Walter receives the 2014 Lasker Basic Medical Research Award

Faculty member Peter Walter, PhD, has received the 2014 Lasker Basic Medical Research Award, announced today. Popularly known as the “American Nobel,” this is one of the most prestigious honors in science and medicine.

A professor of biochemistry and biophysics, Peter was honored for his groundbreaking work on a cellular quality-control system known as the unfolded protein response, or UPR. Found in organisms ranging from yeast to humans, UPR is crucial to life and is fundamental to a cell’s ability to ensure that proteins are properly constructed, especially when the cell’s quality control systems are overwhelmed. Disruptions in its workings are believed to play a role in neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, diabetes and other illnesses. As such, Peter’s work is a perfect example of the importance of basic biomedical research, its impact on health, and its importance to society.

Peter is the 12th UCSF faculty member to receive a Lasker and shares this year’s award with Kazutoshi Mori, PhD, a leading UPR researcher at Kyoto University in Japan.

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UCSF Professor Peter Walter Receives Lasker Award for Basic Research