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PV scientist wins Lasker award

Stanford professor and Portola Valley resident Stanley Falkow is receiving a prestigious Lasker-Koshland Award for Special Achievement in Medical Science for his decades of research in bacterial pathogenesis, Stanford University has announced.

The Lasker-Koshland award is given out every two years, and has a $300,000 cash prize. Mr. Falkow, who is Stanford's Robert W. and Vivian K. Cahill professor in cancer research, is credited with doing ground-breaking work in the field of disease-causing bacteria, according to Stanford spokeswoman Krista Conger.

Mr. Falkow, 74, is best-known for his work on extrachromosomal elements called plasmids and their role in antibiotic resistance and pathogenicity in humans and animals, said Ms. Conger.

"His elegant research contributions to the field of bacterial pathogenesis, which he fathered, have been enhanced by his incredible leadership as a teacher and mentor for a generation of physicians and scientists worldwide," said Dr. Phillip Pizzo, dean of Stanford's medical school, in a press release.