(reporters zhao mengmeng and zhou xuejin from the people's daily health client) on september 19, the lasker award, an important award in the biomedical field known as the "barometer" of the nobel prize, was announced. among them, joel habener, lotte bjerre knudsen, and svetlana mojsov won the lasker award for clinical medical research, chinese scientist professor chen zhijian won the lasker award for basic medical research, and quarraisha abdool karim and salim s. abdool karim won the lasker award for public service.

the lasker award is one of the most important awards in the field of biomedicine in the world. in the past 20 years alone, there have been 32 lasker award winners, including chinese scientist tu youyou.nobel prize, so it is also known as the "nobel prize weathervane".

lasker award for basic medical research: discovery of cgas enzyme that senses self and foreign dna

the 2024 lasker basic research award was awarded to chinese scientist and biochemist professor zhijian chen of the university of texas southwestern medical center in recognition of his "discovery of the cgas enzyme that can sense foreign and self-dna," unraveling the mystery of how dna stimulates immune and inflammatory responses, and clarifying the process by which the human body resists invading pathogens such as viruses, bacteria and other microorganisms.

this enzyme can recognize free dna generated by self-damage or threats of foreign pathogen dna in the cytoplasm. this provides drug targets for a variety of human diseases, and the signal molecules it produces are expected to be used to fight infectious diseases and cancer.

chen zhijian is one of the world's top scholars studying innate immunity and the sixth chinese scientist to receive the lasker award. the previous five were: li zhuohao (1962 basic medical science award), li minqiu (1972 clinical medicine award), jian yuewei (1991 clinical medicine award), tu youyou (2011 lasker award for clinical medicine), and lu yuming (2022 lasker award for clinical medicine).

in 2013, zhijian chen discovered cyclic guanylate-adenylate synthase (cgas). this enzyme is like the first domino in a chain reaction. its activation triggers a series of events, leading to immune activation, allowing humans to respond to foreign pathogens or trigger inflammatory responses.

the scientist, an american magazine specifically for life science professionals, commented on the study: this is a key part of filling the knowledge gap of innate immune signaling, fully exploring the role of this molecule in health and disease, and opening up exciting possibilities for addressing infections, cancer and autoimmune diseases.

the review committee also believes that this enzyme provides a drug target for a variety of human diseases, and a deep understanding of this signaling pathway lays the foundation for new approaches to the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases and vaccine development.

lasker award for clinical medical research: discovery and development of glp-1 drugs, revolutionizing obesity treatment

the 2024 lasker "clinical medical research award" was awarded to dr. joel habener of massachusetts general hospital, dr. svetlana mojsov of rockefeller university, and ms. lotte bjerre knudsen of the multinational pharmaceutical company novo nordisk, in recognition of their pioneering work in the field of glp-1 therapy, which has significantly changed the landscape of obesity treatment and provided new solutions for millions of patients worldwide.

habner and moisov's research identified the active form of glp-1, and ms. knutson translated this discovery into an effective weight loss drug that can be used clinically, bringing hope to obese patients who have failed to succeed through traditional methods such as diet and exercise.

"the development of glp-1 drugs is of epoch-making significance." on september 20, guo yifang, deputy director of the hypertension committee of the chinese medical association and deputy director of hebei provincial people's hospital, told the reporter of the people's daily health client that the reason why it is epoch-making is that, on the one hand, it ends the history of blood sugar lowering failing to reduce large blood vessel complications. in the past, clinical use of drugs such as insulin and metformin, although they can lower blood sugar levels, did not reduce the occurrence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events. however, since the launch of sglt-2 inhibitors and glp-1 receptor agonists, it is possible to reduce blood sugar while reducingcardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseasesrisk of occurrence.

another aspect is weight loss. there are many kinds of drugs for weight loss, but so far, only glp-1 drugs can reduce cardiovascular complications while reducing weight.

guo yifang said that in recent years, there are more and more opportunities for the clinical use of glp-1. common varieties include semaglutide,liraglutide, dulaglutide and a similar new drug called glp-1/gip dual receptor agonist tilportide.

the commendation citation reads: "nearly 900 million adults worldwide suffer from obesity, and excessive weight leads to a variety of life-threatening conditions. obesity is often considered a failure of willpower, but for many people, diet and exercise do not solve the problem. historically, attempts to create safe and effective drugs to help people lose weight have failed. thanks to the efforts of these three people, we have entered a new era of weight management, and glp-1-based drugs are expected to significantly improve health."

lasker award for public service: elucidating the major drivers of heterosexual transmission of hiv

the 2024 lasker award for public service was given to a couple from south africa.aidsresearch center/usacolumbia universityquarraisha abdool karim of the south african centre for aids research/columbia university, for elucidating the major drivers of heterosexual transmission of hiv (aids) and for introducing methods for prevention and treatment of hiv.

"elucidating the main driving factors of heterosexual transmission of hiv will help us gain a deeper understanding of the transmission mechanism of hiv and design prevention strategies and treatment plans, thereby reducing the spread of hiv and improving patient treatment outcomes." on september 10, li dongzeng, chief physician of the department of infectious diseases at beijing you'an hospital, told a reporter from the people's daily health client that based on these studies, corresponding prevention measures can be formulated for different populations, and it can also provide scientific basis for governments and international organizations at the public health and epidemiology levels.

"the abdool karims have influenced aids programs around the world and have played a key role in developing science in south africa. throughout their careers, they have advocated for science and its potential to benefit citizens around the world. they grew up under apartheid in south africa and have a deep understanding of how social inequality undermines health, education and quality of life. discrimination and segregation limited their educational options, and they recognized the broader impacts. they have effectively practiced professional progressivism to correct wrongs," the commendation citation reads.