David Botstein, Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences Laureate, Passes Away

The Breakthrough Prize Foundation is saddened by the passing of David Botstein at the age of 83. Botstein, one of the eleven inaugural Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences laureates announced in 2013, was a pioneer of the study of genes and genomes. Before genes could be sequenced as they are today, it was generally not known how close they were to each other on a strand of DNA. Botstein found a way to construct genetic linkage maps in humans, which estimated the likelihood of two genes being closely linked, based on how often they were separated when the DNA split and recombined during sexual reproduction. This systematic mapping of relationships between genes paved the way for the Human Genome Project, as well as enabling the identification of genes involved in diseases like Huntington’s. The Breakthrough Prize offers its condolences his family, friends and colleagues.