Geneticist Stephen J. Elledge wins Breakthrough Prize
Stephen Elledge, the Gregor Mendel Professor of Genetics at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, has been named a 2017 recipient of the Breakthrough Prize, which recognizes paradigm-shifting discoveries in the life sciences, physics, and mathematics. Elledge was honored for his wide-ranging contributions across multiple fields in biology. His work has elucidated critical mechanisms in cell division, cell aging, cancer growth, and protein breakdown and recycling. The Breakthrough Prize — said to be the largest in the world for science — includes a $3 million award for each recipient and was celebrated during a televised gala at the NASA Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley and broadcast live on the National Geographic channel on Sunday. “This magnificent award is a fitting recognition and acknowledgement of Stephen’s outstanding ingenuity, tenacity and vision,” said Elizabeth G. Nabel, president of Brigham and Women’s Health Care. “We are extremely fortunate to count him among our...