Each year, the Lasker Awards honor a number of medical professionals doing standout work in research and public service. The New York Times has called the awards “the nation’s most prestigious medical prizes.

GLP-1 based drugs are transforming the treatment of obesity and opening up new avenues for addressing heart disease, addiction, and even Alzheimer’s. Now, three scientists who played key roles in their invention have won a prestigious Lasker Award for biomedical research.

One of the researchers described the circumstances that led to the discovery as “serendipity.” This year’s prestigious Lasker medical awards recognize a trio of scientists without whom Ozempic and other blockbuster weight-loss drugs might not exist.

Three scientists are honored for developing a class of blockbuster weight-loss drugs. Is a Nobel prize on the way?

James Chen, a professor of microbiology at UT Southwestern Medical Center, has won a Lasker Award for his discovery of an enzyme involved in immune response.

DURBAN - South African epidemiologists Quarraisha and Salim Abdool Karim have been recognised for their life-saving work on HIV/AIDS. The two are this year’s recipients of the prestigious Lasker Award for public service.

The Lasker Foundation today announced the winners of its 2024 Lasker Awards. Quarraisha Abdool Karim and Salim S. Abdool Karim of Columbia University

James Chen of UT Southwestern Medical Center wins an award for his research into cGAS. (UT Southwestern Medical Center/Lasker Foundation) 5 minutes ago

One of this year's coveted Lasker Awards has gone to Zhijian "James" Chen, a scientist behind a key immune-system discovery.

Six individuals have received this year's Lasker Awards in the areas of basic research, clinical research, and public service. Each award carries a stipend of $250,000.