Peter Lawætz Andersen is awarded The Novo Nordisk Prize 2011
5 May 2011
The Novo Nordisk Prize 2011 goes to Peter Lawætz Andersen, DMSc and Head of Research at the Department of Infectious Disease Immunology, Statens Serum Institut (SSI), for his ground breaking tuberculosis research. His work has improved diagnostics and has resulted in a new vaccine with the potential to eradicate the disease.
Although tuberculosis is under control in the West, it is still one of the deadliest diseases in the world. Every ten seconds a person dies from the infection, which kills more people than malaria. The rate of both tuberculosis and HIV has skyrocketed in the same parts of the world, where the majority of HIV-infected people die from tuberculosis. In addition to this, the spread of the extremely dangerous multi-drug resistant tuberculosis bacteria that survive most known antibiotics has increased.
Peter Lawætz Andersen, DMSc and Head of Research at the Department Infectious Disease Immunology, SSI, and his research team are the first in the world to develop a vaccine that not only provides protection from infection but also prevents tuberculosis from breaking out in people already infected. One-third of the world's population is infected with tuberculosis, and 2-3 million die from the disease every year.
On this basis, The Novo Nordisk Foundation has awarded Dr. Peter Lawætz Andersen The Novo Nordisk Prize 2011 of DKK 1,500,000, which comprises a research award of DKK 1,000,000 and a personal award of DKK 500,000.
"Tuberculosis is an enormous global problem, which we are constantly confronted with when infected people cross borders and increasingly carry multi-drug resistant strains. We have had several cases of this in Denmark. In a broader perspective, tuberculosis is a huge obstacle for developing countries because its high prevalence consumes resources, both human and financial, that would otherwise be used for building up society," says Dr. Andersen.
"If we can prevent the disease from breaking out in the billions of people who are tuberculosis carriers today, and if we can prevent future generations from being infected using an effective vaccine, it is quite possible that tuberculosis may one day be eradicated. At best, we can strike at the Achilles' heel of a disease that has caused humanity major problems for centuries," concludes Dr. Andersen.
"Peter Lawætz Andersen's impressive and highly recognised research findings place him in the international elite. His extensive scientific production has been published in highly-reputed journals, and his research can boost global public health," says Birgitte Nauntofte, dr.odont. and CEO of the Novo Nordisk Foundation.
For more information, please contact:
Peter Lawætz Andersen, Vice President, Vaccine Research and Development, tel. +45 3268 3268, .
Jesper Laursen, Communication Officer, tel. +45 3527 6610, .