Philip W. Askenase, MD, '65, professor of medicine (immunology), has been awarded the 2018 Distinguished Scientist Award by the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI).
The award is presented annually to recognize scientific contributions to allergy and immunology research that have advanced the field and will improve patients’ lives. Askenase is the first faculty member from the School of Medicine to achieve this recognition.
He is renowned for uncovering previously unrecognized roles of B-1a B cells, natural killer T (NKT) cells, IL-4, complement, serotonin, and mast cells. His findings are relevant to the diagnosis and therapy of allergic and autoimmune diseases, as well as cancers and transplantation. He is currently studying the role of exosomes—nanoparticles released by all cells sending RNA-mediated functional messages between cells—in allergies, multiple sclerosis, neurodegenerative diseases, and stem cells therapies.
Askenase will accept the award at the AAAAI Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida in March, 2018, where he will deliver a lecture on the role of Exosome Delivery of miRNAs in Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology. AAAAI has 7,000 members from around the world.