ABRF Annual Award for Outstanding Contributions to Biomolecular Technologies
Biological research is driven by technology. As new instruments and chemistries are conceived and implemented, new frontiers are created and new possibilities emerge. Technology, from the invention of the light microscope to the deciphering of the Human Genome, opens doors into the unknown that otherwise remain firmly sealed. The ABRF Award recognizes those pioneers responsible for developing these powerful new tools that serve as the foundation of the modern biological research enterprise. The ABRF Award is sponsored by Agilent Technologies and is presented at the annual ABRF meeting. Click here for a list of past awardees.
The 2011 ABRF Award recipient is Sir Alec John Jeffreys.
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Prof. Sir Alec Jeffreys studied biochemistry and genetics at Merton College, Oxford. Following an EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Amsterdam where, with Dr Richard Flavell, he was one of the first to discover split genes, he moved in 1977 to the Department of Genetics at the University of Leicester where he currently holds the positions of Professor of Genetics and Royal Society Wolfson Research Professor.
Sir Alec’s research at Leicester has focused on exploring human DNA variation and the mutation processes that create this diversity. He was one of the first to discover inherited variation in human DNA, then went on to invent DNA fingerprinting, showing how it could be used to resolve issues of identity and kinship. His current work concentrates on developing new approaches to analysing variation and mutation in human chromosomes.
Sir Alec’s work has received widespread recognition, including his election to the Royal Society in 1986 and a Knighthood for services to genetics in 1994. Other awards include the Louis-Jeantet Prize for Medicine (2004), the Lasker Award (2005) and the Heineken Prize (2006). He was also one of the four finalists for the Millennium Prize in 2008.