The Antonio M. Gotto, Jr. Prize in Atherosclerosis Research was awarded to Dr. Daniel J. Rader, an investigator from the Perelman School of Medicine, during the XVIII International Symposium on Atherosclerosis held June 9-12 in Toronto, Canada.
Dr. Antonio Gotto
The triennial prize, endowed by Weill Cornell Medicine and the International Atherosclerosis Society in honor of Dr. Gotto, dean emeritus of Weill Cornell Medicine, recognizes outstanding scientific, medical or organizational advancement in our ability to understand the causes and the development of atherosclerosis.
Dr. Rader, the Seymour Gray Professor of Molecular Medicine, is a leading translational scientist who has made major contributions to the understanding of lipoprotein metabolism. His research extends from basic laboratory science to the development of new therapeutic agents to prevent and treat coronary heart disease. He discovered the enzyme endothelial lipase, which plays a key role in the metabolism of HDL (or “good”) cholesterol, and championed microsomal triglyceride transfer protein inhibitors for treatment of severe hypercholesterolemia.
The prize aims to encourage basic, clinical and translational research in areas relating to the causes, prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease globally, a field to which Dr. Gotto, who is also provost for medical affairs emeritus for Cornell University, has dedicated his career. The former president of both the American Heart Association and the International Atherosclerosis Society, Dr. Gotto has played a leading role in demonstrating that cholesterol-lowering drug treatment can reduce the risk for heart disease.