The prize, worth 3 million dollars, will be distributed among all * The prestigious Dan David Prize distributed in Israel is among the top international prizes. Among this year's winners: Prof. Marie Keller King, who discovered the mutations in the BRCA 1 gene, the presence of which puts women at risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer, Prof. Yehezkel Emanuel, for being a pioneer in the field of end-of-life treatments, Prof. Brett Vogelstein, for studies that paved the way for adapting treatment Individual for cancer patients and Prof. Evelyn Fox Keller, physicist (and feminist, by definition) who received the Dan David Award for her pioneering work in the field of science and gender (gender)
At a ceremony held at Tel Aviv University, the 9 winners of the Dan David International Prize were announced. This is the 18th year in which prizes worth 3 million dollars are awarded to winners in three "dimensions of time" - past, present and future. The fields in which the awards are given this year are: In the dimension of the past - the history of science, Prof. Lorraine Deston, Prof. Simon Shaffer and Prof. Evelyn Fox Keller won. In the present dimension - bioethics, Prof. Jonathan Glover, Prof. Yehezkel Emanuel and Baroness Marie Warnock won. In the dimension of the future - personalized medicine, Prof. Marie Keller King, Prof. Brett Vogelstein and Prof. Carlo Croce won.
The prestigious award, named after Mr. Dan David, an international businessman and philanthropist, who passed away several years ago, is awarded every year to people who have demonstrated special excellence and made an extraordinary contribution to humanity, in the fields of science, spirit, and art. The award, given in Israel, is currently among the top international awards.
Winners of the Dan David Prize for 2018 in the dimension of past tense - the history of science
Prof. Lorraine Deston (Lorraine Daston) director of the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Berlin. Her historical studies on "logic", "proof", "fact", "observation", "scientific object", "natural law", "data", and even on "objectivity" itself, show in the hand of a master the dramatic change undergone by universal concepts Apparently like those since the 17th century.
Prof. Simon Shaffer (Simon Schaffer), from the University of Cambridge, receives the Dan David Prize for the transformation that has brought about in our understanding of the science of history. Prof. Shaffer's impressive body of work shows how the material practices used at major junctures in the history of empirical and mathematical science—which means testimony, trust, and acquired skill—can be found embedded in local time-bound sites of commercial exchange, political negotiation, and everyday activities. .
Prof. Evelyn Fox Keller (Evelyn Fox Keller), a physicist (and feminist, by definition) from MIT, receives the Dan David Award for her pioneering work in the field of science and gender (gender), a work that revolutionized our perspective on the history of science. Her current research focuses on the history and philosophy of modern biology, gender and science. She received the award for the extraordinary insights regarding the "doing" of science as shown in her work, for the relationship between feminism and science, and for work that shows how the economics of gender shaped thinking about population genetics and mathematical ecology, for the imaginative way in which her work predicts what it will look like Science is free from gender and its research, which is a milestone in understanding the role and historical import of language in science, especially in the field of genetics and molecular biology.
Present time dimension - bioethics
Prof. Jonathan Glover (Jonathan Glover) from the British King's College, receives the Dan David Award for his original contribution to the theoretical aspects of bioethics: for leading the research agenda in many subjects, especially in the field of Human Enhancement and the ethics of fertility. His original research covers different and varied topics, including human nature, war and the Holocaust, ethics in genetics, neuroethics and psychiatric issues.
Prof. Ezekiel Emanuel (Prof. Ezekiel Emanuel) from the University of Pennsylvania, receives the Dan David Award for the advancement of bioethics, thanks to a valuable combination of his skills as a doctor, as a policy maker and as an academic. Prof. Emanuel is a pioneer in the field of treatment that supports dying patients (end-of-life treatments) and the ethics of research. He was the first to show that patients interested in euthanasia do not do so because of the pain but for reasons of mental distress, depression and despair. His work on doctor-patient relationships is an important landmark and is widely used throughout the world in study and training programs for medical students.
Baroness Mary Warnock receives the Dan David Award for her central role in the development of practical ethical aspects in biology and medicine, and in particular for her contribution to the ethics of embryology and genetics and their ethical and philosophical implications, to fertility technologies and research on disabilities. Marie Warnock made a significant contribution to the advancement of health and well-being in society by breaking down the barriers between academia and ethical practice.
The time dimension of the future - personalized medicine
Prof. Mary-Claire King (Mary-Claire King) from the University of Washington, receives the Dan David Award for being a trailblazer in the field of medical genetics and for her significant contribution to the study of the molecular basis of various types of cancer. Her groundbreaking work led to the discovery of mutations in the BRCA 1 gene, the presence of which puts women at risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer. This revolutionary discovery contributes to the understanding of the early tendency in hereditary cancer and creates a revolution in the medical approach to cancer screening tests, individual interventions and the adaptation of the therapeutic rationale to the specific type of cancer.
Prof. Bert Vogelstein (Bert Vogelstein) from Johns Hopkins Medicine, receives the Dan David Award for his seminal contribution to the understanding of the genetics and genomics of cancer. Prof. Vogelstein developed and implemented high-performance methodologies for the simultaneous analysis of thousands of genes and whole genomes, which enables a comprehensive characterization of the genomic landscape of various types of cancer. His research paved the way for early diagnosis, accurate characterization and tailoring of individual treatment for cancer patients.
Prof. Carlo Croce from Ohio University receives the Dan David Award for his pioneering work in discovering the genes responsible for various types of leukemia and lymphoma. His in-depth knowledge of both cytogenetics and molecular biology allowed him to identify the role played by key oncogenes as factors that encourage the development, progression and resistance of cancer to treatments. He also showed the role that microRNA plays in the formation of cancer. His many findings allow accurate diagnosis of cancer, personalization of treatments and the development of innovative anti-cancer drugs.
According to the tradition of the award, the winners donate 10% of the award money to 20 scholarships intended for young researchers at the doctoral and post-doctoral stages in Israel and around the world.
The announcement of the winners was made by Prof. Yosef Klefter, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Dan David Prize and President of Tel Aviv University and Prof. Itamar Rabinowitz, Chairman of the Dan David Foundation.
Past winners of the Dan David Prize include the cellist Yo Yo Meh (2006), maestro Zubin Mehta (2007), the writer Amos Oz (2008) and the writer A.B. Yeshea (2017), former US Vice President and Nobel Peace Prize winner Mr. Al Gore (2008), former British Prime Minister Tony Blair (2009), discoverer of the AIDS virus Prof. Robert Gallo (2009), writer Margaret Atwood (2010) pair The filmmakers brothers Eitan and Joel Cohen (2011), the philosopher Leon Viseltier (2013) and the neuropsychologist Prof. Brenda Milner (2014).
The prizes themselves will be awarded in a festive ceremony with the personal participation of the winners on May 6, 2018, at Tel Aviv University.
