KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 11 (Bernama) -- Professor Jerry Mendell was announced this year’s laureate in King Faisal Prize for Medicine for his groundbreaking contributions to screening, early diagnosis, and treatment of neuromuscular disorders.
Concurrently, this year’s laureate in King Faisal Prize for Science in the field of Biology went to Professor Howard Chang for his pioneering work in uncovering the significance of long non-coding RNAs in gene regulation and function and his collaborative efforts in advancing genome-wide methodologies to identify DNA regulatory regions.
Professor Mendell’s work lies in the screening, early diagnosis, and treatment of patients with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), and limb girdle muscular dystrophies (LGMD). The Prize’s Medicine topic for 2024 was “Management of Peripheral Disabilities”.
A Director of Gene Therapy Center at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and Curran Peters Chair in Pediatric Research, Professor Mendell used gene-therapy to deliver a healthy gene survival motor neuron gene 1 (SMN1) to patients’ cells and to correct the genetic mutations for patients suffering from the most common form of muscular dystrophy; DMD, a progressive neuromuscular disease.
In addition, he has been involved in clinical trials for gene therapy for LGMD which is an umbrella term that represents several rare types of muscular dystrophy that cause muscle weakness in shoulders, upper arms, hips, and upper legs.
Meanwhile, Professor Chang has made significant contributions to the field of RNA medicines, in which his lab’s work has focused on understanding the roles of long noncoding RNAs (a genetic material found in cells) in biological regulation and their potential therapeutic applications.
A physician-scientist, Professor of Dermatology and Genetics, and Virginia and D.K. Ludwig Professor of Cancer Research at Stanford University, Professor Chang’s work unravelled mechanisms and targets in various human diseases, notably cancer, immunity, and development as well as his recent investigations into extrachromosomal DNA in cancer revealed key findings.
In addition to Medicine and Science, King Faisal Prize also recognised this year the achievements of an outstanding thinker and scholar in the field of Islamic Studies and exemplary leaders who played a pivotal role in serving Islam, Muslims, and humanity at large, according to a statement.
Columbia University Avalon Foundation Professor in the Humanities, Professor Wael Hallaq was selected to receive the “Islamic Studies” prize in “Islamic Legislations and their Contemporary Applications” for 2024, while the Service to Islam Prize went to the Japan Muslim Association and Dr Mohammad Sammak, which were announced as co-laureates for this year’s prize.
King Faisal Prize for Arabic Language & Literature for 2024 on the topic of “Non-Arab Institutions and their Endeavours to Promote Arabic” was withheld due to nominated works not elevating to the criteria of the prize.
Each prize laureate is endowed with US$200,000; a 24-carat gold medal weighing 200 grammes, and a Certificate inscribed with the Laureate’s name and a summary of their work which qualified them for the prize. (US$1=RM4.63)
-- BERNAMA
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