International Society for Interferon and Cytokine Research cites Dr. Pestka’s “extraordinary contribution” in furthering research on interferons
PISCATAWAY, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- PBL InterferonSource—the world’s leading source of interferon and related products, services, information and expertise—announced today that its founder and chief scientific officer (CSO), Sidney Pestka, M.D., will receive the ‘Distinguished Service Award’ from the International Society for Interferon and Cytokine Research (ISICR) at the ISICR’s annual meeting on October 3-7, 2010, in Chicago.
The ISICR bestows its ‘Distinguished Service Award’ on an ISICR member “who has made an extraordinary contribution to the Society. This individual will have devoted significant time and energy over a period of years to elevating the goals of the Society in furthering research on interferon, cytokines and chemokines.”
“I am deeply honored to receive this award,” said Dr. Petska. “Research arising from ISICR members’ laboratories has led to significant breakthroughs in understanding and treating cancer, inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, viral diseases such as hepatitis and influenza, and autoimmune disorders such as multiple sclerosis and lupus. I am very proud to be a part of the ISICR and what it represents.”
Dr. Pestka is known as the "Father of Interferon" for his seminal work on interferon that provided the seeds for what is currently a $9 billion dollar therapeutic market directed at the treatment of hepatitis, multiple sclerosis, cancer, and other diseases that affect mankind. He was the first to purify interferon, the first to clone mature interferons, and the first to develop a commercialized recombinant biotherapeutic—"Roferon® A"—while at the Roche Institute of Molecular Biology, where he spent 17 years leading the Institute’s research efforts.
In addition to his position as CSO of PBL InterferonSource, Dr. Pestka serves as Professor and Chairman of the Department of Molecular Genetics, Microbiology and Immunology at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. He is presently the named inventor on 270 U.S. and foreign patents and has 450 original research articles in his name. Among other accolades, Dr. Pestka is a 2001 National Medal of Technology laureate and received the 2001 Seymour and Vivian Milstein Award from ISICR; the 2004 Warren Alpert Foundation Scientific Prize from Harvard Medical School; the 2006 Lemelson-MIT Lifetime Achievement Award; the 2009 Molecular Biology Medal from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for his role in deciphering the genetic code and the mechanism of protein synthesis; and the 2010 Edward J. Ill Outstanding Medical Research Scientist Award for Basic Biomedical Research. He graduated summa cum laude in chemistry from Princeton University and received a doctorate in Medicine from the University of Pennsylvania.
About ISICR
The International Society for Interferon and Cytokine Research (ISICR), based in Bethesda, Md., is a non-profit organization devoted to interferon, cytokine and chemokine research in the fields of cell biology, molecular biology, biochemistry, and pre-clinical and clinical drug development. These molecules play important roles in many biological processes. The ISICR provides a forum for sharing knowledge and encourages investigations that will lead to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases that impact humanity.
PBL InterferonSource, a division of Pestka Biomedical Laboratories based in Piscataway, N.J., USA, is the world’s leading supplier of interferon products to the life science researcher. Founded in 1990 by Dr. Sidney Pestka, PBL is the company that scientists turn to for their interferon-related needs: products, services, information, and know-how. The company strives to aid researchers around the world in a common quest to help humanity. To learn more, visit www.interferonsource.com.
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