Salk Nobel Laureate honored with President's Medal by Indiana University

April 7, 2011

Salk Nobel Laureate honored with President’s Medal by Indiana University

April 7, 2011

LA JOLLA, CA—The Salk Institute for Biological Studies is pleased to announce that Nobel Laureate and distinguished Salk research professor Renato Dulbecco, has been awarded the President’s Medal for Excellence by Indiana University.

One of the highest honors an IU president can bestow, the award was first presented on Sept. 20, 1985, to members of the Beaux Arts Trio. Criteria for recipients include distinction in public service, service to IU, achievement in a profession and extraordinary merit and achievement in the arts, humanities, science, education and industry.

“Renato Dulbecco is a brilliant investigator and scientific visionary,” said Salk President William R. Brody. “His extraordinary contributions to science epitomize everything the President’s Medal stands for and we are delighted that Indiana University has recognized his remarkable achievements with this award.”

A Founding Fellow of the Salk Institute and President Emeritus, Dr. Dulbecco was one of four Nobel Laureates who worked together at IU in the life sciences during the late 1940s. He is credited with playing a pivotal role in the development of modern molecular biology and revealing the biochemical basis of our genetic codes.

Dulbecco’s seminal research provided the first clue to the genetic nature of cancer and he was jointly awarded the 1975 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine and for discoveries concerning the interaction between tumor viruses and the genetic material of the cell.

His research revealed how a virus could insert its own genes into the chromosome of the cell it infects and “turn on” the uncontrolled growth that is the hallmark of cancer. This was the first solid evidence that cancer originates when a cell’s genes become mutated, or co-opted, and the breakthrough transformed the way scientists viewed cancer. Dulbecco’s study gave a basis for precise understanding of the molecular mechanisms by which cancer cells propagate, thus allowing future researchers to better understand and fight the disease.

In 1986, Dulbecco initiated the idea of studying all human genes, helping to launch the worldwide Human Genome Project.

Dr. Dulbecco is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the Lasker Award and those given by the National Academy of Sciences, the Royal Society of London and the Academia Del Lincei of Italy. To highlight his achievements, the Salk Institute established the Dulbecco Laboratories for Cancer Research in 2005 and created the Renato Dulbecco Chair in Genomics in 2010.

关于索尔克生物研究所：
索尔克生物研究所是世界顶尖的基础研究机构之一，其国际知名的教职人员在一个独特、协作和富有创造性的环境中，深入探究生命科学的基本问题。索尔克科学家们致力于发现和指导未来几代研究人员，通过研究神经科学、遗传学、细胞和植物生物学以及相关学科，在癌症、衰老、阿尔茨海默氏症、糖尿病和传染病的认识方面做出了开创性的贡献。.

学院取得了许多成就，获得了包括诺贝尔奖和美国国家科学院院士在内的无数荣誉。该研究所由脊髓灰质炎疫苗先驱 Jonas Salk 博士于 1960 年创立，是一家独立的非营利组织和建筑地标。.