Scientists Receive First-Ever Breakthrough Prize in Life Science

By David Sampson
Feb 25, 2013 1:00 PM ET

ACS Pressroom Blog

We learned this week that eleven scientists have been named as the first-ever recipients of research prizes given by four technology giants, including Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and Google co-founder Sergey Brin, and that among them are some familiar names to people working in our research program.

The Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences recognizes innovation in medicine and biology and the amount awarded, $3 million each, is more than double the amount of the Nobel Prize. Some of you may know that 46 Nobel Laureates were once recipients of American Cancer Society research grants, pointing the the Society’s strong track record of identifying, and helping make possible, the most promising work in cancer medicine.

Well, we’re proud to say more than half of the recipients of this new prestigious prize were also once ACS grantees.

Read more about the recipients.