June 17, 2008
Professor Shinya Yamanaka, Director of the Center for iPS Cell Research and Application, Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences, and professor at the Institute for Frontier Medical Sciences has been awarded the Shaw Prize in Life science and medicine in recognition of his achievement in successfully generating human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS stem cells).
The prize was jointly awarded to Professor Ian Wilmut of Edinburgh University, UK and Professor Keith Campbell of the University of Nottingham, UK, creators of ‘Dolly’ the cloned sheep. Fifty percent of the award was attributed to the two British professors and fifty percent to Professor Yamanaka.
The Shaw Prize was established in 2002 by Sir Run Run Shaw, a leader in the media industry in Hong Kong. It is an academic award intended to honor individuals who have achieved significant breakthroughs in their respective fields. This is the fifth time the prize has been awarded, and Professor Yamanaka is its first Japanese recipient.
The award ceremony will take place on September 9.