| | 
Researchers Honored for Contributions to Fight Against CF – 2010 NACFC
November 26, 2010
Paul di Sant’Agnese Award honorees Mitchell Drumm, Ph.D., Peter Durie, M.D., and Garry Cutting, M.D. |
To recognize researchers for their significant contributions to the field of cystic fibrosis, the CF Foundation proudly presented the following awards at this year’s North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference.
Paul di Sant’Agnese Awards
The Paul di Sant’Agnese Award is named in honor of the late researcher whose pioneering studies led to the development of the sweat test, which is regarded as the gold standard in cystic fibrosis diagnosis.
This year, three distinguished researchers were recognized for their leadership roles in the North American CF Gene Modifier Consortium, which has grown into an international collaborative to study how “modifier” genes affect the course of the disease in humans.
The 2010 honorees are:
- Garry Cutting, M.D., professor of pediatrics at the Institute of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, for his work on the variations in mutations of the CFTR gene and their relationship to clinical characteristics of the disease, and for his role as founder of the Cystic Fibrosis Twin and Sibling Study, which is investigating environmental and non-CFTR genetic influences on symptoms and disease severity in individuals with CF.
- Mitchell Drumm, Ph.D., professor of pediatrics and genetics at Case Western Reserve University, for his work—beginning as a postdoctoral student on the team that discovered the basic defect in CF—on the genetics and molecular biology of CF, including the relationship between the structure of different CFTR mutations and the disease process, and for his service to the CF community serving on the Foundation’s grant review and NACFC planning committees.
- Peter Durie, M.D., professor of pediatrics at the University of Toronto, for advancing our understanding of exocrine pancreatic diseases, including through work on the links between variations in CFTR mutations and pancreatic function, and for contributions throughout his career to the training of pediatric gastroenterologists in CF clinical care and research.
Preston W. Campbell, III, M.D., executive vice president of medical affairs of the CF Foundation, with Distinguished Corporate Award honoree Bruce Montgomery, M.D.
|
“The common theme for all three of the honorees, besides their intellectual rigor and collaborative spirit, is their commitment to understanding the genetic basis of cystic fibrosis,” said awards presenter Mike Knowles, M.D., professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a fellow coordinating member of the CF Gene Modifier Consortium.
Distinguished Corporate Award
Bruce Montgomery, M.D., senior vice president and head of respiratory therapeutics at Gilead Sciences, Inc., received this year’s Distinguished Corporate Award.
Montgomery was instrumental in helping to obtain approval for Cayston, a new inhaled antibiotic especially helpful for CF patients with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. He also managed the development of inhaled tobramycin and helped Genentech, Inc., develop Pulmozyme.
“It’s hard to imagine contemporary care of patients with cystic fibrosis without inhaled antibiotics, and Bruce has played a key role in the development of a number of these treatments,” said award presenter George Retsch-Bogart, M.D., associate professor of pediatrics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “We are fortunate to have had Bruce’s enthusiasm, passion and knowledge of how to bring developing drugs through the final approval process.”
Additional Information
|
