Celebrating the 2024 Lasker Award Winners: How Animal Research Shaped Groundbreaking Discoveries

FBR honors the 2024 Lasker Award winners, whose remarkable work is transforming medicine. A key part of their success comes from the vital role animal research played.

Here’s a closer look at their groundbreaking achievements and how animal models were instrumental in making them possible:

1. Zhijian “James” Chen – 2024 Lasker Basic Medical Research Award: cGAS Enzyme Discovery        
Zhijian “James” Chen is honored for discovering the cGAS enzyme, which senses foreign and self DNA, solving a key mystery of how DNA stimulates immune and inflammatory responses. This breakthrough was made possible thanks to mice, which were critical in understanding how the enzyme functions in cells. By studying mice that lacked cGAS, scientists were able to observe how the immune system reacts to threats, offering essential insights into autoimmune diseases, cancer and viral infections.

2. Joel Habener, Lotte Bjerre Knudsen and Svetlana Mojsov – 2024 Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award: GLP-1 Based Therapy for Obesity

Joel Habener, Lotte Bjerre Knudsen and Svetlana Mojsov are recognized for their discovery and development of GLP-1-based drugs, which have revolutionized the treatment of obesity. Early research into GLP-1 was conducted with rodent models (including hamsters, mice and rats) and anglerfish. These animals along with rabbits, minipigs and non-human primates helped scientists identify how GLP-1 regulates hunger and blood sugar levels, providing the foundation for medications like Ozempic and Wegovy, which are now helping millions manage obesity and diabetes.

Long-tailed macaque monkeys were crucial in the development and testing of these drugs. Non-human primates allowed researchers to study the long-term effects of GLP-1-based therapies, ensuring their safety and effectiveness before human use. Their role was key in refining the drugs and confirming their ability to help regulate appetite and improve metabolic health.

3. Quarraisha Abdool Karim and Salim Abdool Karim – 2024 Lasker-Bloomberg Public Service Award: HIV Prevention, Treatment and Advocacy        
Quarraisha and Salim Abdool Karim are honored for their contributions to understanding heterosexual HIV transmission and introducing life-saving approaches to prevent and treat HIV. Their research benefited enormously from work conducted with rhesus macaques and other non-human primates. These models were essential for testing the safety and efficacy of antiretroviral therapies, including PrEP, which has been a game-changer in HIV prevention. Non-human primate studies allowed scientists to understand how HIV spreads and how to stop it, leading to groundbreaking advancements in global HIV prevention and treatment.

Animal models have been essential in making these medical breakthroughs possible. Today’s Lasker Award winners remind us of the critical role that animal research plays in shaping the future of medicine and offering hope to millions.

For more information on the Lasker Award winners and their contributions, visit the Lasker Foundation’s website.

(Featured image credit: PARALOGIA/stock.adobe.com)