The Rank Prize for Nutrition has been awarded
to Professor Roy Taylor and
Professor Mike Lean
The Rank Prize for Optoelectronics has been
awarded to four pioneers of retinal imaging technology
LONDON, July 2, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- The 2024 Rank Prizes were awarded last night at a
ceremony in central London. Dame
Sally Davies, the UK Special Envoy
on Antimicrobial Resistance, was Guest of Honour.
Rank Prize for Nutrition
Professor Roy Taylor and
Professor Mike Lean were the winners
of the 2024 Rank Prize for Nutrition. Their research has furthered
understanding of how type 2 diabetes develops, and has shown for
the first time that remission from type 2 diabetes is possible for
some by following a low-energy weight management programme. Their
work is transforming services for people newly diagnosed with type
2 diabetes by giving them the support to manage their health and
reverse the effects of this serious condition.
Professor John C. Mathers, Chair
of Rank Prize's Nutrition Committee, explained that: "The
ground-breaking research by Professors Taylor and Lean has shown
that a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes is not a life sentence. Their
demonstration that type 2 diabetes can be put into remission by
sustained weight loss will empower millions of people globally to
change their eating behaviour and to improve their health."
On receiving the award, Professor Lean commented that: "Success
in research, making a difference for our patients, is gratifying,
and for all this to be recognised by the Rank Prize is immensely
rewarding." Professor Taylor added: "I am delighted to receive this
recognition on behalf of the physicists, doctors, nurses,
dietitians and others who have provided fantastic team input over
many years of this research."
Rank Prize for Optoelectronics
The 2024 Rank Prize for Optoelectronics was awarded to four
internationally leading scientists for the development of
instruments that use adaptive optics technologies to capture
high-resolution images of the living human retina. Their pioneering
research has generated new fundamental insights into the structure
and function of the human eye in both health and disease as well as
new clinical interventions to remedy sight loss from common
disorders. The winning scientists are:
- Dr Junzhong Liang
- Professor Donald T. Miller
- Professor Austin Roorda
- Professor David R. Williams
Professor Donal Bradley, Chair of
Rank Prize's Optoelectronics Committee, noted that: "The Prize
recognizes a seminal contribution to imaging within the eye that
opens new opportunities to understand this complex optical
instrument and to improve eyesight through precise interventions.
The winners are to be commended both on their highly insightful
contributions to vision science and their subsequent development of
applications."
Professor David R. Williams
responded: "Inventions and discoveries are almost always made by
teams and this certainly was the case in this instance. I am so
proud to be sharing this award with my former teammates, each of
whom was not only critical to the initial development of ophthalmic
adaptive optics but also continues to lead its evolution so
successfully."
About the Rank Prize
Established by Lord J. Arthur
Rank, a British industrialist and philanthropist, the Rank
Prizes are awarded biennially in the fields of nutrition and
optoelectronics. Previous winners include Arthur Ashkin and Shuji
Nakamaru, who have gone on to win the Nobel Prize. Find out
more at www.rankprize.org.
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