At a special event December 11, attended by trustees from Sanford Burnham Prebys and featuring brief talks by many of the Institute’s newest faculty, the inaugural Erkki Ruoslahti Award for Transformational Leadership was presented to T. Denny Sanford.
The new award honors recipients whose visionary leadership drives positive change, inspires groundbreaking solutions and contributes to the transformation of industries and society.
It is named after one of the institute’s earliest faculty and its president from 1989 to 2002. Ruoslahti made seminal contributions to the discovery of cell adhesion receptors known as integrins, helped developed a novel class of tumor-homing peptides and advanced the science of nanomedicine.
His past honors include elected membership to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Medicine, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the European Molecular Biology Organization, the Japan Prize, Gairdner Foundation International Award, G.H.A. Clowes Award, Robert J. and Claire Pasarow Foundation Award and Jacobaeus International Prize.
In 2022, Ruoslahti was announced as one of three winners of the Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award, sometimes called “America’s Nobel.”
Sanford is, of course, one of the institute’s three namesakes, a distinguished businessman and philanthropist who has long supported its work and vision.
“Denny Sanford has been a friend, supporter and mentor for many, many years. He believes in the importance and value of both basic and translational science, of helping patients and the world become better and healthier,” said Brenner.
“His past, present and future support of Sanford Burnham Prebys is critical to our vision and mission. No one has done more. This award is a heart-felt, tangible symbol of our gratitude.”