Professor Masashi Yanagisawa and Chugai Pharmaceutical researchers selected for US Lasker Prize

The Lasker Foundation announced on the 9th that it has selected University of Tsukuba professor Masashi Yanagisawa (66), who discovered orexin, an important sleep regulator, and others to receive the Lasker Prize in the basic medical research category, one of the most prestigious scientific awards in the medical field. Three researchers from Chugai Pharmaceutical, who developed Hemlibra, a treatment for hemophilia A, were selected in the clinical medicine department.

In 1998, Yanagisawa discovered orexin, which controls sleep rhythm. This made a major contribution to elucidating the mechanisms of sleep and wakefulness. Furthermore, through research on genetically mutant mice that lack orexin, researchers discovered that they exhibit behavioral abnormalities similar to the sleep disorder narcolepsy, in which they suddenly fall into a deep sleep, leading to the development of a drug for fundamental treatment.

Yuhiro Hattori (66), a former senior fellow at Chugai Pharmaceutical, and Takehisa Kitazawa (57), deputy director of the company's research headquarters, and Tomoyuki Igawa (49), general manager of the company's research headquarters, have developed an antibody that replaces the function of a factor necessary for blood clotting that is deficient in hemophilia A patients. This contributed to a new drug that is easy to administer and has a long-lasting effect on preventing bleeding.

Dr. Yanagisawa commented, ``It's an overwhelming honor. Receiving the highest academic award in sleep science, a field that has not received much attention in the world, is very encouraging as I look forward to further research development in this field.''