Prince Mahidol Award for Harald zur Hausen
Thailand honors Heidelberg Cancer Researcher with Royal Award
Professor Harald zur Hausen, former Chairman and Scientific Member of the Management Board of the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) has been bestowed with a very special honor. Thailand’s Prince Mahidol Award Foundation has chosen the 69-year-old cancer researcher as this year’s recipient of the prize that bears the name of His Royal Highness Prince Mahidol of Songkla. Zur Hausen, a specialist on papillomaviruses, which are considered to be a cause of cervical cancer, receives the 50,000 US-Dollar prize for his contributions to the ‘Public Health Service’.
The award ceremony will take place in Bangkok on 26th January 2006 in the Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall of the Dusit Palace. There His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej will present the prizewinner with a medal and a certificate. At a reception the next day Harald zur Hausen will be a guest of the Prime Minister of Thailand. Moreover, the expertise of the renowned Heidelberg cancer researcher is also in demand: Zur Hausen is invited to deliver a talk about his research work.
For some years now, the Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum has fostered scientific relationships with Thailand. In 1995 the Center concluded a cooperation agreement with the Chulabhorn Research Institute covering a joint project to study the chemical constituents of Thailand’s flora. The Thai Princess Professor Chulabhorn Mahidol visited the DKFZ in October 2000 to learn about research into natural substances that can prevent or slow down the development of tumors. She also gained an overview of the diagnosis and therapy of lung cancer, and of cancers particular to women. With this transfer of knowledge, the DKFZ is supporting the development of a cancer center in Bangkok.
Prince Mahidol of Songkla, the father of the present King of Thailand was responsible for modernizing the health-care and health-education systems in Thailand. He is thus highly regarded by the population as the father of modern medicine and of the public health system. It was in his honor that the Prince Mahidol Award Foundation was founded in 1992 and the prize bearing his name introduced, a prize honoring excellent achievements in the areas of ‘Medicine’ and ‘Public Health Service’. The President of the Foundation is Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.
With more than 3,000 employees, the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) is Germany’s largest biomedical research institute. DKFZ scientists identify cancer risk factors, investigate how cancer progresses and develop new cancer prevention strategies. They are also developing new methods to diagnose tumors more precisely and treat cancer patients more successfully. The DKFZ's Cancer Information Service (KID) provides patients, interested citizens and experts with individual answers to questions relating to cancer.
To transfer promising approaches from cancer research to the clinic and thus improve the prognosis of cancer patients, the DKFZ cooperates with excellent research institutions and university hospitals throughout Germany:
The DKFZ is 90 percent financed by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and 10 percent by the state of Baden-Württemberg. The DKFZ is a member of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers.
