Online Nominations For 2014 Breakthrough Prizes in Life Sciences Are Open

Up to five prizes of $3 million each to be awarded

September 3, 2013 (San Francisco) - The Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences Foundation announces the opening of online nomination website for its 2014 prizes. The rules and nomination form are available to the public at http://www.breakthroughprizeinlifesciences.org. Anyone can nominate a candidate online and all submissions must be completed by a third party.

Nominations will be accepted through October 2, 2013.

This year the Foundation will award up to five prizes of $3 million each, sponsored by Sergey Brin and Anne Wojcicki, Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan, and Yuri Milner. All prizes will be awarded for research aimed at curing intractable diseases and extending human life, with special attention to recent discoveries. One prize sponsored by Sergey Brin and Anne Wojcicki is aimed specifically at advancements in Parkinson’s disease research.

The 2014 prize winners will be chosen by the Foundation’s Selection Committee, which is comprised of prior recipients of the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, including:

  • Cornelia I. Bargmann
  • David Botstein
  • Lewis C. Cantley
  • Hans Clevers
  • Napoleone Ferrara
  • Titia de Lange
  • Eric S. Lander
  • Charles L. Sawyers
  • Bert Vogelstein
  • Robert A. Weinberg
  • Shinya Yamanaka

“We all benefit from the brilliance and commitment of researchers at the frontiers of medical science. This is a chance to reward their achievements and support their future work. If you think someone deserves a Breakthrough Prize, you have the power to put them in the running.”

- Art Levinson, Chairman of Apple Inc., Genentech, and The Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences Foundation.

For additional inquiries, contact: Media@breakthroughprizeinlifesciences.org.

About the Breakthrough Prize Foundation:

The Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences Foundation is a nonprofit organization created by Art Levinson, Sergey Brin and Anne Wojcicki, Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan, and Yuri Milner and dedicated to advancing research aimed at curing intractable diseases and extending human life. The Foundation works toward this goal by:

  • Awarding annual prizes of $3,000,000 each for accomplishments in the field of life sciences.
  • Communicating the excitement of science and raising the profile of those who practice it.
  • Inspiring young people to consider a career in science.

Additional information about the Foundation and the 2013 recipients of the prizes can be found at www.breakthroughprizeinlifesciences.org.