George E. Palade Memorial Lecture on Cell Biology of the Pancreas

Abstract

The IAP has decided to honor the great pancreatologist and Nobel Laureate, Dr. George Palade, by instituting an award and lecture in his name. This award -lecture will be given during IAP meetings by an eminent pancreatologist in the field of basic and/or translational pancreatology. The first of these award-lecture series will be given during our meeting in Fukuoka, Japan. George Palade received his medical degree from the University of Bucharest, and was a faculty member there until 1945, when he emigrated to the United States for his postdoctoral studies at the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research. He continued his career at Rockefeller to become Professor and Head of the Laboratory of Cell Biology. Dr. Palade’s seminal findings include elucidation of the pathway for the synthesis and vectorial transport of proteins (digestive enzymes) in pancreatic acinar cells. He first described the association of what were subsequently determined to be ribosomes with the endoplasmic reticulum. In 1973, Dr. Palade moved to Yale University to establish the Section of Cell Biology. The following year, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology/Medicine. During his acceptance speech he said “Cell biology finally makes possible a century-old dream: that of analysis of diseases at the cellular level, the first step toward their final control.” In 1990, Dr. Palade moved to the University of California, San Diego, as Dean for Scientific Affairs in the School of Medicine. He passed away on October 8, 2008, at the age of 95. Dr. Palade will be remembered and honored for his profound influence much beyond the boundaries of his laboratory. Dr. Palade’s litany of achievements is truly remarkable. He was a co-founder of the American Society for Cell Biology in 1960, which has a membership of approximately 10,000 today. In addition to being awarded the Nobel Prize, Dr. Palade was elected to the National Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Medicine, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and received the National Medal of Science in 1986, the Albert Lasker Award, The Gairdner Special Award, and many others along the way. The IAP is proud to honor Dr. Palade’s storied career with the creation of an annual lecture series in his name. This year’s recipient Prof. George E. Palade