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Anthony Butterworth received his BA; M.B., B.Chir., M.A., and Ph.D. in Immunology in 1973 from Cambridge University. He started his career as a researcher at Cambridge University Medical School in the same year, and served from 1973-1977 as a Fellow at the Wellcome Trust Laboratories in Kenya, where he conducted research on the immunology of schistosomiasis. He spent the following two years as a Research Fellow at Harvard Medical School, continuing his studies on schistosome immunity, then joined the Medical Research Council. He is currently an Associate Professor of Medical Parasitology at Cambridge University.

Professor Butterworth spent most of his career studying schistosomiasis (Bilharziasis), a devastating parasitic disease that affects 200-300 million people in tropical and subtropical parts of the world. He combined laboratory research with field studies in sub-Saharan Africa (Kenya, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, Uganda, and Zimbabwe), in addition to the Philippines, South America and the United States. His studies into the epidemiology and control of this disease, as well as the human body’s immune responses to the parasite, brought significant advances to our understanding of the mechanisms of disease in general, while bringing the world closer to a safe and effective anti-schistosomiasis vaccine.

Professor Butterworth made his first major contribution by showing – in the mid-1970’s – that eosinophils can kill larval forms of the parasite when working in concert with certain antibodies. Later, as a fellow at Harvard Medical School, he and others demonstrated that eosinophils destroy schistosome larvae by releasing highly toxic granules onto the larva’s surface. Butterworth’s next major accomplishment came when he conducted longitudinal studies on human schistosomiasis in Kenya and Uganda which showed that, beginning at around the age of 12, individuals experience increased Immunoglobulin E (lgE) antibody levels — another key culprit in allergic reactions — that react against antigens of the adult parasite, as well as a drop in the levels of certain antibodies that obstruct the immune response. Molecules recognized by the IgE antibodies in immune humans are being investigated as possible candidates for a vaccine.

Professor Butterworth was elected as a member of several prestigious societies including the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. He received many awards including the Frederick Murgatroyd Prize from the Royal College of Physicians in 1979 and the Bernhard Nocht Medal from the Bernhard Nocht Institute in 1987.

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.

André Capron completed his MD in 1958 and worked at the College of Medicine in Lille University. In 1970, he became a Professor of Immunology and Parasite Biology at Lille University and a Director of the Parasite Immunology Research Center at Pasteur Institute, then Director of Pasteur Institute in Lille. He was also a member of the World Health Organization’s Scientific Advisory Group of Experts and its Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee. He was a Chair of the Scientific Committee of the Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche.

Professor Capron was an internationally recognized authority on the biology of parasites and the development of new strategies in the prevention of epidemics caused by parasitic infections such as schistosomiasis (bilharzia). He was recognized worldwide as one of the founding fathers of parasite immunology and was one of its acknowledged leaders. His early contributions to the immunology of parasites started in 1962, when, using the new tools of immunochemistry and immuno-electrophoresis, he described for the first time the antigenic structure of helminths, showing the existence of shared antigens between parasites and their hosts. He also developed immunodiffusion techniques for the diagnosis of parasitic diseases, some of which are still in use. In parallel with R. T. Damian of Georgia University in the US, he developed the novel concept of “molecular mimicry” and pursued the deciphering of what he named “the molecular language of parasites”.

Professor Capron’s elegant studies on the mechanisms of schistosome immunity contributed significantly to understanding the immunology of schistosomiasis and the current attempts to develop defined-antigen vaccines against that parasitic disease. These studies included the discovery of previously unknown forms of antibody-dependent, cell-mediated cytotoxicities involving the activation of eosinophils, monocytes and platelets by IgE complexes, and the role of IgM-blocking antibodies in regulating protective immunity. His work renewed hope in developing a novel vaccine to protect people against schistosomiasis, a disease which countries and international organizations have failed to control by conventional methods.

Professor Capron authored hundreds of scientific publications and held several prestigious positions in France, Europe and at the international level. His honors include editorships of several medical journals, visiting professorships at leading international universities and consultancies at international organizations. He received many prizes and medals including ​​the Bernhard Nocht Medal in 1987. He was a member and Secretary of the French Academy of Sciences. He was an Honorary Fellow of the London School of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, and a corresponding Member of the Academie Royale de Médecine de Belgique.

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.

Luigi Mastroianni, Jr. graduated from Yale University in 1946 with a bachelor’s degree in zoology and obtained his MD from Boston University School of Medicine in 1950. He completed his internship and residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Metropolitan Hospital in New York and then proceeded to a fellowship in Fertility and Endocrinology at Harvard Medical School and the Free Hospital for Women in Boston. He returned to Yale as an Assistant Professor. In 1961, he became the Chief of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Harbor General Hospital and a Professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he continued to focus on the basic physiology of the oviduct. In 1965, he was appointed the William Goodell Professor and Chairman of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, where he established a Division of Reproductive Biology and a Division of Human Reproduction. Under his leadership, these Divisions made substantial contributions to the understanding of the female reproductive tract and the biology of male and female gametes, as well as to the treatment of infertility in both partners. The Reproductive Biology Division also provided research training for investigators from the USA and 25 other countries.

Professor Mastroianni dedicated his life to studying the causes of and solutions to human infertility problems. He studied the effects of reproductive hormones on ovulation and showed that clomiphene-induced ovulation in non-human primates could be used to increase the fertilization rate in women. His distinguished work on the physiology of the fallopian tube and the biochemistry of tubal fluid contributed significantly to the basic understanding of the requirements for successful fertilization, which was a major factor in developing successful human in vitro fertilization techniques. His groundbreaking animal studies in the 1970s paved the way for IVF. In 1983, he performed the first successful human in vitro fertilization in the Philadelphia region.

Mastroianni published numerous papers in international journals. His achievements in human reproduction research were widely recognized. He received several scientific prizes including the Ortho Medal in 1966, Barren Medal in 1977, and the Research Special Award in 1981. He was a chairman of the Committee on Contraceptive Development of the National Academy of Science and Institute of Medicine, and an honorary member of major international fertility societies. He was also an invited lecturer at many universities and scientific centers. Furthermore, he served as Editor-in-Chief of Fertility and Sterility and served on the editorial board of the International Journal of Fertility. 

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.

Robert Edwardsobtained his B.Sc. from the University of Wales, Bangor and a Ph.D. from the Institute of Animal Genetics at the University of Edinburgh. He joined the University of Cambridge in 1963, then served as a visiting scientist at several prestigious universities including Johns Hopkins University in 1965, the University of North Carolina in 1966, and the Free University in Brussels in 1984. In 1985, he became Professor of Reproduction at Cambridge University. Upon his retirement in 1989, he became a Distinguished Professor at Cambridge. He was also an Extraordinary Fellow of Churchill College.

Professor Edwards was the scientist who developed in vitro fertilization (IVF), a technology that has revolutionized the treatment of infertility. He carried out pioneering research on human in vitro fertilization in collaboration with the late Patrick Steptoe. This culminated in the first successful birth of a “test tube baby”, Louise Brown, on 11 July 1978. This milestone event in the fight against infertility captured the imagination of the public throughout the world, and focused attention on the importance of basic research in human reproduction. Professor Edwards’ studies permitted hundreds of other infertility centers around the world to establish IVF clinics. Refinements in technology increased pregnancy rates and it is estimated that by 2020 more than 8 million babies have so far been born by IVF. Professor Edwards’ seminal research also laid the groundwork for further innovations in the treatment of infertility, such as intracytoplasmic sperm injection, embryo biopsy and stem cell research.

With a background of training in endocrinology, immunology and developmental genetics, he initiated studies in 1954 on reproductive physiology in mice. In 1957, he showed that exogenous gonadotropins could induce superovulation. With the aim of finding how to fertilize human ova outside the body, he turned his attention to the study of isolated human oocytes. Unfortunately, he found that they behave differently from those of rodents so he was obliged to turn to the oocytes that mature inside the human ovary shortly before they are released at ovulation. The necessity for him at that point to seek clinical help led, in the early 1960′s, to a remarkably fruitful collaboration with Professor Patrick Steptoe, which resulted 10 years later in the birth of the first “test-tube baby”.

Professor Edwards authored and co-authored hundreds of research papers and scientific reviews, in addition to 22 books, many of which were reprinted several times. His groundbreaking accomplishments in the field of human reproduction earned him worldwide recognition. Professor Edwards received 15 prestigious prizes, including the renowned Axel Munthe Award as well as several medals. He was also awarded Honorary Doctorates from several major universities.

He was an elected Fellow of the Royal Society (London) and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologist, Honorary member of the Royal College of Physicians, and Life Fellow of the Australian Fertility Society. He was appointed Captain of the British Empire (CBE) by the Queen of Britain and Honorary Citizen of Bordeaux in France. His scholarship is further attested by an impressive list of honorary lectureships and visiting professorships.

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.

Melvyn Greaves received his B.Sc. in Zoology in 1964 and a Ph.D. in Immunology in 1968 from the Faculty of Medicine at University College London. He spent a one-year fellowship training with the Immunology Group at the Department of Bacteriology in Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, then served as a Research Scientist at the Immunology Division of the National Institute for Medical Research at Mill Hill (1969-1972) before joining the Tumor Immunology Unit of the Department of Zoology at University College London (1972-1976).

Professor Greaves became Head of the Immunology Laboratory from 1976 – 1984, then the Director of the Leukemia Research Fund Center at the Institute of Cancer Research at University College London in 1984. He is currently a Professor of Cell Biology and Chairman of the Haemato-Oncology Section at the Institute of Cancer Research. Earlier in his career, Professor Greaves introduced new methods for the biological classification of leukaemias that led to insights into the cellular origins of disease and more specific allocation of treatment. His subsequent work on the molecular genetics of childhood leukaemias uncovered the pre-natal origin of this disease and shed light on its possible causes. His research paved the way for important advances in the diagnosis and prognosis of leukemias and for the design of novel forms of treatment in individual patients.

Professor Greaves’ contributions to research in leukemia appeared in numerous publications and a long list of honorary and invited lectures, and have earned him worldwide recognition. He received the Paul Martini Prize from Gottingen University in Germany, the Peter Debye Prize from the University of Maastricht in Holland. He is an Honorary Member of the Royal College of Physicians (London) and a Member of the European Molecular Biology Organization. He also holds a Personal Chair of Cell Biology at London University. Professor Greaves has a wide range of interest in biology, cancer, and medicine and has authored numerous scientific publications and several books including: T and B Lymphocytes: Their Origins, Properties and Roles in Immune Responses; Cellular Recognition; and Atlas of Blood Cells: Function and Pathology. He is also the editor of several books on Leukemia.

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.

Janet Rowley was awarded a scholarship to enter an advanced placement program at the University of Chicago (UC), where she finished the last two years of high school and the first two years of college concurrently. She then continued at UC, earning a Bachelor’s of Philosophy in 1944, a Bachelor’s of Science in 1946, and an MD in 1948, at the age of 23. She balanced her family life with her career by working part-time as she raised four sons. When her youngest turned 12 years old, she began full time research.

Professor Rowley earned her medical license in 1951, then served as an attending physician at the Infant and Prenatal Clinics in the Department of Public Health in Maryland. From 1955-1961, she took up a research post at a clinic for children with developmental disabilities, while teaching neurology at the University of Illinois Medical School. In 1962, after spending a year in England studying the pattern of DNA replication in normal and abnormal human chromosomes, she returned to UC as an assistant Professor, becoming an associate professor in 1969, and a full professor in 1977. In 1984, she was named the Blum-Riese Distinguished Service Professor in the Departments of Medicine, Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology, and Human Genetics at UC.

Professor Rowley was one of the most distinguished cancer geneticists in the world. In the early 1970’s, she identified a specific genetic translocation (exchange of genetic material between chromosomes) in patients with leukemia. This discovery, along with her subsequent work on chromosomal abnormalities, revolutionized the medical understanding of the role of chromosomal translocation and damage in causing cancer.

Professor Rowley received numerous honors, including a long list of honorary and named lectureships, fellowships of major national and international science academies, and around 30 prestigious prizes and medals, including the Dameshek Prize in 1982, Esther Langer Award in 1983, and the Kuwait Cancer Prize in 1984.

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.

Barrie Jones received his B.Sc. in Chemistry and Physics from Victoria College at Wellington University in 1942, and his MD from the University of Otago, Dunedin in 1946, before moving to the United Kingdom in 1952, where he specialized in general and surgical ophthalmology at the University of London, qualifying in surgery in 1955. He served for 17 years as a Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology at the Institute of Ophthalmology in Moorefield’s Eye Hospital in London before relinquishing the chair to set up a new Department of Preventive Ophthalmology. In 1981, he established the International Center for Eye Health at the Institute of Ophthalmology, which became – under his leadership – one of the foremost institutions for the education and training of ophthalmologists from all over the world.

Professor Jones devoted his entire professional life to studying the etiology, transmission, pathogenesis, and treatment of eye diseases and infections. For 12 successive years, he spent several weeks each year in Iran to pursue his studies on trachoma. He made seminal contributions to the diagnosis, therapy and prevention of viral and chlamydial eye diseases, and developed novel chemotherapeutic measures and surgical procedures to prevent blindness due to trachoma. In later years, he turned his attention to river blindness and designed novel strategies for controlling that widely spread disease in Africa. His group was the first to show that the drug Ivermectin can reduce the incidence of blindness in onchocerciasis (a parasitic disease that involves the eye).

Professor Jones published hundreds of research papers and authored or coauthored more than 23 books, in addition to many invited lectureships and conference presentations. In recognition of his outstanding contributions to the fight against blindness, he was appointed CBE by the British Queen in 1985.

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.

Lelio Orci obtained his MD from the College of Medicine at Rome University in 1964. He started his career as an assistant professor at the Institute of Histology and Embryology, University of Geneva Medical School in 1966, and rose to full professorship in 1972. He was appointed as a Chairman of the Department of Morphology (now the Department of Cell Physiology and Metabolism) at the Medical School of Geneva University in 1972. He was also a researcher or a visiting professor at several universities, mostly in the United States.

Professor Orci dedicated his entire career to cell biology research and the study of the islets of Langerhans, in particular the beta cells. He carried out pioneering studies on the ultrastructure and immunocytochemistry of beta cells. His studies were instrumental for better understanding of the structure and function of those cells, the mechanism of Insulin synthesis, storage and secretion, the secretion and mode of action of Glucagon and the regulation of pancreatic hormone secretions.

In later years, he collaborated with Professor Rothman and other scientists in a series of landmark studies on the molecular basis of vesicular trafficking. These studies have profoundly enriched our knowledge of Diabetes and contributed to the development of drugs to control it and have granted Professor Orci the status of the most talented electron microscopist of his generation.

Professor Orci’s seminal contributions were published in more than 300 papers in international journals. According to ISA and The Scientist, he was one of the most cited researchers in the field of diabetes research. His accomplishments were recognized by the international scientific community throughout the world. He was awarded an honorary doctorate in Medicine from the University of Guelph in Canada. He was also an honorary member of the Argentinian Society of Physiological Sciences.

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.

Albert Renold obtained his MD in 1947 and completed his thesis in 1948. He was a Professor of Medicine at Geneva University, Chief of the Division of Clinical Biochemistry, and Founding Director of the Institute of Clinical Biochemistry. He held several professional and research positions, including visiting professorships and consultancies, as well as about 15 years as a teacher and researcher at Harvard University Medical School in Boston, MA (USA). Numerous outstanding diabetes researchers were trained by Professor Renold both in Boston and Geneva. Professor Renold was the Founding Secretary of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EFSD) from 1965-1970 and its President from 1974-1977, as well as the President of the International Diabetes Federation from 1979-1982 and Vice-President of the Swiss Academy for Medical Sciences.

Professor Renold was a leading authority in diabetes mellitus. He played a major role in advancing diabetes research in Europe and throughout the world. He developed animal models to study the physiology and pathophysiology of the pancreas and strived to gain insight into the abnormalities of human diabetes by defining the pathophysiological aspects of the disease peculiar to a given animal. These studies have since been used in diabetes research throughout the world, as for example, in research on oral hypoglycemic agents which presently form the basis for the treatment of type-2 diabetes. Professor Renold was also the first to demonstrate a direct action of insulin on adipose tissue in 1950. His work in this area extended to delineate the role of this tissue in the metabolic derangements in insulin-deficient diabetes and in obesity often associated with insulin abundance. The research led by Professor Renold over many years contributed significantly to our present understanding of the mechanisms of insulin activity and its effect on glucose and energy metabolism.

Professor Renold’s seminal studies on diabetes mellitus were published in more than 400 scientific papers in international journals. He published a series of articles in which he showed that the injections of homologous insulin elicited an inflammatory reaction in the pancreatic islets of injected animals. He also co-authored the volume on Adipose Tissue of the Handbook of Physiology and served on the editorial boards of seven international medical journals. His accomplishments were recognized by more than 10 prizes and medals.

In addition, he was elected as the chairman of several major scientific and medical societies and a member of about 15 others. Professor Renold was also the only foreign scientist elected to the Board of Directors of the American Diabetes Association.

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.