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McLaughlin Medal
- 2011 - Morley D. Hollenberg
- 2010 - Mona Nemer, FRSC
- 2009 - Lorne Babiuk, FRSC
- 2008 - Robert Roberts, FRSC
- 2007 - John R. G. Challis
- 2006 - Michael D. Tyers, FRSC
- 2005 - Robert E. W. Hancock, FRSC
- 2004 - John J.M. Bergeron, FRSC
- 2003 - Robert G. Korneluk, FRSC
- 2002 - Sergio Grinstein, FRSC
- 2001 - Nabil G. Seidah, FRSC
- 2000 - Yogesh C. Patel, FRSC
- 1999 - Georges Pelletier, MSRC
- 1998 - Janet Rossant, FRSC
- 1997 - Yves L. Marcel
- 1996 - Alan Berstein, FRSC
- 1995 - Brenda Milner, FRSC
- 1994 - Jacques de Champlain, MSRC
- 1993 - Michel Chrétien, O.C., MSRC
- 1991 - Geoffrey Melvill Jones, FRSC
- 1990 - Tak Wah Mak, FRSC
- 1989 - Samuel Solomon, FRSC
- 1988 - Adolfo J. de Bold, FRSC
- 1987 - Henry G. Friesen, FRSC
- 1986 - André Barbeau, MSRC
- 1985 - Herbert H. Jasper, FRSC
- 1984 - Claude Fortier, MSRC
- 1983 - Charles P. Leblond, FRSC
- 1982 - John Canvin Brown, FRSC
- 1981 - Charles R. Scriver, FRSC
- 1980 - William Robert Bruce, FRSC
- 1979 - Bernard R. Belleau, FRSC
Top of Page2011 - Morley D. Hollenberg
Since the late 1960s, Dr. Hollenberg has been responsible for sustained and original contributions related to the molecular pharmacology of hormone action. He was the first to crystallize the hormones, oxytocin and vasopressin as neurophysin complexes, heralding their subsequently determined X-ray structure and to demonstrate the insulin-like actions of oxytocin in adipocytes. He also was amongst the first to document the synthesis of adult haemoglobin by foetal reticulocytes. Subsequently, his work led to the characterisation of the receptor for epidermal growth factor (EGFR) by ligand binding methods, demonstrating the equivalence of human urogastrone and murine EGF as EGF receptor ligands. This work led to the identification of receptor subtypes for EGF that regulate rapid responses in smooth muscle, an unappreciated role for the growth factors and their now recognized ERB-B receptor family. His work identified tyrosine kinase signal pathways in common between the EGFR and the G-protein-coupled proteinase-activated receptors for thrombin (PARs) and identified, with selective PAR-activating peptides (PAR-APs), PAR family receptor subtypes before their cloning. The pharmacology of the P AR-APs, pioneered by Hollenberg and his collaborators has identified unexpected inflammatory and nociceptive roles that these receptors play in vivo. This work has kindled an entirely new vision of the hormone-like properties of proteinases and has established PARs as key players in many diseases including arthritis, colitis and neurodegeneration. What typifies the work is a sustained level of research excellence and originality over 40 years, using molecular and biochemical pharmacological methodologies and a team-approach to solving complex biological problems.
2010 - Mona Nemer, FRSC
An internationally acclaimed scientist and mentor, Mona Nemer has had a fundamental and transformative impact on biomedical sciences, particularly in the area of molecular cardiology. Her characterisation of essential genes for heart formation uncovered the genetic basis of several forms of congenital heart disease. Her discovery of cardiac natriuretic hormones as biomarkers for heart failure was translated into widely used clinical diagnostic and prognostic tools.
2009 - Lorne Babiuk, FRSC
Lorne A. Babiuk was the vision behind the transformation of a research concept to a preeminent research institute called the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) targeting vaccine development of both animals and humans. This vision has resulted in building the infrastructure to investigate level II and III pathogens with a focus that is unique both in Canada and internationally.
2008 - Robert Roberts, FRSC
Dr. Robert Roberts' scientific achievements impacted cardiology for decades and current research is providing the fundamentals for personalized cardiovascular medicine. Dr. Roberts founded the Canadian Genetics Centre to pursue genes responsible for coronary artery disease (CAD), the number one killer and, in collaboration with others, he identified the first common genetic variant with increased risk for CAD, present in 75% of Caucasians and independent of known risk factors.
2007 - John R. G. Challis
John Challis is distinguished as the leading international authority on fetal-placental endocrinology and hormonal mechanisms in pregnancy leading to clinical labour. He has uncovered the key roles of peptide hormones, steroids and prostaglandins in the birth process. His pioneering studies on regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in the fetus during normal pregnancy have been foundational to basic knowledge and practical resolution of pathologies.
2006 - Michael D. Tyers, FRSC
Department of Medical Genetics and Microbiology, University of Toronto
Dr. Tyers has transformed our understanding of the cell cycle, and cellular organization and has made a number of seminal discoveries in his career. He recently pioneered the application of functional genomic and proteomic technologies to important biological questions. His efforts to chart protein and genetic interactions have accelerated biological discovery in many fields and provided the first glimpse of the global properties of biological networks.
2005 - Robert E. W. Hancock, FRSC
Robert E. W. Hancock, FRSC, is Professor at the Centre for Microbial Disease Research at The University of British Columbia. Professor Hancock's contributions to research and research administration have established him as a leader in Canadian Science. They are remarkable for both their prodigiousness and their innovative, pioneering nature. He has published more than 360 papers and 18 patents, and was named as one of the worlds most highly cited microbiology authors. He has made numerous and seminal contributions to at least four major fields of study: the outer membranes of Gram-negative bacteria; antibiotic uptake/resistance; the cationic antimicrobial peptides; and the genetics of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, an important opportunistic pathogen. He is well known for his elucidation of antibiotic uptake pathways across the bacterial outer membrane, including the self-promoted uptake pathway which he discovered and characterized. In addition he has performed seminal studies on small cationic peptides as "nature's antibiotics" and boosters of innate immunity and helped define the diversity, mechanism of action against bacteria, therapeutic potential, role in innate immunity and anti-endotoxic action of these peptides. Interested in the downstream benefits of his research to society, he co-founded companies such as Micrologix Biotech Inc. and Inimex Pharmaceuticals Inc to meet the need for new antimicrobial agents and strategies to combat infectious diseases. In 1990 he became the founding Scientific Director of the Canadian Bacterial Diseases Network of Centres of Excellence. For his achievements he has been honoured with numerous awards including induction as an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2001 and in 2003 received the world's leading prize in antimicrobial research, the Aventis Pharmaceuticals award.
2004 - John J.M. Bergeron, FRSC
John Bergeron, FRSC, graduated with Honours in Biochemistry from McGill then earned his D.Phil at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar prior to working at Rockefeller University with George Palade and Phil Siekevitz. He is the Robert Reford Professor, Chair of Anatomy and Cell Biology at McGill University, Director of the Montreal Proteomics Network and one of Canada's leading cell biologists who has made key discoveries on protein maturation, trafficking and function. With Barry Posner, he and his colleagues pioneered the study of the intracellular structures involved in ligand-induced internalization of cell surface receptors. This work led to the recognition of a novel cellular organelle - the endosomal apparatus - and the realization that internalized hormone / growth factor-receptor complexes are central to cell signaling. Along with David Thomas, he discovered calnexin and uncovered its role as a glycoprotein chaperone. This work led to the delineation of the Calnexin Cycle and the elaboration of a model for quality control of glycoprotein synthesis, a major determinant of cell surface membrane structure and function. His leadership in creating the Montreal Proteomics Network has enabled colleagues around the city of Montreal and beyond to perform key studies using an organellar proteomics approach. His leadership and creative accomplishments have been recognized most recently by his election to Presidency of the Human Proteome Organization (HUPO) and the establishment of its international headquarters in Montreal.
2003 - Robert G. Korneluk, FRSC
Dr. Robert Korneluk, Professor of Paediatrics and of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Ottawa, has become internationally recognized for significant contributions to the field of human molecular genetics. He has been at the forefront of some major scientific discoveries pertaining to the identification of the human genes involved in certain important neuromuscular, neurodegenerative and proliferative disorders. As an author of over 140 research papers, he is published in most of the top journals in the field of biomedical science.
Since 1986, Dr. Korneluk has been an active member of the Canadian biomedical research community, receiving numerous, competitive, operating grants.In 1995, Dr. Korneluk and his group discovered an important family of genes that control programmed cell death or apoptosis. This discovery led to the creation of a biotech company, Aegera Therapeutics Inc., of which Dr. Korneluk is a principal scientific founder. He is also the Scientific Director of a new research facility at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) called the Apoptosis Research Center (ARC).
Dr. Korneluk has demonstrated a unique dedication and enthusiastic commitment to basic and applied biomedical research. This has laid a solid foundation for a stimulating and productive research environment at CHEO for the training of future Canadian scientists.
2002 - Sergio Grinstein, FRSC
The area of expertise of Sergio Grinstein, FRSC, Professor, Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Distinguished Scientist of the Canadian Institutes for Health Research, and Pitblado Chair in Cell Biology, Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children, are ion pumps and their roles in intracellular homeostasis, namely, the control of cell volume and of intra-cellular and intra-organelle parameters such as pH and calcium concentration. One of Sergio's main gifts is his ability to devise novel methods and approaches to solve difficult problems in cell biology. For example, he has developed methods for the measurement of pH in individual subcellular compartments within living cells. These and other remarkable methods have been widely used by his group and by others to study intracellular homeostasis. Probes have been developed that can be specifically targeted to either the endoplasmic reticulum, the Golgi complex, the trans-Golgi network or recycling endosomes. These probes provide powerful tools for the measurement of pH within individual organelles. Such measurements have been used to define the regulatory mechanisms that control variations in pH within organelles of the cell. Dr. Grinstein has also studied the processes that trigger the microbe-killing responses of white cells in the blood (neutrophils and macrophages). In particular, he has defined the role of kinases and phosphatases in the stimulation of the leukocyte respiratory burst and the involvement of secretion of endomembranes during phagosome
2001 - Nabil G. Seidah, FRSC
Nabil G. Seidah, FRSC, Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal (IRCM) and Laboratory of Biochemical Neuroendocrinology, Université de Montréal, got his Ph.D. in 1973 (with honours) from Georgetown University in Washington DC on the physic-mathematical models of artificial bilayer lipid membranes. With Professor Herman Dugas at the Université de Montréal, he continued to study transport across lipid bilayers using Electron Spin Resonance. In 1974, he switched to the field of protein chemistry when he joined the IRCM, rapidly becoming fluent in a field where he has since functioned independently at the highest level. He is the codiscoverer of human ß-endorphin and has worked extensively on its biosynthesis. In 1990, following thirteen years of intense efforts, he unravelled the mystery of the convertases, a new family of proteolytic enzymes. He went on to discover six of the eight which have been identified so far. Convertases are involved in numerous diseases like Alzheimer, atherosclerosis, AIDS, cancer, obesity and diabetes. Nabil Seidah is recognized as the world leader in this exciting field. He organized the first Keystone conference on convertases. He received the Manning Award of Distinction and the R&D Gold Medal of PMAC. He was elected as member of the Royal Society of Canada, the Order of Canada and the Ordre national du Québec.
2000 - Yogesh C. Patel, FRSC
Dr. Yogesh C. Patel, Professor of Medicine, Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, has made outstanding original contributions to our understanding of the basic and applied functions of the peptide hormone somatostatin and is recognized as a foremost international authority on the peptide and its receptor family. He has published over 200 scientific articles and illuminated virtually every aspect of somatostatin function including its biosynthesis, posttranslational processing, gene regulation, metabolism, mechanism of action, and somatostatin dysfunction in diseases such as diabetes, cancer, and neurodegeneration. He developed one of the earliest radioimmunoassays for somatostatin and was the first to report that somatostatin was released from nerve endings and thus subserved a neurotransmitter function in the brain. Dr. Patel's group first described somatostatin receptors in brain, and showed that there were several different types that associate with other receptors to create novel receptor pairs known as heterodimers.
Dr. Patel's research has been extended into the clinical domain through the application of somatostatin receptor analysis in cancer and the use of somatostatin analogs for tumor diagnosis by somatostatin receptor imaging as well as for therapy. His publications have collectively received over 7100 citations.
1999 - Georges Pelletier, MSRC
Georges Pelletier, Department of Physiology of the Faculty of Medicine, Laval University, is a senior member the MRC Group in Molecular Endocrinology since 1973 when this group was formed and recognized by the MRC. In the early seventies, Pelletier was a pioneer in the development and applications to neuroendocrinology of high resolution (electron microscopy) immunocytochemical techniques. He was the first investigator to describe at the ultrastructural level the fine localization of neuropeptides in neurons of the central nervous system. His efforts are mainly dedicated to the understanding of the complex neuronal interactions involved in the regulation of pituitary and peripheral hormones and he is recognized as an international leader not only in neuroendocrinology but also in the general field of peptide neurobiology. In fact, the majority of his publications are in Journals specialized in either endocrinology or neurobiology. Pelletier is a very prolific scientist. So far, he has published over 440 scientific manuscripts in high-ranked Journals and presented over 441 communications at national and international meetings.
1998 - Janet Rossant, FRSC
Dr. Janet Rossant, Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, University of Toronto, has contributed over many years to the field of developmental biology here in Canada and around the world. She has made many seminal research contributions, including the roles of various signalling molecules in early mammalian development and in the development of the cardiovascular and nervous systems. She was one of the pioneers who, early on, recognized the potential that molecular genetic techniques would have in understanding the mechanisms of mammalian development. Her research and personal contributions have placed Canada at the very forefront of developmental biology research worldwide.
1997 - Yves L. Marcel
Professor Marcel received his training at the Université de Toulouse in Chemistry and Biochemistry. After postdoctoral training at the Hormel Institute of the University of Minnesota, he has had a distinguished research career at the Clinical Research Institute of Montréal and is now at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. During his career, he has published more that 140 scientific articles, chapters and books in the field of lipid and lipoprotein metabolism. He first contributed to the definition of pathways for the transformation in vivo of polyunsaturated fatty acids. His major work has been in the structure-function analysis of human apolipoproteins, specifically apolipoproteins A-I, B, and E, three major proteins of HDL and LDL. Using panels of specific monoclonal antibodies, he has characterized functional domains important for lipid binding or interaction with receptors. He also made significant contributions to the characterization of the protein which transfers cholesterol esters between lipoproteins. His work has provided a clearer understanding of the mechanism of cholesterol transport by these proteins.
1996 - Alan Berstein, FRSC
Alan Bernstein has made a number of fundamental observations that have illuminated our understanding of normal mammalian development. His work has also illuminated the genetic basis for a variety of disease processes, notably cancer. Dr. Bernstein's early work with the Friend erythroleukemia virus represents a pioneering effort in deciphering the molecular basis for retrovirally-induced cancers. This study led directly to the identification of oncogenes and tumour suppressor genes involved in human cancer. Pursuing his interest in retroviruses and hematopoiesis, Dr. Bernstein introduced the use of recombinant retroviruses to genetically mark early hematopoietic stem cells. This work has greatly enhanced our understanding of cellular differentiation during hematopoiesis, and our knowledge of hematopoietic stem cells. His work in this field has been very influential in the development of gene therapy techniques. Recently Dr. Bernstein has identified several of the genes that control normal developmental processes. Most notably, he showed that the W locus in the mouse, which controls the formation of multiple cell lineages in embryonic development, encodes the Kit receptor tyrosine kinase. This finding has been critical in demonstrating the role of cell signalling in normal mammalian development and differentiation, and has led to the realization that mutations in growth factor receptor genes (such as W/kit) can induce inherited developmental abnormalities in humans.
1995 - Brenda Milner, FRSC
Brenda Milner, Professor of Neurology and Neurosurgery at the Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI) and McGill University, is one of the pioneers and founders of modern neuropsychology. After graduating from the University of Cambridge, Dr. Milner came to the Université de Montréal and in 1950, to the MNI and McGill to study the intellectual effects of temporal lobe damage in humans, completing a Ph.D. thesis in 1952 supervised by Professor Donald Hebb. Dr. Milner remained at the MNI to continue a series of outstanding studies on behavioural effects of brain lesions in humans in collaboration with Dr. Wilder Penfield and others. Her research examined patients before and after brain excisions carried out for the treatment of epilepsy. These studies have added substantially to our understanding of various regions of the human brain, especially the temporal, frontal and parietal lobes, in learning, memory and speech functions. One of Milner's best recognized findings was to identify the role of the hippocampus in recent memory using patients with bilateral hippocampal lesions; this work is classic in the neuropsychological literature. Her observations on the interrelated dominance of the right and left sides of the brain, localization of speech function, the behavioural effects of frontal lobe lesions, and the relation of sensory and especially visual function to learning performance have also been significant landmarks.
1994 - Jacques de Champlain, MSRC
Citation available in French only.
1993 - Michel Chrétien, O.C., MSRC
Citation available in French only.
1991 - Geoffrey Melvill Jones, FRSC
Dr. Geoffrey Melvill Jones, McGill University, is the 1991 recipient of The McLaughlin Medal of The Royal Society of Canada in recognition of his many contributions to neuroscience, notably for a masterly series of imaginative, carefully designed experiments which established that in animals and humans the reflexes that control eye position are not unchanging but can be modified by such means as wearing reversing spectacles. This crucial discovery has had far-reaching effects on studies of neural systems. In addition, using his early experiences as a pilot, he has made life-long investigations into the functions of the inner ear and its role in body balance and posture.
1990 - Tak Wah Mak, FRSC
Dr. Tak W. Mak is widely recognized as a leader in the field of molecular immunology. He earned international recognition for his success in isolating a molecular clone for the antigen receptor on T-lymphocytes. This discovery solved an enigma that had puzzled immunologists for twenty years and stimulated an understanding of how the immune system rejects foreign cells, including those infected with viruses or transformed into malignancy. The molecular cloning of the gene responsible for the beta chain of the specific antigen receptor on T-lymphocytes is a milestone in immunology. The findings have clinical significance in the elucidation of the nature of hemopoietic malignancies in general and of T-lymphocytes in particular. Dr. Mak's work is important beyond the field of cancer, it has implications for autoimmunity and AIDS. Dr. Mak's early studies were on RNA tumor viruses, specifically the Friend Leukemia Virus. In 1984, the isolation and cloning of a gene specifying the amino acid sequence of the human T-lymphocyte receptor was a finding that began the solution of the problem of T-cell antigen recognition.
Dr. Mak was born in 1946 and earned his B.Sc. (1967) and M.Sc. (1968) at the University of Wisconsin and his Ph.D. (1971) at the University of Alberta. He has been a member of the scientific staff at the Ontario Cancer Institute in Toronto since 1974. His awards include the E.W.R. Steacie Award, the Ayerst Award, the Stacie Prize and the Gairdner International Award. He has published more than 140 papers and also performs editorial duties for publications such as Scandinavian Journal of Immunology, Biosciences Report and The International Journal of Immunology and acts as reviewer for Nature, New England Journal of Medicine and Journal of Experimental Medicine, among others.
1989 - Samuel Solomon, FRSC
Samuel Solomon has a distinguished research career in the fields of endocrinology and reproductive biology. He began as a steroid biochemist interested in reproductive biology and has become an expert in fetal biochemistry and peptide chemistry. Dr. Solomon and his laboratory associates pioneered substantial advances in our understanding of the complex nature of steroid metabolism. His work on the placenta and the chemical characterization of corticotrophic and other peptides has won him worldwide recognition. His studies on developmental changes in fetal endocrine systems are regarded by many as being at the frontiers of biomedical science. As a tireless advocate of medical science research, he has encouraged governments and agencies to recognize its importance with an appropriate level of support.
1988 - Adolfo J. de Bold, FRSC
Adolfo J. de Bold's research career began when he immigrated to Canada from Argentina in 1968 to undertake graduate studies in Pathology at Queen's University under the direction of Sergio Bencosme. His M.Sc. and Ph.D. were directed at studies on the staining of the peculiar granules present in specific atrial cardiocytes, which he found to be dramatically altered by changes in water and salt metabolism. These studies led to the discovery of the Atrial Natriuretic Factor (ANF)-a powerful natriuretic hormone produced by these atrial cardiocytes-and to the determination of its amino acid sequence (1983). Because of its implications in the management of heart disease and hypertension, his discovery has had a profound effect on endocrinology and cardiovascular physiology, and has resulted in a number of international conferences and a prodigious output of original papers (now running at sixty per month). In 1986, his achievements in research have been recognized by the Gairdner Foundation Annual Award, the American Society for Hypertension Research Award, the Canadian Cardiovascular Society Research Achievement Award, the E.C. Manning Principal Award and Maclean's Honor Role.
1987 - Henry G. Friesen, FRSC
Henry G. Friesen, Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba, is an outstanding scholar and devoted clinical and basic medical scientist who has made major contributions in the field of endocrinology and pituitary hormones. His extensive research studies on the isolation and the mechanisms of action of human prolactin are a landmark in endocrinology leading to a better understanding of the physiological control of prolactin and to medical treatment through promocriptive now used worldwide. The application of the assay for human prolactin has had a major effect on clinical medicine in the management of amenorrhea, galactorrhea and infertility. Dr. Friesen has also led the Medical Research Council of Canada's (McGill University) trial of human growth hormone for the therapy of hypopituitary dwarfism by co-ordinating the isolation of the hormone from human pituitaries and its distribution and use in Canadian patients.
Dr. Friesen was born in Morden, Manitoba, in 1934, and earned his B.Sc. Medicine and M.D. at the University of Manitoba. He began his academic and research career in 1958 at Winnipeg General Hospital, from which he went to the New England Center Hospital in Boston, the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal, Tufts University School of Medicine, and McGill University. From 1965 to 1973, Dr. Friesen held an Associateship at the Medical Research Council while Associate Professor and Professor of Experimental Medicine at McGill. He joined the University of Manitoba in 1973 as Professor and Head, Department of Physiology, where he is also professor of Medicine and a member of the Health Sciences Centre, Endocrinology and Metabolism. He is currently a member of the Board of Directors, National Cancer Institute of Canada. Dr. Friesen holds membership in Canadian and U.S. professional associations and has been active on numerous editorial boards and advisory, review and program committees. He also has an extensive publication record of more than 300 papers. His achievements have been recognized by many awards.
1986 - André Barbeau, MSRC
André Barbeau, O.C., MSRC, Clinical Research Institute of Montreal (CRIM), professor and director of the Department of Neurology, Université de Montréal, has made important clinical and research contributions to the field of neurology. While still in training in neurology he initiated the research that was to lead, in 1960, to the demonstration of the dopamine deficit in Parkinson's disease. In 1961 he established the Laboratoire de neurologie at the Université de Montréal, where he began the arduous and painstaking first steps to define the proper role of L-DOPA in the treatment of Parkinson's disease. His discoveries were responsible for a new optimistic attitude taken by neurologists towards the treatment of chronic neurological disorders. Epidemiological investigations recently carried out by Dr. Barbeau and his group have clearly identified environmental triggers responsible for the high prevalence foci of Parkinson's disease. Dr. Barbeau moved to the Clinical Research Institute of Montreal in 1967, where he has been director of the Department of Neurology. In 1975, Dr. Barbeau set up, and has since directed, the Quebec Cooperative Society of Friedreich's Ataxia.
In addition to his studies in neuropharmacology, Dr. Barbeau investigated the role of trace metals in the brain and delineated, for the first time, the linked role of zinc and taurine in epilepsy. Further neurologic studies uncovered a new disease-ataxia erythrokeratodermia. Born in Montreal in 1931, he graduated with a BA at College Stanislas and obtained his medical degree from the Université de Montréal.
1985 - Herbert H. Jasper, FRSC
In the medical research community of Canada there is an extraordinarily large number of researchers whose field is neuroscience, a fact which owes much to the early leadership and inspiration provided by a few men of whom Herbert Jasper was one. Coming to the Montreal Neurological Institute in 1938, Dr. Jasper actively and successfully pursued research there in both basic and applied neurophysiology until 1965 when he crossed Mount Royal to become professor of Neurophysiology and director of the first Group of the Medical Research Council, that in Neurological Sciences, at the Université de Montréal. He established the journal Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology, and was a founder and the first Executive Secretary of the International Brain Research Organization. Now the dean of Canadian neuroscience, Dr. Jasper is a man to whom all who have followed him in the field must be deeply indebted.
1984 - Claude Fortier, MSRC
Citation available in French only.
1983 - Charles P. Leblond, FRSC
Charles Leblond received the Flavelle Medal of the Society, for outstanding contributions to biology, in 1961. Far from retiring, he proceeded to develop radioautography, a technique that permits the accurate localization of radioactive elements within cells, tissues and organs. This development grew out of his pioneering study, using radioactive iodine, of the thyroid hormone, which he demonstrated was concentrated in the colloid of the thyroid follicles after injection. He proceeded to study the synthesis of proteins and glycoproteins in various cell types using labelled amino acids and sugars, to work on RNA synthesis in the nucleolus of cells using labelled uridine, and to investigate immunocytochemical reactions on the basement membranes. In fact, he has been a pioneer in what has become known as cell biology, a science resulting from the symbiosis of cytology and chemistry. Professor Leblond, more than any other person, is responsible for converting histology from a descriptive to a dynamic discipline.
1982 - John Canvin Brown, FRSC
John C. Brown is recognized internationally as a leader in the field of gastrointestinal hormones through his discovery, chemical elucidation and synthesis of GIP (gastric inhibitory polypeptide) and his demonstration that this hormone has a critical role in control of Insulin secretion and carbohydrate metabolism. His discoveries have literally revolutionized concepts of control of carbohydrate metabolism and have resulted in a number of conferences specifically oriented towards GIP and its role in such problems as mature onset diabetes and obesity. In 1979, he received the Ernst Oppenheimer Award of the Endocrine Society-its highest tribute to a young career endocrinologist. It is significant that this work was carried out primarily in Canada and has brought great honour to Canadian medical science.
1981 - Charles R. Scriver, FRSC
Born in Montreal in 1930, Dr. Charles R. Scriver, FRSC pursued all his studies in his home city. After graduating cum laude from the Faculty of Medicine of McGill University in 1955, he spent two years in the laboratory of Charles Dent at University College Hospital, London. His studies, always inspired by clinical problems, have resulted in important contributions to the more basic medical sciences. He determined that certain human mutations result in the abnormal transport of specific amino acids, and he used this knowledge to understand the mechanisms by which amino acids are transported in the kidney and intestine. He discovered a dozen diseases, and contributed important knowledge to almost every other disorder of amino acid metabolism or transport in man. In genetics he defined the basic defeat in a human disorder of phosphate transport, improved its treatment, and is now examining the molecular basis of phosphate transport in mammals. He identified major abnormalities in the structure of keratin in one disease, and is studying the synthesis of collagen in another. He developed practical screening methods to identify biochemical diseases in newborn infants; the Quebec program is an internationally recognized model for neonatal screening.
1980 - William Robert Bruce, FRSC
Dr. W. R. Bruce has an outstanding career in medical science in four major fields. He used newly discovered colony methods to determine the cellular mechanisms underlying the sensitivity and resistance of normal and malignant cells to chemotherapeutic agents; he developed a system for the computerization of records of cancer patients, which is used throughout the world; he has investigated the cellular events occurring during spermatogenesis and devised methods for detecting the carcinogenetic activity of compounds by observing their effects on sperm formation; and he is now studying the endogeneous production of carcinogens in the human intestine and has tentatively identified these carcinogenic compounds as N-nitrosoamines. These investigations are leading to an understanding of the relationship between diet and cancer and may well result in an effective programme of cancer prevention.
1979 - Bernard R. Belleau, FRSC
Bernard R. Belleau, O.C., FRSC, Department of Chemistry, McGill University, has vindicated triumphantly the early chemists' guess that the biological activity of an organic molecule depends critically on its shape -the "lock and key" theory. He has done this by bringing to the study of drug action the newest concepts of physical chemistry: deuterium isotope effects, conformation theory, hydrophobic interactions, absolute configuration of receptor sites. For more than a century mankind has been searching for a potent non-narcotic analgesic devoid of morphine-like side-effects. The consensus is that the long-sought "clean" analgesic is on hand. Dr. Belleau conceived the structure as well as an original practical synthesis of a morphine substitute, Butorphanol, whose properties have been evaluated in about 2000 humans afflicted with varied types of pain. It has also been shown that Butorphanol exhibits a very low (if not nil) physical dependence liability in human subjects, and it has been made available to the medical profession, in 1976, in Latin America and Europe and, in 1977, in the United States and Canada. The development of Butorphanol for general use by the public was done by Bristol Laboratories, which provided Dr. Belleau with both the installations and the assistants to tackle this considerable challenge successfully. Canada has arrived late in the field of drug design and synthesis, but with Belleau's work it has achieved world-wide recognition as the day is thus approaching fast when opium and its derivatives may vanish from the scene. The social consequences of this development need not be stressed.
Another still more recent highlight of Dr. Belleau's work is the conception of the structure and of an original total synthesis of a new series of potent B-lactam antibiotics. These recent practical developments highlight a record of astounding productivity. His theoretical contributions are so numerous that they cannot be easily summarized. Dr. Belleau's ideas have revolutionized the field of drug design, helping to transform it from an empirical craft to a rational discipline.