The Muse Prize is awarded to world leaders in ophthalmology and otolaryngology with a recipient in each field in alternating years. In 2004, the Eye and Ear Foundation awarded its first Albert C. Muse Prize in Ophthalmology to Judah Folkman, M.D., the Julia Dyckman Andrus Professor of Pediatric Surgery and a Professor of Cell Biology at Harvard Medical School, and the Vascular Biology Program Director at Children’s Hospital in Boston.

Dr. Folkman is recognized worldwide for pioneering the field of angiogenesis where he has shown that a cancerous tumor can be starved by cutting off its blood supply. Today, Folkman’s work is being applied to other pathologies including heart disease, arthritis, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and endometriosis, by researchers and clinicians around the world.

“The awarding of the Muse Prize celebrates the genius and perseverance of a truly remarkable surgeon and scientist of our time,” said B. Gordon Nelson, Chairman of the Eye and Ear Foundation.

Dr. Folkman and his colleagues discovered that tumors grow and spread by recruiting their own private network of blood vessels, a process called angiogenesis. His laboratory discovered the first angiogenesis inhibitors, five of which are currently in clinical trials for patients with cancer and with ocular neovascularization. Unlike traditional chemotherapeutic drugs, known for harsh side effects and the development of resistance, angiogenesis inhibitors generally have very few side effects and a low risk of resistance. For example, endostatin has shown few if any side effects in clinical trials, even in patients who have been on the drug for as long as two and one-half years or more.

The explosion of angiogenesis-related research is resulting in emerging medicines and technologies that hold promise for macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and other conditions that cause vision loss and blindness in millions across the U.S. and abroad. Pittsburgh is especially affected due to our disproportionate numbers of mature adults.

In 2003, the Muse Prize was awarded in Otolaryngology to Wolfgang Steiner, M.D., Chairman of Head and Neck Surgery at University of Goettingen, Germany, for his work in pioneering minimally invasive laser surgery for neck cancer.

Nominees are submitted by department chairs at medical schools and research institutions across the U.S. and other countries.