The 2009 American Society for Microbiology (ASM) Abbott Laboratories Award in Clinical and Diagnostic Immunology is presented to Steven M. Holland, M.D., chief, Laboratory of Clinical Infectious Diseases, and Chief, Infectious Diseases Program, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland. Sponsored by Abbott Laboratories' Diagnostics Division, this award recognizes a distinguished scientist in clinical or diagnostic immunology for outstanding contributions.
Dr. Holland is renowned for his outstanding contributions to the diagnosis and understanding of infectious diseases, physiological host defenses, and inherited immune disorders. He received his M.D. from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where he also completed his internship and residency in internal medicine. He joined the NIAID to research the interactions between pathogens and human host defenses and has used a combined human, mouse, and microbial immune and genetic approach for his research. This clinical and molecular approach has provided insights at the bench and the bedside.
Dr. Holland is credited with three major contributions in delineating the importance of innate immunity in host defense: the discovery of the mutation of the gene coding STAT-3 that leads to the Hyper Immunoglobulin-E Recurrent Infection (Job's syndrome), remarkable contributions to understanding the pathogenesis of chronic granulomatous disease of childhood (CGD), and important advances clarifying the importance of the interferon-gamma/IL-12 axis in the pathogenesis of certain intracellular infections such as atypical mycobacteria and histoplasmosis in humans. He received the NIH Director's Award (shared) for discovery of Granulibacter bethesdensis in 2006 and for discovery of the cause of Job's syndrome in 2008.
The Abbott Laboratories Award in Clinical and Diagnostic Immunology will be presented during the 109th General Meeting of the ASM, May 17-21, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ASM is the world's oldest and largest life science organization and has more than 43,000 members worldwide. ASM's mission is to advance the microbiological sciences and promote the use of scientific knowledge for improved health and economic and environmental well-being.