The Ross Prize is made possible by the generosity of Feinstein Institute board members Robin and Jack Ross. It is awarded annually by Molecular Medicine to scientists who have made a demonstrable impact in the understanding of human diseases pathogenesis and/or treatment, and who hold significant promise for making even greater contributions to the general field of molecular medicine.

"Jeffery Ravetch's investigations of the immune system's molecular structure solved the medical mystery of how antibodies can both activate and inhibit the immune response," said Feinstein Institute President and CEO Kevin J. Tracey, MD, who also serves as editor emeritus of Molecular Medicine. "His discoveries have provided the fundamental knowledge that enable scientists to engineer antibodies to treat a variety of autoimmune conditions."

After a brief award presentation, a research symposium will be held during which Dr. Ravetch will discuss his discoveries in the field of Fc receptor biology. Rafi Ahmed, PhD, director of the Emory Vaccine Center, and Ronald Levy, MD, professor and chief of the Division of Oncology at Stanford Medicine, will also speak during the symposium. To learn more about the Ross Prize celebration and symposium, and to register for the event, please visit http://www.nyas.org/RossPrize2017.

Dr. Ravetch's research focuses on identifying the genetic components that cause immune system cells to respond to specific antibodies. His laboratory's mission is to gain a better understanding of how a functioning immune system protects organisms from invaders, and how a dysfunctional immune system attacks the body's own tissues. His work has specifically focused on a family of protein receptors called Fc receptors, which he and his team have been studying for the past 30 years. His work has defined these receptors and demonstrated their essential role in immune response.

Past recipients of the Ross Prize are: Charles N. Serhan, PhD, DSc, director of the Center for Experimental Therapeutics and Reperfusion Injury at Brigham and Women's Hospital, the Simon Gelman Professor of Anaesthesia at Harvard Medical School and professor at Harvard School of Dental Medicine; Lewis C. Cantley, PhD, the Meyer Director of the Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center at Weill Cornell Medical College and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital; John J. O'Shea, MD, scientific director at the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS); and Dan R. Littman, MD, PhD, the Helen L. and Martin S. Kimmel Professor of Molecular Immunology in the Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine at New York University School of Medicine.

About the Feinstein InstituteThe Feinstein Institute for Medical Research is the research arm of Northwell Health, the largest healthcare provider in New York. Home to 50 research laboratories and to clinical research throughout dozens of hospitals and outpatient facilities, the 3,500 researchers and staff of the Feinstein aremaking breakthroughs in molecular medicine, genetics, oncology, brain research, mental health, autoimmunity, and bioelectronic medicine a new field of science that has the potential to revolutionize medicine. For more information about how we empower imagination and pioneer discovery, visitFeinsteinInstitute.org.

About Molecular MedicineMolecular Medicine is an open access, international, peer-reviewed biomedical journal published by The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research. Molecular Medicine addresses disease pathogenesis at the cellular and molecular levels and novel molecular tools for disease diagnosis, treatment, prognosis, and prevention. To learn more, go to molmed.org.

About the New York Academy of SciencesThe New York Academy of Sciences is an independent, not-for-profit organization that since 1817 has been committed to advancing science, technology, and society worldwide. With more than 20,000 members in 100 countries around the world, the Academy is creating a global community of science for the benefit of humanity. The Academy's core mission is to advance scientific knowledge, positively impact the major global challenges of society with science-based solutions, and increase the number of scientifically informed individuals in society at large. Please visit us online at nyas.org.

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SOURCE The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research

http://www.feinsteininstitute.org/

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Feinstein Institute, Molecular Medicine Award Ross Prize to Rockefeller University's Jeffrey Ravetch - PR Newswire (press release)