Zon, Scadden recognized by American Society of Hematology

Two Harvard professors will receive awards from the American Society of Hematology for their “significant contributions to the understanding and treatment of hematologic diseases.”

David Scadden, who is co-director of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Jordan Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, professor of stem cell and regenerative biology, and director of the Center for Regenerative Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, will receive the 2010 Dameshek Prize for his contributions to stem cell biology. The citation said his work has increased the fundamental understanding of how the environment surrounding a stem cell, or its “niche,” affects a cell’s development. “His contributions have altered thinking in the field and given direction for interventions to improve transplantation,” the society’s announcement said.

Leonard Zon, Grousbeck Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and a researcher at Children’s Hospital Boston and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, will receive the E. Donnall Thomas Lecture and Prize for his work on the development and regulation of hematopoietic stem cells, which give rise to all different types of blood cells. The prize recognizes “pioneering research achievements in hematology.”

The awards will be presented at the society’s annual meeting in Orlando, Fla., in December.