TOKYO — Four Japanese scientists have been honored with the Lasker Award, one of the world’s most prestigious prizes in medicine, for groundbreaking research that has revolutionized the treatment of hemophilia and transformed our scientific understanding of sleep disorders.
The New York-based Lasker Foundation announced the 2024 laureates on Sept. 9, recognizing the life-changing impact of these researchers’ work. Among the recipients is Masashi Yanagisawa, a professor at the University of Tsukuba, who shared the Basic Medical Research Award with Stanford University professor Emmanuel Mignot. The duo was recognized for their discovery of orexin, a brain peptide critical to maintaining wakefulness. Their research revealed that a deficiency in this peptide is the underlying cause of narcolepsy, a breakthrough that recently led to the development of the world’s first specific treatment for the condition.
“It is a tremendous honor to be recognized nearly 30 years after the discovery of orexin,” Yanagisawa said following the announcement. “More than anything, I am delighted that the field of sleep research has been honored with one of the world’s most prestigious scientific awards.”
Simultaneously, the Clinical Medical Research Award was presented to three scientists from Chugai Pharmaceutical Co.: Kunihiro Hattori, Takehisa Kitazawa, and Tomoyuki Igawa. They were honored for the development of Hemlibra (generic name: emicizumab), an antibody drug that has fundamentally reshaped the landscape for hemophilia A patients worldwide.
Hemophilia A is caused by a deficiency in the blood-clotting protein factor VIII. Traditional therapies often required burdensome intravenous injections every few days, and many patients eventually built up resistance to these treatments. The team at Chugai worked for years to create a stable, effective alternative. Since its approval in 2017, Hemlibra has benefited more than 30,000 patients, offering a treatment that can be administered via subcutaneous injection as infrequently as once every four weeks.
During a news conference in Tokyo on Sept. 10, the researchers reflected on the long, difficult road to success. “Under the motto of ‘For society and for people,’ emicizumab is the culmination of the blood, sweat, and tears of our researchers,” said Hattori, who first conceived of the antibody in 2000.
Kitazawa echoed those sentiments, noting that the project was marked by significant challenges. “The path was not smooth, and turning failures into lessons ultimately led to success,” he said.
The Lasker Awards are frequently seen as a precursor to the Nobel Prize, with roughly one in every 3.6 recipients going on to receive the honor. This year’s recognition brings the total number of Japanese Lasker laureates to 11. For the recipients, however, the mission remains the same: continuing to innovate for the benefit of patients who are still waiting for medical breakthroughs.
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