Microscopic view of bone cancer with highlighted structures in vibrant purple, teal, and lime green, promoting Cancer Control Month by the Lasker Foundation.
April is #CancerControlMonth. What do you think is some of the most impactful cancer research going on today? Let us know in the comments, and tag the researchers behind it. ⬇️
Lasker Laureate Choh H. Li was born #OTD in 1913. Li won a 1962 Lasker Award for the identification and isolation of six hormones of the anterior pituitary gland. Discover how his research provided purified hormones for all to study: http://ow.ly/kQZF30oehyj
#MedSky 🧪
"Look within yourself to identify your core values." Wise words of advice for early-career #PhysicianScientists from Lasker President @drclairepomeroy.bsky.social. ⬇️
“I think it’s important for everybody to say, ‘By the end of my career, what would I have liked to accomplish?’ Lasker's Dr. Claire Pomeroy said at #JointMeeting2026. “Grants & papers are surrogate markers. They aren’t why you’re doing what you’re doing. They allow you to do what you want to do.” 🧪
Dr. Quarraisha Abdool Karim, dressed in a gold and green tunic, speaks at AAP/ASCI/APSA Joint Meeting in April 2026.
Dr. Quarraisha Abdool Karim (left) stands with APSA President Rohini Guin next to a sign for the AAP/ASCI/APSA Joint Meeting in April 2026.
For humanity to progress, she added, “we have to strengthen science diplomacy, build resilient institutions, and advance science that unites us… that benefits all people, everywhere.”
@ameracadpeds.bsky.social @a-p-s-a.bsky.social
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Two women, Drs. Quarraisha Abdool Karim and Claire Pomeroy, standing on a stage holding a Lasker Foundation honorary plaque, with ASCI and APSA banners behind them.
In science, we’re constantly searching for truth. During this pursuit, it’s important to work with, not on, communities, Lasker Laureate Quarraisha Abdool Karim said during
The American Academy of Pediatrics/ASCI/American Physician Scientists Association #JointMeeting2026. 🧪
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Dark blue Lasker newsletter graphic featuring a blue paper airplane flying over "LASKER" in bold white letters, with a black-and-white portrait of scientist Jules Freund and a lab mouse next to a newsletter icon below.
What helped Lasker Laureate Jules Freund develop the most potent adjuvant? An unexpected clue: a bacteriologist’s discovery that butter could amplify immune responses. 🧈
🧪Find out more in our April newsletter: https://ow.ly/7ZL750YIsZA
Behind every major cancer breakthrough is a deeper biological insight. 🧪
📹 In this video, discover how Lasker Laureates have shaped our understanding of biology and paved the way for life-saving treatments.
“You can’t cut cancer out unless you deal with what’s happening in the community.” Harold Freeman turned that idea into action, helping to dramatically reduce cancer mortality in Harlem.
Discover more change-making recipients of the Lasker Public Service Award. 🏆🧪
Microscopic view of lung tissue showing alveolar structures stained in purple and pink hues.
🌟“If you understand the cause of the disease, you can design an assay that’s physiologically relevant to treat that condition,” says Paul Negulescu, who won a Lasker Award for the development of a triple-drug therapy for cystic fibrosis. “You’ll be surprised at what you’ll find.” #JointMeeting2026 🧪
“If for one minute we think we’re too insignificant to make a difference," Quarraisha said, "I’ll remind you of an African proverb: You haven’t spent a night with a mosquito.” 🦟
@the-asci.org @a-p-s-a.bsky.social
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“Science is forward-looking and about searching for truth," Quarraisha said. "We are in a situation where there is a blurring of scientific evidence with political opinion and mis- and disinformation being amplified through social media." @the-asci.org @a-p-s-a.bsky.social
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“Today, we meet at a time when we have a polycrisis: climate change, global inequities, wars, pandemics and infodemics. Wars and conflicts create a fertile place for outbreaks and epidemics," Quarraisha continued. @the-asci.org @a-p-s-a.bsky.social
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Four women, including Dr. Quarraisha Abdool Karim, engaged in a discussion on a stage with a blue backdrop featuring medical association logos and the Lasker Foundation emblem.
“Our biggest investment at CAPRISA—the thing that makes me the most happy—is our investment in the next generation of science leaders,” Lasker Laureate Quarraisha Abdool Karim said during #JointMeeting2026. 🧪
They went on to show that Tenofovir gel can prevent sexually transmitted HIV infection. And tests in Uganda and South Africa of the biannual injection Lenacapavir showed a 100% success rate in protecting young women from HIV, bringing great promise.
🎧 Hear more.
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On her team’s 18-year journey to develop HIV prevention technologies for women in sub-Saharan Africa, “they acquired the moniker of ‘experts in failure,’” Quarraisha said. “But we persisted.” #JointMeeting2026 @the-asci.org @a-p-s-a.bsky.social
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Bar chart on African countries showing HIV/AIDS prevalence with red bars for women and blue bars for men, highlighting gender differences. Courtesy of Dr. Quarraisha Abdool Karim and Caprisa.
In the 90s, Lasker Laureate Quarraisha Abdool Karim & colleagues found that a disproportionate number of young women in rural S. Africa were contracting HIV. More recent data show that in high schools in 1 of the high burden districts, high rates of HIV in young women persist. #JointMeeting2026 🧪
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In 2000, global solidarity helped make treatment affordable and accessible to everyone, bridging the treatment gap in Africa that was home to 70% of the global burden of HIV. It’s “a reminder of our interconnectedness & shared vulnerability; no one is safe until everyone is safe,” Quarraisha said.
Close-up of a blue and green cell infected with HIV, depicted in yellow, against a dark red background.
During the AIDS pandemic in the mid-1990s, we saw science bring hope and transform AIDS from an inevitably fatal condition to one that is chronic and manageable for industrialized countries, Lasker Laureate Quarraisha Abdool Karim said at #JointMeeting2026. ❤️🩹 🧪
Though he and his co-recipients Michael Welsh and Jesús González developed a triple-drug therapy that cures 90-95% of patients, the job isn’t done, Paul cautions. “We still have 5-10% of patients who will not respond to these medications. So there’s still work to be done.” 🧪
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A fluorescent image in yellow and blue of the CFTR protein, which is responsible for cystic fibrosis.
“I was 35 years old when we started this. There were no thoughts of “Oh, we’re going to cure CF at the end of this.” It was just “Let’s get started,” says Lasker Award winner Paul Negulescu. #JointMeeting2026
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🎂 🧪 Happy birthday, Lasker Jury Chair Joseph Goldstein! He was recognized with a Lasker Award and Nobel for the discovery of the basic mechanisms controlling cholesterol metabolism.
Read about his collaboration w/ Michael Brown, who just celebrated his birthday on Monday: https://ow.ly/z5Uo50Ywyzj
Showcasing their close partnership, Paul joked about Michael’s choice of an animal model to study cystic fibrosis. “He’s from Iowa, so I think that inspired him to start a pig model.” A pig model manipulates the human lung & gut better than any other, Paul adds. 🐖🧪 #JointMeeting2026
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Lasker Award recipients Michael Welsh and Paul Negulescu above a detailed image of a diseased lung with multiple holes and lesions.
At #JointMeeting2026, Paul Negulescu shared the importance of collaboration & physician-scientist perspectives on drug development. “He’s just a lovely person,” Paul said of Michael Welsh, his 2025 Lasker Award co-recipient. “Very humble, & very sharing. It’s clear he does the work for others.” 🧪
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Charles Yanofsky, who was a faculty member at Stanford University, was born #OTD. 🧪
He received a Lasker Award for contributions to molecular biology: discovering suppressor mutations and showing that a specific nucleotide change could lead to a specific amino acid change: http://ow.ly/lJ8f30oep9U
Like her grandfather, Rohini says she questions the status quo and continues to advance just policies. “The role of a physician-scientist extends beyond discovery,” she adds. “It also includes communication, advocacy, and the willingness to affect change.” 🌟🧪
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🧪❤️🩹 “When I think about what it means to be a physician-scientist, I think of my grandfather... At his core, he believed doctors transcend social order,” says American Physician Scientists Association President Rohini Guin. #JointMeeting2026
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What was your experience as an undergraduate? Did science naturally click for you, or did you first consider other paths? Let us know in the comments. ⬇️
#JointMeeting2026 🧪
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