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Eminent Scientist Receives $100,000 Lemelson-MIT Lifetime Achievement Award; Dr.
Sidney Pestka Recognized for Groundbreaking Research on Anti-Viral Treatments
CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 3, 2006--Dr. Sidney Pestka, chairman of the
Department of Molecular Genetics, Microbiology and Immunology at the
UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, will receive the $100,000 Lemelson-MIT
Lifetime Achievement Award for his seminal work on interferons. This work led to
groundbreaking treatments for chronic hepatitis B and C, multiple sclerosis and
cancers. The annual award, which recognizes a remarkable individual for his or
her life-long commitment to improving society through invention, will be given
tonight at a private ceremony at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.
"Dr. Pestka's interferon discoveries and subsequent inventions have made a
profound impact on medicine and health care," said Merton Flemings, director of
the Lemelson-MIT Program, which gives the annual award. "His work has opened
doors to new treatments for millions of people who suffer from devastating
diseases and it has fueled the multi-billion dollar biotherapeutics market."
Dr. Harold L. Paz, former Dean of Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in
Piscataway, N.J., considers Pestka's work to be "a critical catalyst in the
development of the biotechnology industry."
In the Beginning
Alick Isaacs and Jean Lindenmann of the National Institute for Medical Research
in London discovered interferons in 1957, the year Pestka earned his
undergraduate degree from Princeton University. They observed that when a virus
attacked chicken cells, the cells secreted a protein. Isaacs and Lindenmann
called this protein interferon.
Years later, along with other scientists, they demonstrated that human cells
also release interferons when they are infected with a virus. The interferons
then migrate to other parts of the body and protect neighboring healthy cells
from the viral infection.
"The great promise of interferon as an antiviral agent was evident from the
moment of its discovery," said Pestka. But little was understood about
interferons at the time, especially how to produce them in the quantities and
quality needed to manufacture effective therapies.
A Purifying Invention
Beginning in 1969, Pestka engrossed himself in the study of interferons at the
Roche Institute of Molecular Biology in Nutley, New Jersey. Using his colleague
Stan Stein's method to measure proteins, Pestka invented a system called reverse
phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) for protein purification,
to isolate and purify interferon proteins. Today, this innovative method for
separating and analyzing proteins is used in laboratories all over the world.
Pestka's laboratory was the first to purify interferons-alpha and beta, which
resulted in his discovery that human alpha-interferons are a family of 12
proteins, not just one as scientists originally thought. This discovery laid the
groundwork for a better understanding of the activities and functions of
interferons. At that time, only small quantities of crude preparations of
interferons were used, which made it hard to discern the activity for which they
were responsible.
Once purified interferon was available, its activities could be determined and
its use as a treatment for viral diseases and cancers was identified.
Purification also facilitated Food & Drug Administration approval since the
agency requires a defined and purified product before clearing it for human use.
In addition to purifying interferons, Pestka also developed an innovative
technology to clone alpha and beta interferons. Unlike other cloning techniques,
Pestka's method did not require knowledge of protein, gene or messenger RNA
(mRNA) sequences. Instead, he translated mRNA into active proteins that could be
measured by their unique activities. This invention created new capabilities for
scientists to clone interferons and other proteins without the need to know
their structure.
Global Impact
As a result of Pestka's ability to isolate, purify and clone interferons, he
produced recombinant interferon-alpha for clinical trials nearly a full year
before anyone else. In 1986, the FDA approved interferon-alpha for use in humans
to treat hairy cell leukemia. It was later approved for the treatment of chronic
hepatitis B and C, and cancers such as malignant melanoma, follicular lymphoma,
some leukemias and AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma.
Pestka's patented inventions are the foundation of a $6 billion global market
for interferon biotherapeutics, which provide life-saving treatments for
millions of people. For instance, there are more than 600 million people in the
world with hepatitis B and C who could potentially be treated with interferon
therapies.
But according to Pestka, the best is yet to come. "Interferons have not yet been
used to their full capacity," he said. "We still have to develop new ways to use
them and treat viral diseases, cancers and other illneses."
In 1990, Pestka founded Pestka Biomedical Laboratories (PBL) to continue his
research on antiviral compounds and provide high-quality interferons to the
research community. PBL (http://www.pblbio.com) is the only company that
supplies all the human interferons to investigators worldwide. Pestka and his
team plan to utilize interferons to develop new treatments for many diseases,
especially for cancer and viral diseases. They have also developed and patented
ultra interferons(TM), which are 20 to 30 times more potent than current
interferon drugs. A major goal is to deliver these interferons directly to tumor
sites to minimize the toxic side effects of systemic administration.
The Next Generation
In addition to his work as founder and chief scientific officer at Pestka
Biomedical Laboratories, Pestka continues to pass on his knowledge by teaching
classes and chairing the Department of Molecular Genetics, Microbiology and
Immunology at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Over the past 35 years he has
trained numerous postdoctoral fellows, visiting scientists and pre-doctoral
students from 20 countries and five continents.
The Lemelson-MIT Program will also award James Fergason, a pioneer in the field
of liquid crystal displays, with the $500,000 Lemelson-MIT Prize at tonight's
ceremony.
ABOUT THE LEMELSON-MIT PROGRAM
The Lemelson-MIT Program aims to enable and inspire young people to pursue
creative lives and careers. It particularly encourages young people to engage in
invention and to pursue sustainable new solutions to real world problems. It
accomplishes this mission through outreach activities and annual awards,
including the $500,000 Lemelson-MIT Prize, the largest single cash prize in the
United States for invention, and the $100,000 Lemelson-MIT Lifetime Achievement
Award, which recognizes the nation's most talented inventors and innovators, and
promotes them as living role models to encourage future generations to follow
their examples.
Jerome H. Lemelson, one of the world's most prolific inventors, and his wife
Dorothy founded the Lemelson-MIT Program at the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology in 1994. It is funded by The Lemelson Foundation, a private
philanthropy that celebrates and supports inventors and entrepreneurs in order
to strengthen social and economic life. More information is online at
http://web.mit.edu/invent/.
UMDNJ-ROBERT WOOD JOHNSON MEDICAL SCHOOL
As one of the nation's leading comprehensive medical schools, UMDNJ-Robert Wood
Johnson Medical School (http://rwjms.umdnj.edu), with campuses in New Brunswick,
Piscataway and Camden, is dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in education,
research, health care delivery and the promotion of community health for the
residents of New Jersey. With 2,400 full-time and volunteer faculty, the medical
school maintains educational programs at the undergraduate, graduate and
postgraduate levels for more than 1,500 students, as well as continuing
education courses for health care professionals and community education
programs. The Medical School also hosts 85 centers and institutes; among them
are The Cancer Institute of New Jersey, an institute that Pestka initiated when
he arrived at RWJMS in 1986 and where he is a program director.
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