Lasker Awards Honor Breakthroughs in Sleep Biology, Hemophilia Therapy, and Parkinson’s Advocacy

The 2024 Lasker Awards—widely regarded as “America’s Nobels” for biomedical research—have recognized pioneering work in sleep science, a transformative treatment for hemophilia A, and actor Michael J. Fox’s decades-long advocacy for Parkinson’s disease research. Each prize carries a $250,000 honorarium and will be presented at a ceremony in New York City on September 17. The Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation, established in 1942, announced the recipients on September 9.

Decoding the Biology of Sleep

The Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award was awarded to two scientists who independently identified a critical brain chemical governing the sleep-wake cycle—a substance absent in certain forms of narcolepsy, a neurological condition characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness and, in some cases, cataplexy (sudden muscle weakness).

Dr. Emmanuel Mignot of Stanford University School of Medicine and Dr. Masashi Yanagisawa of Japan’s University of Tsukuba reached this discovery through distinct paths. Mignot sought the root causes of narcolepsy, while Yanagisawa was probing “orphan” receptors—cell-surface proteins whose activating chemicals were unknown.

“We never thought we would end up in sleep,” Yanagisawa said. “This was a kind of biochemical fishing expedition.”

Yanagisawa’s team focused on G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), which trigger cellular cascades when bound by specific molecules. Many GPCR-activating compounds have proven therapeutically valuable, yet numerous receptors lacked known triggers. By isolating peptides from rat brains and testing them against these receptors, the researchers struck gold early: the fifth or sixth receptor tested responded. They ultimately identified two closely related peptides and a second matching receptor.

Because the peptides originated in the hypothalamus—a region linked to feeding behavior—they were named “orexins” after the Greek word for appetite, orexis. Surprisingly, orexins’ primary role turned out to be promoting wakefulness rather than regulating hunger. Mice lacking functional orexin genes abruptly collapsed into brief periods of immobility, their brains suddenly entering REM sleep—a hallmark of narcolepsy with cataplexy in humans.

Meanwhile, Mignot discovered that orexin deficiency underlies a canine form of narcolepsy and subsequently confirmed the same mechanism in human patients.

“It became, suddenly, a very, very convincing story,” Yanagisawa recalled of the converging findings. Before this work, sleep research relied on lesioning brain regions and observing behavioral changes, with no molecular or genetic framework for sleep regulation. “Our papers really shed new light on sleep regulation,” he said.

The duo’s discoveries enabled a new class of insomnia drugs—orexin receptor antagonists that induce sleep by dampening wakefulness—as well as orexin receptor agonists that boost alertness for narcolepsy patients. The first agonist in this class received approval in August.

A Transformative Therapy for Hemophilia A

The Lasker~DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award went to three scientists from Japan’s Chugai Pharmaceutical—Kunihiro Hattori, Takehisa Kitazawa, and Tomoyuki Igawa—who engineered an antibody that replicates the function of a missing clotting protein.

The treatment targets hemophilia A, a severe bleeding disorder caused by a genetic mutation that prevents adequate production of factor VIII, a key clotting protein. Normally, factor VIII bridges two other clotting factors to initiate the coagulation cascade; without it, patients suffer spontaneous joint bleeds causing chronic pain and mobility loss, as well as uncontrolled hemorrhage after minor trauma.

The antibody, emicizumab (marketed as Hemlibra), binds factors IX and X directly, creating a scaffold that bypasses the need for factor VIII. Hattori conceived the strategy in 2000, proposing an antibody that could tether multiple clotting factors together. Kitazawa and Igawa then advanced the concept through pharmacological optimization and protein engineering, respectively.

Approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2017 and now authorized in over 100 countries, emicizumab has treated more than 30,000 patients worldwide, according to the award announcement.

Championing Parkinson’s Research

The Lasker~Bloomberg Public Service Award honored actor and advocate Michael J. Fox, founder of The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.

Fox experienced early-onset Parkinson’s symptoms in 1990 at age 29 and publicly disclosed his diagnosis in 1998, helping destigmatize the neurodegenerative disease. Through engagement with existing advocacy groups, he recognized that insufficient funding was a major barrier to developing better treatments and a cure.

Since its 2000 launch, the foundation has directed more than $3 billion toward Parkinson’s research.

“When we launched the Foundation, our goal was simple, yet ambitious—cure Parkinson’s,” Fox said in a statement. “I am humbled to be recognized by the Lasker Foundation and jury. I accept this honor on behalf of everyone living with Parkinson’s and everyone with us in our shared mission to end the disease.”

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