2026.09.18
The 2026 Albert Lasker Awards Ceremony Was Held in New York
On September 17 (U.S. Eastern Time), the 2026 Albert Lasker Awards ceremony was held at a hotel in New York City, where Dr. Masashi Yanagisawa, Director of WPI-IIIS, University of Tsukuba, was presented with the Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award.
The award recognizes “the discovery of orexin, a neuropeptide that promotes the maintenance of wakefulness, and the elucidation that orexin deficiency causes the hypersomnia disorder narcolepsy—a breakthrough in the fundamental understanding of sleep.” Dr. Emmanuel Mignot, Professor at Stanford University, shared the award with Dr. Yanagisawa.
In his acceptance speech, Dr. Yanagisawa looked back on the origins of his orexin research and spoke about the importance of basic science:
Our orexin research began as “untargeted, open-ended discovery science.”
My collaborator Clifford Saper wrote the following in an article for JCI on the occasion of this award:
“This kind of basic science is now under threat. Yet it has, time and time again, opened up critically important paths leading to treatments for patients.”
I, too, wish to keep this invaluable lesson close to my heart.
The ceremony was also attended by Dr. Kyosuke Nagata, President of the University of Tsukuba; Dr. Hiromi Yanagisawa, Center Director and Professor of the Life Science Center for Survival Dynamics,Tsukuba Advanced Research Alliance(TARA); Dr. Takeshi Sakurai, Professor and Vice Director of IIIS; and Dr. Hiromasa Funato, Visiting Professor.
Commenting on the award, President Nagata said, “I am proud that Dr. Yanagisawa has received the Lasker Award, which honors achievements spanning from basic research to contributions to society.”
Dr. Shinya Yamanaka, President of the CiRA Foundation (Kyoto University iPS Cell Research Foundation), who received the Lasker Award in 2009 and the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2012, also attended the ceremony as a director of the Lasker Foundation. He commented, “When I first learned who the awardees were, I was truly delighted. There are many other top researchers in Japan, and I think this award reflects Japan’s strength.”
The Lasker Awards are among the most prestigious international awards in medicine and medical science, honoring researchers for outstanding achievements. Many Lasker laureates have gone on to receive the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
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