Canadian PM Highlights Contributions By Nobel Laureates

Prime Minister Stephen Harper today met with five Nobel Laureates in Physiology or Medicine on Parliament Hill as part of the celebrations surrounding the Gairdner Foundation’s 50th anniversary.

“Canadians are delighted to welcome the largest gathering of the world’s most accomplished scientists ever held in our country,” said the Prime Minister.  “Scientific collaboration is a hallmark of Canadian society.  Our public and private sectors have enjoyed longstanding, productive partnerships.  This collaboration has allowed our scientists to excel on the global stage and has attracted the best and brightest researchers from around the world.”

Prime Minister Harper met with Dr. Peter C. Doherty and Dr. Rolf M. Zinkernagel, who were awarded the Nobel Prize in 1996 for the discovery of how the immune system recognizes virus-infected cells; Dr. Craig C. Mello, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2006 jointly with Andrew Z. Fire for the discovery of RNA interference; Dr. Harald zur Hausen, who received one half of the Nobel in 2008 for his work on the discovery of human papilloma viruses; and Dr. Bengt I. Samuelsson, who in 1982 received the Nobel Prize with John R. Vane for their discoveries concerning prostaglandins and related biologically active substances.  All of the scientists at today’s event are past recipients of the Gairdner Foundation’s annual awards in biomedical science.

“The dedication and scientific excellence of each of these individuals is a remarkable accomplishment,” said the Prime Minister.  “Thanks to their work, people in Canada and around the world have benefited and the boundaries of science and medicine have expanded.”

The Government of Canada provided the Gairdner Foundation with a $20-million endowment in 2008 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Gairdner International Awards and to promote exceptional achievements in health research.  This endowment allowed the Foundation to raise the value of Gairdner prizes – already seen as some of the world’s most prestigious in biomedical science – and to add a prize for global health research.  In recognition of this significant investment, the Foundation has renamed its awards the Canada Gairdner International Awards.

Topics: Canada, Canadian society, excellence, global stage, government, health research, laureate, Nobel Prize, Physiology, researcher

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