August 4, 2006 -- (Bronx, NY) -- E. Richard Stanley, Ph.D., professor and chair of developmental and molecular biology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University has been selected to receive the 2006 E. Donnall Thomas Prize, presented annually by the American Society of Hematology.
The Prize, which was established in 1992, recognizes a researcher whose ground-breaking work has contributed greatly to the field of hematology. In conjunction with receiving the honor, Dr. Stanley will present the E. Donnall Thomas Lecture at the Society's annual meeting in December in Orlando, Florida.
For more than a quarter-century, Dr. Stanley has pioneered studies of the biology and action of the growth factor called Colony Stimulating Factor-1 (CSF-1). He isolated and identified CSF-1 as the primary regulator of tissue macrophage and osteoclast production. He defined its receptor, physiology and roles in development and cancer. He identified and elucidated the function of several intracellular signaling molecules that act downstream of the CSF-1 receptor. He and his colleagues established several mouse models to investigate the roles of CSF-1 and the CSF-1 receptor in development and diseases that include leukemia, solid tumors, osteoporosis, nephritis and atherosclerosis. His studies also have furthered general understanding of the role of growth factors in regulation of cell proliferation, differentiation and function.
The Thomas Prize is one of numerous honors that Dr. Stanley has received throughout his career. Other notable honors include two Method to Extend Research in Time (MERIT) Awards from the National Institutes of Health, awarded in 1989 and 2002, respectively; a Leukemia Society of America Scholar Award (1977); an Irma T. Hirschl Career Scientist Award (1983); the Marie T. Bonazinga Research Award of the Society for Leukocyte Biology (1989); and being named to the "Roll of Honor" by the International Union Against Cancer.
Dr. Stanley has been a member of the Einstein faculty since 1977. He was appointed chair of developmental and molecular biology and named the Renee and Robert A. Belfer Professor of Developmental Biology at Einstein in 1987.
A native of Australia, Dr. Stanley received his bachelor's degree from the University of Western Australia and his Ph.D. degree in medical biology from the University of Melbourne. He currently resides in Manhattan with his wife, Pamela Stanley, Ph.D., who is a professor of cell biology at Einstein.