- 2012 Albert-Lasker Basic Medical Research Award
Intro
2012 Albert-Lasker Basic Medical Research Award Pioneer in Mechanobiology and Biomechanics Prof. Sheetz, James Spudich, and Ronald Vale won the 2012 Albert-Lasker Basic Medical Research Award for their discoveries concerning cytoskeletal motor proteins, machines that move cargoes within cells, contract muscles, and enable cell movements.
Education and Work Experience
1972，Ph.D. at Caltech
1985-1990, Professor of Cell Biology and Physiology, Washington University
1990-Present, William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Cell Biology, Columbia University
Honors and Awards
2012, Albert-Lasker Basic Medical Research Award 2012, Wiley Prize in Biomedical Sciences
2013, Massry Prize
Major Academic Achievements
Michael Sheetz, James Spudich and Ronald Vale established ways to study molecular motors in detail. These accomplishments enabled the discovery of the motor protein kinesin and unveiled the steps by which these engines convert chemical energy into mechanical work.
The miniscule motors underlie numerous vital processes, and the landmark achievements of Vale, Spudich, and Sheetz are driving drug-discovery efforts aimed at cardiac problems as well as cancer.