Asan Foundation for Social Welfare held the 18th Asan Medical Award ceremony at the Westin Chosun Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, on Jan. 18, awarding the Asan Medical Award to four individuals, including Professor Karl Deisseroth from Stanford University in the United States.
Professor Deisseroth was selected as a recipient in the field of basic medicine for developing the technology of "optogenetics," which controls cells through light-responsive proteins. He was recognized for understanding the role of cells in human cognition and behavior and identifying the consolidation between the brain and behavior. Professor Deisseroth will receive a prize of $250,000 (approximately 360 million won).
Professor Ahn Myung-joo of Sungkyunkwan University, the recipient in the field of clinical medicine, was recognized for his contributions to the advancement of oncology through translational research. Professor Ahn is a global authority in lung cancer and head and neck cancer and is leading clinical trials for targeted therapies and new immuno-oncology drugs for developing new cancer treatments. Professor Ahn will receive a prize of 300 million won.
The recipients of the young medical scientist category, awarded to medical scientists under the age of 45, are Professors Park Yong-geun from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and Choi Hong-yoon from Seoul National University Hospital.
Professor Park was recognized for his contributions to the advancement of bioimaging by developing "holotomography," a source technology that allows observation of human cells and tissues in high-resolution 3D images without staining. Professor Choi received high evaluations for suggesting new directions for disease diagnosis and treatment through research that merges molecular imaging in nuclear medicine and spatial transcriptomics data with artificial intelligence (AI) technology. Each young medical scientist recipient will receive a prize of 50 million won.
The Asan Medical Award was established by the Asan Foundation for Social Welfare in 2008 and is awarded to medical scientists who have made outstanding achievements in the fields of basic medicine and clinical medicine. So far, 57 medical scientists have received the Asan Medical Award.