The American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) has named Eric S. Lander, PhD, President and Founding Director of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, the 2018 recipient of the annual William Allan Award. The Allan Award, which recognizes a scientist for substantial and far-reaching scientific contributions to human genetics, was established in 1961 in memory of William Allan, MD (1881-1943), one of the first American physicians to conduct extensive research on human genetics and hereditary diseases. Dr. Lander received his award, which included an engraved medal and $25,000 prize, on Thursday, October 18, 2018, during ASHG’s 68th Annual Meeting in San Diego, California. He presented his William Allan Award address immediately thereafter. Dr. Lander has been a major leader in the study of the human genome and in the Human Genome Project. In 1986, he and David Botstein, PhD, laid out fundamental ideas for key methods in human genetics—including for linkage disequilibrium mapping in populations, which has enabled the discovery of genes underlying common polygenic traits by genome-wide association studies. From this work, Dr. Lander saw the need for a detailed genetic map of the human genome. He then played a central role in creating the genetic, physical, and sequence maps of the human and mouse genomes. He also led efforts to discover millions of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), which have enabled efficient mapping of genes related to human diseases, including more than 30,000 loci underlying common diseases and traits. Dr. Lander helped pioneer the use of genome-wide expression analysis to characterize tumors. This initial work led to the creation of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), a comprehensive catalog of cancer genes that defines and details the molecular architecture of the most common human malignancies.Login Or Register To Read Full Story