An Australian scientist who studies how DNA replicates in cells in an effort to understand and find cures for diseases such as cancer has received the Curtin Medal for Excellence in Medical Research.
Professor Bruce Stillman AO, who heads the world-leading US medical research centre Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, will formally receive the 2006 Curtin Medal at The John Curtin School of Medical Research (JCSMR) this afternoon.
Professor Stillman's research on cell division has formed the building blocks for understanding illness, particularly cancer. His work focuses on DNA replication in cells, a process that ensures accurate inheritance of genetic material from one generation to the next.
His work has also contributed to our knowledge of the mechanisms which control DNA replication of human viruses, as well as the processes that ensure accurate replication of the human genome and its associated protein structures, or nucleosomes.
The Curtin Medal for Excellence in Medical Research is an annual award made by The John Curtin School of Medical Research at ANU. Previous winners of the Curtin Medal include Nobel Laureate Professor Peter Doherty, 2006 Australian of the Year Professor Ian Frazer, and Professor Sam Berkovic.
The Director of The John Curtin School of Medical Research, Professor Judith Whitworth, will present the medal to Professor Stillman this afternoon.
"Professor Stillman's work brings us a step closer to understanding and developing tools to defeat the diseases of our time," Professor Whitworth said. "We are particularly pleased to be presenting the Curtin Medal to one of our graduates and to be acknowledging his ongoing success."
Born in Melbourne, Professor Stillman was awarded his PhD from ANU in 1979. He has spent most of his academic career in the United States, rising to Director of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in 1994 and being named its President in 2003.
As 2006 Curtin Medal recipient, Professor Stillman will give an address on his research in the Finkel Lecture Theatre at The John Curtin School of Medical Research at 5pm, this afternoon, Thursday 8 March 2007.
About The Curtin Medal
The Curtin Medal is an internationally recognised award made annually to a person who has made an outstanding contribution to medical science and is an Australian citizen, or an Australian resident, or a person whose work has a significant Australian relevance. The award may be made for either a major discovery or for a lifetime's achievement in medical research.