Biomedical scientist to receive Chen Award for distinguished achievement in genetic and genomic research

The international Human Genome Organization (HUGO) will present its top award to Jackson Laboratory President and CEO Edison Liu, M.D.

The Chen Award for Distinguished Academic Achievement in Human Genetic and Genomic Research honors the achievements of a biomedical scientist who has made significant contributions to genetics and genomics. As the 2014 awardee, Liu will receive a $10,000 award and plaque, and will present a plenary lecture at HUGO's annual meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, on April 30.

Liu, an international leader in cancer biology, genomics, human genetics and molecular epidemiology, joined The Jackson Laboratory in 2011 from the Genome Institute of Singapore, where he was founding director (2001-2011), and served two terms as president of HUGO (2007-2013). Previously he was the scientific director of the National Cancer Institute's Division of Clinical Sciences (1997-2001) and served in faculty and leadership roles at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1987-1996).

Liu's scientific research has focused on the functional genomics of human cancers, particularly breast cancer, uncovering new oncogenes, and deciphering the dynamics of gene regulation on a genomic scale that modulate cancer biology. He has authored over 300 scientific papers and reviews, and co-authored two books.

Yuan-Tsong Chen, M.D., and Alice Der-Shan Chen established the Chen Award in 2010 to celebrate research accomplishments in human genetics and genomics and to recognize the tremendous impact that genetics and genomics have had on the improvement of health and treatment of diseases.