Dr. Raghu Kalluri
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center‘s Raghu Kalluri, MD, PhD has been granted the Jacob-Henle Medal, a distinguished scientific award given every year by Georg-August University in Göttingen, Germany.
The university, which is among the top academic institutions in Germany as well as one of the oldest facilities of higher learning in the country, selected Kalluri, who is the chair of cancer biology at MD Anderson, for his contributions to scientific excellency.
The Jacob-Henle Medal distinguishes high-impact achievements in the scientific fields of physiology and medicine. Kulluri received the award this year based on his findings in autoimmune and genetic kidney diseases, organ fibrosis and cancer biology. The medal award was granted at the end of a one-day symposium designed to honor the career of Kalluri and his achievements in science and as a mentor.
The scientist has led research focused on novel diagnostic approaches to kidney diseases, and has determined new diagnostic methods and therapy targets for both fibrosis and cancer. In addition, Dr. Kalluri has been responsible for mentoring more than 70 postdoctoral fellows and 20 graduate students throughout his career.
“This very prestigious award is given for truly outstanding, medically relevant scientific achievements,” said the provost and executive vice president at MD Anderson, Ethan Dmitrovsky, M.D. “It is no surprise that Dr. Kalluri was selected as he is a highly accomplished scientist. It is an honor well deserved.”
Most recently, Kalluri participated in a novel and pivotal study on micro-RNA and cancer progression entitled “Cancer Exosomes Perform Cell-Independent MicroRNA Biogenesis and Promote Tumorigenesis,” published in Cancer Cell, which revealed that exosomes, lipid bilayer protected vesicles with a nanoscale size of 50–140 nm, mRNA, and microRNAs (miRNAs), are associated with breast cancer cells.
The Jacob-Henle Medal has been awarded since 1988 and was named in honor of Friedrich Gustav Jacob Henle (1809 – 1885), an anatomist and physiologist who taught at the University of Göttingen. Friedrich Gustav Jacob Henleis is currently considered one of the founders of modern pathology, and was the first person to describe and publish his research on the structure and distribution of human epithelial tissue and the fine structures of the eye and brain, including Henle’s loop of the kidney.