Immunologists Marc Feldmann, Charles Dinarello and Tadamitsu Kishimoto have been awarded the Tang Prize in biopharmaceutical science, the head of the selection committee said at a news conference in Taipei yesterday.
The three were recognized for their contributions to the development of cytokine-targeting biological therapies to treat inflammatory diseases, according to the award citation released by the Tang Prize Foundation.
Cytokines are proteins produced by the immune system that transmit messages to cells and are contributors to inflammatory diseases, autoimmune syndromes and cancers.
Photo: CNA
Feldmann, 75, is an Australian immunologist who has contributed to the development of anti-tumor necrosis factor therapy for rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.
He was the first to demonstrate that diseased joints in people with rheumatoid arthritis have far more pro-inflammatory cytokines than normal, and he identified tumor necrosis factor as the critical cytokine, the foundation said.
Dinarello, a professor of medicine and immunology from the US, is “one of the founding fathers” of cytokine studies, having purified and cloned a protein named interleukin-1 beta (IL-1B), the foundation said.
He laid the groundwork for establishing IL-1B as a potent mediator of fever and inflammatory diseases, which led to the development of therapeutics, the foundation said.
Kishimoto, 76, of Japan discovered and cloned a cytokine that regulates antibody production, later named interleukin-6, and demonstrated its involvement in the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases, it said.
Successive trials, with Kishimoto’s help, have led to the approval of medicines for autoimmune diseases by regulatory agencies in various countries, it said.
“The pioneering work of doctors Feldmann, Dinarello and Kishimoto is transformative,” the foundation said. “Their research led to the development of biopharmaceuticals that have benefited millions of people suffering from autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.”
The Tang Prize is a two-yearly award established in 2012 by Taiwanese entrepreneur Samuel Yin (尹衍樑) to honor people who have made prominent contributions in four categories — sustainable development, biopharmaceutical science, Sinology and rule of law.
The three winners are to share a cash award of NT$40 million (US$1.35 million) and a NT$10 million research grant, and will receive medals and certificates.
A week-long program revolving around the ceremony is to begin on Sept. 20.
A study published by online booking platform Expedia revealed searches for travel to Taipei have ballooned 2,786 percent following the lifting of COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions due to the city being a “designation dupe” for Seoul. The TikTok trend for duping — referring to substituting a designation for a more inexpensive alternative — helped propel interest in Taipei, it said in a consumer survey titled “Unpack ‘24,” which was conducted from September to October in 14 countries. Location dupes are “every bit as delightful as the tried-and-true places travelers love,” Expedia trend tracker Melanie Fish said of the year’s popular alternatives, which
SAFETY IN REGULATION: The proposal states that Chiayi should assess whether it is viable to establish such a district and draft rules to protect clients and sex workers The Chiayi City Council passed a motion yesterday to assess the viability of establishing a regulated red-light district. The council yesterday held its last session of the year, at which its fiscal 2024 budget was approved, along with 61 other proposals. The proposal to assess the viability of establishing a red-light district was put forward by independent Chiayi City Councilor Molly Yen (顏色不分藍綠支持性專區顏色田慎節). The proposal cited 2011 amendments to the Social Order Maintenance Act (社會秩序維護法), which stipulate that city and county governments can pass autonomous regulations on the sex trade to manage the industry and guarantee industry workers’ rights. A ban on the
A small-scale protest that called on the government to cancel its plan to welcome Indian migrant workers in a bid to tackle Taiwan’s labor shortage was held in Taipei yesterday. During the protest, comprised of a few dozen people staged in front of the Presidential Office on Ketagalan Boulevard, the protest’s chief initiator, a woman identified only as “Yuna” said they wanted the central government to reconsider allowing migrant workers from India to enter Taiwan. Most people in Taiwan had little knowledge about the potential plan to allow in Indian migrant workers until a report in the media last month, she
CHINA illness surge: Of 88 travelers from China, Hong Kong and Macau with respiratory symptoms who were encouraged to get tested upon arrival, 70.6% had the flu Two hundred and sixty people with COVID-19 were hospitalized and 31 deaths related to the virus were reported last week — the highest numbers in four weeks, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday, adding that cases are expected to peak next month. CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) said that of the 260 people hospitalized last week with moderate to severe COVID-19, 98 percent had not received the Omicron XBB.1.5-adapted COVID-19 vaccine. Among the people hospitalized this year, 78 percent were aged 65 or older, while most of the those who were hospitalized or died have or had
RSS