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Cambridge, MA, September 15, 2011 - Proteostasis Therapeutics announced today that Franz]Ulrich Hartl, M.D., D. Med, Chairman of the Companyfs Scientific Advisory Board, has received the 2011 Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research, for discoveries concerning the cellfs protein]folding machinery. Dr. Hartl, who is a Professor and Director of the Department of Cellular Biochemistry at Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, was honored alongside Arthur L. Horwich, M.D., of Yale University School of Medicine. Protein folding is a major component of the Proteostasis Network, which regulates protein folding, trafficking, and clearance within cells to maintain protein homeostasis.
gWe are delighted that the Lasker Foundation recognizes protein folding as an important area of biomedical research, and congratulate Drs. Hartl and Horwich for receiving this prestigious award that honors their contributions to this field,h said Peter Reinhart, Ph.D., Proteostasisf President and Chief Scientific Officer. gThe Company has benefitted greatly from Dr. Hartlfs leadership on our Scientific Advisory Board, and from his close involvement with the Company as we work to translate these types of discoveries into disease]modifying small molecule drugs that regulate key Proteostasis Network pathways, including protein folding, involved in diseases such as Parkinsonfs, Alzheimerfs, Huntingtonfs, cystic fibrosis and other genetic disorders.h
Dr. Hartl commented, gI hope that understanding the basic cellular mechanisms of protein folding will aid the development of new therapies for the many diseases that are caused by protein misfolding and aggregation. There is a realistic opportunity that, by activating the cellfs proteostasis machinery, we will be able to impact a whole class of age]onset neurodegenerative disorders.h
To view a description of the discoveries that led to this award, please visit the Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award page by clicking here.
About Dr. Hartl
Dr. Hartl received his doctoral degree in Biochemistry from the University of Heidelberg. In 1985, he moved to the laboratory of Walter Neupert in Munich where he worked on the mechanism of protein transport into mitochondria, first as a post]doctoral fellow and then as a research group leader. In 1988, he initiated work that resulted in the demonstration of the basic role of molecular chaperones in protein folding. In 1990, he joined the faculty of Sloan]Kettering Cancer Center in New York where he investigated the mechanisms of protein folding in the bacterial and eukaryotic cytosol. He reconstituted the pathway of chaperone]assisted folding in which the Hsp70 and the GroEL chaperone systems cooperate and discovered that GroEL and its co]factor GroES provide a nano]compartment for single protein molecules to fold unimpaired by aggregation. In 1993, Dr. Hartl was promoted to full professor with tenure, and in 1994 became an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. In 1997, he returned to Munich to head the Department of Cellular Biochemistry at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry (MPIB) where he continues to study the basic mechanisms of protein folding in vivo as well as the role of the protein quality machinery in diseases of aberrant folding. Dr. Hartl has received several previous awards for his work on chaperone]assisted protein folding, including the airdner Award in 2004, the Wiley Prize in 2007 and the Rosenstiel Award and Horwitz Prize in 2008.
About the Lasker Awards
The Lasker Awards are among the most respected science prizes in the world. Recipients of the Lasker Medical Research Awards are selected by a distinguished international jury chaired by Joseph L. Goldstein, recipient of the 1985 Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research and the Nobel Prize in Medicine. The Public Service Award Selection Committee is chaired by Harvey V. Fineberg, President of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies of Science. Lasker Laureates receive a citation highlighting their achievements and an inscribed statuette of the Winged Victory of Samothrace, the Lasker Foundation's traditional symbol representing humanity's victory over disease, disability, and death. Seventy]eight Lasker Laureates have gone on to receive the Nobel Prize. More details on the 2011 Lasker Award recipients, the full citations for each award category, video interviews and photos of the awardees and additional information on the foundation are available at www.laskerfoundation.org.
About Proteostasis Therapeutics
Proteostasis Therapeutics is developing gProteostasis Regulatorsh (PRs), small molecule drugs that restore proper protein function or removes misfolded and aggregated proteins and peptides to treat neurodegenerative, metabolic, genetic and inflammatory disorders. The Proteostasis Network is the cellular machinery responsible for protein folding, trafficking and clearance, and can become imbalanced by the cumulative effects of aging, disease, genetics, and environmental factors. PTI was founded by leading scientists who discovered a pioneering approach for treating disease by restoring protein network homeostasis. www.proteostasis.com
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