it become...
(RNAi) and the elucidation of its biological functions
- 2008
Professor Marc FeldmannMarc FeldmannSir Marc Feldmann is an Australian immunologist, and a professor at the Imperial College School of Medicine where he is a head of the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology.-Biography:...
, FMedSci, FAA, FRS and Emeritus Professor Sir Ravinder N. MainiRavinder N. MainiSir Ravinder Nath Maini is rheumatology professor at the Kennedy Institute, part of Imperial College London. Maini was born in Ludhiana in the Punjab region of India but has lived most of his life in the UK...
, FRCP, FMedSci, FRS of The Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, Imperial College LondonImperial College LondonImperial College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom, specialising in science, engineering, business and medicine...
, received the 2008 Dr. Paul Janssen Award for their role in the discovery of tumor necrosis factor-alpha, or TNF-alpha, as an effective therapeutic target for rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases.
- 2009
Axel UllrichAxel UllrichAxel Ullrich in is a German cancer researcher and has been the Director of the Molecular biology dept. at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry in Martinsried, Germany since 1988. This deptartment's research has primarily focused on signal transduction...
, Ph.D., director of the Department of Molecular Biology, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry in Germany, received the 2009 Dr. Paul Janssen Award for his pioneering work in applying molecular biologyMolecular biologyMolecular biology is the branch of biology that deals with the molecular basis of biological activity. This field overlaps with other areas of biology and chemistry, particularly genetics and biochemistry...
and molecular cloningMolecular cloningMolecular cloning refers to a set of experimental methods in molecular biology that are used to assemble recombinant DNA molecules and to direct their replication within host organisms...
to the discovery of protein therapeutics for the treatment of a wide range of diseases, including diabetes and cancer. Basic research in Ullrich’s laboratory led to the characterization of several medically relevant receptors of the tyrosine kinaseKinaseIn chemistry and biochemistry, a kinase is a type of enzyme that transfers phosphate groups from high-energy donor molecules, such as ATP, to specific substrates, a process referred to as phosphorylation. Kinases are part of the larger family of phosphotransferases...
family, including receptors for epidermal growth factor and vascular endothelial growth factor. He demonstrated that these receptors are critically involved in human cancerCancerCancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
and developed therapeutics based on these discoveries.
- 2010
Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious DiseasesNational Institute of Allergy and Infectious DiseasesThe National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases is one of the 27 institutes and centers that make up the National Institutes of Health , an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services...
(NIAID) and Erik De Clercq, M.D., Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Rega Institute for Medical ResearchRega Institute for Medical ResearchThe Rega Institute for Medical Research is a Belgian scientific establishment that is part of the Catholic University of Leuven in central Belgium...
were awarded the 2010 Dr. Paul Janssen Award. Dr. Fauci received the award for his pioneering contributions to basic and clinical research in the areas of AIDSAIDSAcquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
and other immunodeficiencies, both as a scientist and through his service as the Director of the NIAID. Dr. De Clercq was recognized for his landmark discoveries in anti-HIV medications, including nucleotide analogues, and inventions or co-inventions of several approved drugs for anti-viral therapy.
- 2011
Napoleone FerraraNapoleone FerraraNapoleone Ferrara, M.D., Ph.D. is an Italian-American molecular biologist and is currently a Genentech Fellow in tumor biology and angiogenesis. He is credited with identifying the human VEGF gene and describing its proangiogenic properties, which formed the basis for the development of Genentech's...
, M.D., GenentechGenentechGenentech Inc., or Genetic Engineering Technology, Inc., is a biotechnology corporation, founded in 1976 by venture capitalist Robert A. Swanson and biochemist Dr. Herbert Boyer. Trailing the founding of Cetus by five years, it was an important step in the evolution of the biotechnology industry...
Fellow, was selected as the 2011 Dr. Paul Janssen Award recipient for his research on angiogenesisAngiogenesisAngiogenesis is the physiological process involving the growth of new blood vessels from pre-existing vessels. Though there has been some debate over terminology, vasculogenesis is the term used for spontaneous blood-vessel formation, and intussusception is the term for the formation of new blood...
, the process of new blood vesselBlood vesselThe blood vessels are the part of the circulatory system that transports blood throughout the body. There are three major types of blood vessels: the arteries, which carry the blood away from the heart; the capillaries, which enable the actual exchange of water and chemicals between the blood and...
formation that plays a key role in cancerCancerCancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
proliferation and a number of other diseases. Dr. Ferrara’s discoveries opened the door to the development of a new class of therapeutics to combat a serious eyeEyeEyes are organs that detect light and convert it into electro-chemical impulses in neurons. The simplest photoreceptors in conscious vision connect light to movement...
disorder and contributed to the development of new oncologyOncologyOncology is a branch of medicine that deals with cancer...
therapeutics.
External links
Dr. Paul Janssen Award for Biomedical ResearchJohnson & Johnson
Craig Mello, Ph.D.
Imperial College London
The Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry in Martinsried near Munich