Sep 14 2008
The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) extends its warmest congratulations to David Baulcombe FRS, Professor of Botany at the University of Cambridge and long-time BBSRC grant holder, in winning the 2008 Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research.
Prof Baulcombe has received the award, alongside two US researchers, for the discovery of small RNA molecules that regulate gene function. Small RNAs are important as the latest research shows that the Human genome contains at least 500 small RNAs that could have a role in regulating many genes. Small RNAs have been implicated in normal processes such as development and blood-cell specialisation and when they malfunction they have an important underlying role in cancer and heart disease.
The action of the molecules had been observed previously but the small RNA had not been found before Prof Baulcombe proposed that this was due to very small size of the molecule. His lab developed the first experiments to look for them. After US researchers found small RNAs at work in nematode worms, Prof Baulcombe demonstrated their role in gene silencing in plants - a breakthrough that spurred researchers across the world to look for, and find, important small RNA molecules in a wide range of different organisms.
Steve Visscher, BBSRC Interim Chief Executive, said: "I am extremely pleased to see Prof Baulcombe's work recognised with a Lasker Award. His ground breaking research that first led to the search for and subsequent discovery of small RNAs has many implications. It increases our understanding of how diseases interact with the people, livestock and plants they infect.
"Prof Baulcombe's research is focused on fundamental plant biology but by awarding him the Basic Medical Research prize the Lasker Foundation has acknowledged an important point. Basic research reveals universal processes in the plant, microbe and animal kingdoms, contributing to an overall body of knowledge that can be tapped into to improve global quality of life.
"Prof Baulcombe's work on small RNAs in plants opened the door for bioscientists to discover specific RNAs that are involved in cancer, heart conditions and viral infections.
"The bioscience community and the UK as a whole should be very proud of Prof Baulcombe and the contribution his research has made. The award highlights the strength, quality and impact of UK plant science research."
Prof Baulcombe has been supported by BBSRC for much of his career and is an active member of the BBSRC community, having sat on a number of the Research Council's committees and panels. A significant proportion of his current research is funded through BBSRC grants.
BBSRC is the principal funder of basic plant research in the UK.
The Lasker Awards will be presented in New York on Friday 12 September. The Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research 2008 honours Victor R. Ambros, 54, of the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, David C. Baulcombe, 56, of the University of Cambridge, and Gary B. Ruvkun, 56, of Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston and Harvard Medical School, who discovered tiny RNAs that regulate gene function.