Weinberg named first recipient of Swedish science prize

January 31, 2008

Professor Robert A. Weinberg of MIT's Department of Biology this week became the first recipient of a new Swedish science prize, in recognition of his cancer research.

The 20,000 Euro prize, sponsored by a foundation set up by Swedish scientists Georg and Eva Klein, was presented by Sweden's Crown Princess Victoria at a Jan. 29 ceremony in Stockholm.

Weinberg, a member of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and the Daniel K. Ludwig Professor for Cancer Research, was awarded the prize for his pioneering discoveries in basal tumor biology. His research demonstrates how genes and the proteins they control combine to convert a healthy cell into a cancer cell. He has also made important discoveries on how tumor suppressant genes can prevent the development of tumors. Understanding these processes will make it easier for scientists to find effective treatments for different kinds of cancer.

Weinberg has been invited to spend two weeks at Stockholm's Karolinska Institutet, which awards the Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology, to give lectures and forge links with researchers.

A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on February 6, 2008 (download PDF).

MIT Professor Robert Weinberg, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden

Photo © / Stefan Zimmerman

MIT Professor Robert Weinberg receives the Georg and Eva Klein Award from Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden at a ceremony in Stockholm on Jan. 29, 2008. Enlarge image