New York, USA · 11 September 2025 — The Lasker Foundation announced the winners of the 2025 Lasker Awards on 11 September 2025, recognising six individuals across three categories for their significant contributions to medical and biomedical research. Each award category carries a stipend of $250,000. The awards, sometimes referred to as "America's Nobels," have been awarded since 1945 and have honoured more than 400 scientists, many of whom have subsequently received Nobel Prizes.
Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award
The Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award, given "for a fundamental discovery that opens up a new area of biomedical science," was shared by Dirk Görlich of the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences in Göttingen, Germany, and Steven L. McKnight of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.
Both researchers focused on cellular logistics — the mechanisms by which cells organise and transport their internal components. Görlich discovered the critical role of transporter proteins that ferry molecules from the cytoplasm through pores in the nuclear membrane to penetrate the cell nucleus. His work revealed the selectivity and directionality of nuclear transport, a fundamental process in all eukaryotic cells.
Mcnight's studies of gene regulation led to the identification of the leucine zipper, a structural motif in transcription factors that controls how gene expression is turned on and off. He also investigated how proteins of low sequence complexity self-assemble to control cellular organisation, and how this process sometimes contributes to neurologic and neurodegenerative diseases.
"I want to thank the Lasker Foundation for this great honour," said Dr McKnight in a news release from UT Southwestern. "I am also grateful to the colleagues and trainees who've worked with me over the years and to the leadership of UT Southwestern, who have created the environment for scientists to probe challenging and important questions."
Lasker~DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award
The Lasker~DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award, recognising "a major advance that improves the lives of many thousands of people," was shared by three individuals: Michael J. Welsh of the University of Iowa, Jesús (Tito) González (formerly of Vertex Pharmaceuticals), and Paul A. Negulescu of Vertex Pharmaceuticals.
They were honoured for their key roles in developing a triple-drug combination therapy that has transformed the prognosis for patients with cystic fibrosis, a genetic disorder that causes mucus to clog the lungs and damage other organs, leading to inflammation, repeated infections, and ultimately death.
| 2025 Lasker Award Category | Recipients | Citation Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Basic Medical Research | Dirk Görlich, Steven L. McKnight | Structures and functions of low-complexity domains in protein sequences |
| Clinical Medical Research | Michael J. Welsh, Jesús (Tito) González, Paul A. Negulescu | Triple-drug combination therapy for cystic fibrosis |
| Special Achievement | Lucy Shapiro | Bacterial cell biology and national science leadership |
Welsh, who began studying cystic fibrosis as a medical student in the 1970s, was described by Denise Jamieson, vice president for medical affairs and dean of the UI Carver College of Medicine, as "a consummate physician-scientist who has devoted his career to improving patients' lives through the pursuit of discoveries that make life-saving medicines possible."
The research by Welsh, González, and Negulescu led to the discovery of how to correct mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) protein. Their work culminated in the development of Trikafta, a three-drug combination approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2019 that can dramatically improve lung function and life expectancy for the vast majority of cystic fibrosis patients. Before Trikafta, the median life expectancy for cystic fibrosis patients was in the mid-30s; with the therapy, many patients now anticipate a near-normal lifespan.
Lasker~Koshland Special Achievement Award in Medical Science
Lucy Shapiro, professor emerita of developmental biology and director of Stanford Medicine's Beckman Center, received the Lasker~Koshland Special Achievement Award in Medical Science. The award, given every two years and named after the late biochemist Daniel Koshland Jr., honours scientists "for research accomplishments and scientific statesmanship that engender the deepest feelings of awe and respect."
Shapiro was recognised for a 55-year career in biomedical science, including her discovery of how bacteria coordinate their genetic logic in time and space to generate distinct daughter cells — a foundational contribution to the field of bacterial cell biology. She was also honoured for founding Stanford's distinguished Department of Developmental Biology and for her exemplary national leadership, having advised several U.S. administrations on biological warfare and emerging infectious diseases.
Concerned about the rise of antibiotic resistance, Shapiro launched two biotech companies whose novel approaches have produced drugs for use in humans and an agent that targets an agricultural pest. She was the 18th recipient of the special achievement award.
"Many of the previous recipients are my heroes — people who I've looked up to my entire scientific career," Shapiro said in a Stanford Medicine news release. "It means more than I can possibly say to be part of that cadre. It is really the highest honour I can imagine."
A Tradition of Excellence
The Lasker Awards were established in 1945 by advertising pioneer Albert Lasker and his wife Mary, a staunch advocate for medical research who played a pivotal role in expanding U.S. federal investment in the National Institutes of Health. Over the decades, the awards have built a reputation as a leading indicator of future Nobel recognition; dozens of Lasker laureates have gone on to receive Nobel Prizes in Physiology or Medicine or Chemistry.
The 2025 Lasker Foundation awards were presented at a ceremony on 19 September 2025 in New York City. In addition to the three biennial and annual awards, the Lasker-Bloomberg Public Service Award, given every other year, will next be offered in 2026.
Sources:
- Forbes, "Here Are The Winners Of The 2025 Lasker Awards," 14 September 2025,
- EurekAlert, "2025 Lasker Awards," 11 September 2025,
- Lasker Foundation, "All Awards Winners,"
- UT Southwestern Medical Center, "UT Southwestern researcher receives Lasker Award," September 2025,
- Stanford Medicine, "Shapiro receives Lasker Award," September 2025,
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