Event poster
Two of the world's brightest minds in biomedicine are sharing their stories and their science on Oct. 26 at the University of Alberta. The U of A's Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry is partnering with the Canada Gairdner Foundation in bringing 2015 Canada Gairdner Foundation International Award winner Shimon Sakaguchi and 2005 Canada Gairdner International Laureate Jeffrey Friedman to the university for a pair of public speaker events.
The scientists, whose work has, respectively, given groundbreaking new insight into immunology and obesity, will each give a presentation to Edmonton area high school students on the morning of Oct. 26. It will be followed by a Gairdner Lecture in the afternoon for local researchers and the public.
"The Gairdner Award is recognized around the world as one of the major awards in biomedical sciences and many of the individuals who have won a Gairdner have gone on to win a Nobel Prize," says Rick Wozniak, a professor in the Department of Cell Biology and a co-host of the event. "For the high school students attending, it's a really unique opportunity to meet and talk with these highly influential people and it gives them some indication of what it would be like to be a scientist. For our staff and the public who attend the Gairdner Lecture, it's a great opportunity to get a taste of cutting-edge research in the respective fields of these individuals."
More than 320 individuals from various fields have won the Canada Gairdner Award since its inception in 1959. Eighty-two of them have gone on to win a Nobel Prize in Medicine. Their findings are the backbone of many medical and pharmaceutical advances that have saved millions of lives and improved global health.
Shimon Sakaguchi, a 2015 award winner, is an immunologist from Osaka University in Japan who is recognized for his work on the control of immune responses. He is known particularly for his discovery of regulatory T cells, a key factor in the immune system for the maintenance of immune self-tolerance and homeostasis.
Jeffrey Friedman, a recipient of the Canada Gairdner International Award in 2005, studies the molecular mechanisms that regulate food intake and body weight. His work led to the identification of leptin, a hormone made by fat tissue, which plays a key role in regulating weight. Friedman's current work is exploring the mechanisms by which leptin controls feeding behaviour and body weight.
"Since 1983, the Gairdner Foundation, assisted by the Governments of Alberta, Ontario and Canada, has been a tremendous supporter of this annual event," says David Evans, vice-dean, research, for the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry and the other co-host of the event. "Gairdner Prize winners are world-renowned biomedical researchers whose discoveries have shaped our understanding of the origins of disease and how one might treat and cure such diseases. I would encourage anyone interested in health research to attend these interesting and informative lectures."
Following is a list of events for Drs Sakaguchi and Friedman:
Monday, October 26, 2015
10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. - Student lecture, Walter C. Mackenzie Health Sciences Centre, Bernard Snell Auditorium
3 to 5 p.m. - Canada Gairdner Lecture, Edmonton Clinic Health Academy, room 2-190