Cell biologist wins Lasker prize

James E. Rothman, Ph.D. ’71, the Paul A. Marks Chair of the Cellular Biochemistry and Biophysics Program and vice chair of the Sloan-Kettering Institute, was one of two scientists honored with the 2002 Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research. Rothman and colleague Randy W. Schekman discovered the universal molecular machinery that orchestrates the budding and fusion of membrane vesicles, a process essential to organelle formation, nutrient uptake and secretion of hormones and neurotransmitters. The mission of the Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation is to increase public awareness, appreciation and understanding of promising achievements in medical science in order to promote public support for research.