It gives me great pleasure to announce that Emeritus Professor Donald Metcalf, of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, is the winner of Australia's most prestigious science award, the $300,000 Prime Minister's Prize for Science.
Over a period of some 30 years Professor Metcalf has shown tireless dedication to life saving research on white blood cells.
He has overcome many setbacks to meet the urgent need for a practical method of stimulating white cell production in the very young and old, and in patients at special risk because of inadequate host-defence systems.
Even with the use of antibiotics, patients remain at risk of life-threatening diseases unless they have an adequate number of host defence cells which are functioning effectively.
This significant discovery by Professor Metcalf has now been used successfully throughout the world to help treat millions of patients with cancer and severe infections.
Two of the molecules Professor Metcalf has discovered have been licensed for medical use and now form the basis of a worldwide, billion dollar biotechnology industry which is contributing to Australia's wealth and reputation as an innovative country.
Professor Metcalf's many international awards include the prestigious Lasker Award and the Sloan Prize, often linked to scientists being considered for the Nobel Prize.
The 2001 national Science Prizes celebrate some of Australia's best and brightest in science and technology, recognising work that covers the mysteries of white blood cells, piecing together the jigsaw of how our cells work and helping computers learn new and difficult tasks.
The $35 000 Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Achievement in the Physical Sciences will be presented to Dr Peter Bartlett for his work at the Australian National University on artificial intelligence.
The $35 000 Minister's Prize for Achievement in Life Sciences goes to Associate Professor Bostjan Kobe of the University of Queensland, for his invaluable research in developing highly-targeted drugs that can manipulate what a protein does and, as a result, enable it to successfully fight off deadly viruses like HIV.
25 September 2001