image: Proteins of the sarcomere (the contractile unit within cardiomyocytes) that are mutated in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
Credit: Seidman et al., NEJM, 10.1056/NEJM199703133361107
[New York, NY, October 24, 2024] — The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai will award its 2024 Maria I. New International Prize for Biomedical Research to Christine E. Seidman, MD, for her pioneering work in cardiovascular genetics, which has transformed the understanding of congenital heart disease and diseases that cause thickening or weakening of the heart muscles.
The prize honors medical innovators in the tradition of the late Maria I. New, MD, a world-renowned researcher in pediatric genetic disorders with a special focus on endocrinology throughout her six-decade career. Dr. Seidman will receive a prize of $20,000 and will present the Maria I. New Distinguished Lecture during a ceremony to be held at Icahn Mount Sinai in New York City on Friday, November 8.
Dr. Seidman, the Thomas W. Smith Professor of Medicine and Genetics at Harvard Medical School and an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, is also Director of the Cardiovascular Genetics Service at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
Over the last several decades, her pivotal research has defined the genetic mechanisms of inherited cardiovascular disorders, transforming the diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy for these diseases. Dr. Seidman's foundational studies have enabled the development of clinical gene-based diagnostics for early identification of at-risk individuals, allowing for preemptive interventions that prevent disease progression and improve patient outcomes.
Building on these insights, Dr. Seidman played a key role in developing mavacamten, the first Food and Drug Administration-approved precision medicine for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a condition where the heart muscle thickens. Her current efforts focus on translating effective genetic therapies from experimental models into viable treatments for patients, continuing the legacy of innovation exemplified by Dr. New, who died on Friday, July 26, 2024.
“Christine Seidman’s contributions have redefined modern cardiovascular genetics and biology, profoundly influencing the way we diagnose and treat hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and other heart diseases,” says Mone Zaidi, MD, PhD, MACP, Director of Mount Sinai's Center for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology, and Mount Sinai Professor of Clinical Medicine at Icahn Mount Sinai, who chairs the international jury.
“As the 2024 prize recipient, Dr. Seidman epitomizes the legacy of Dr. New, whose seminal research continues to inspire the next generation of biomedical researchers,” said Lisa Satlin, MD, the Herbert H. Lehman Professor of Pediatrics and Chair of the Jack and Lucy Clark Department of Pediatrics at Icahn Mount Sinai, and Pediatrician-in-Chief of Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital.
"The global importance of biomedical research has never been clearer," says Pulitzer Prize-winning author and economic historian Daniel Yergin, PhD, who, along with his wife, foreign policy expert Angela Stent, PhD, generously endows the prize. “We are proud to honor Christine Seidman, whose extraordinary research reflects the same commitment to advancing medical science that defines Dr. New’s career.”
Since the 1990s, Dr. Seidman has identified the majority of causal genes in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, dilated cardiomyopathy (where the heart becomes enlarged and weakened), and congenital heart disease (structural heart defects present at birth). In collaboration with Jonathan Seidman, PhD, the Bugher Professor of Cardiovascular Genetics at Harvard Medical School, she has pioneered the discovery of the genetic causes for these heart muscle disorders. Her recent efforts have focused on advancing myosin ATPase inhibitors—drugs that reduce the excessive contraction of heart muscle by targeting the energy-producing enzyme myosin ATPase—from concept to clinical trials for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, offering new hope for patients living with this condition. Dr. Seidman’s work exemplifies the impact of translational research in shaping the future of cardiovascular medicine and improving the lives of countless patients.
“It is an honor to host this biomedical research award at Icahn Mount Sinai, particularly in recognition of the late Dr. New, one of our esteemed long-serving faculty members,” says Eric J. Nestler, MD, PhD, the Nash Family Professor of Neuroscience, Director of The Friedman Brain Institute, Dean for Academic Affairs of Icahn Mount Sinai, and Chief Scientific Officer of the Mount Sinai Health System. “This annual prize allows us to celebrate the values she exemplified and to keep her legacy alive, as her groundbreaking research has influenced both laboratory and clinical environments for more than 60 years. The award acknowledges outstanding physician-scientists who have made, or have the potential to make, significant contributions to patient care.”
The prize winners are selected by an international jury of prominent scientists. The Maria I. New International Prize for Biomedical Research is administered by Mount Sinai’s Center for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology, in conjunction with the Departments of Pediatrics, Medicine, and Pharmacological Sciences, under the leadership of Dr. Zaidi.
Jury members include Nobel laureate Aaron Ciechanover, MD, DSc, Distinguished University Professor at The Rappaport Family Technion Integrated Cancer Center in Haifa, Israel; Nancy Andrews, MD, PhD, Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer at Boston Children’s Hospital; Nancy J. Brown, MD, Jean and David W. Wallace Dean of the Yale School of Medicine and C.N.H. Long Professor of Internal Medicine; Bert W. O’Malley, MD, Tom Thompson Distinguished Service Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Chancellor at Baylor College of Medicine; and Anna Wedell, MD, PhD, Professor of Medical Genetics in the Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden.
“We deeply appreciate the acclaimed members of the international jury for dedicating their valuable time and expertise to choosing a recipient from a diverse and exceptional group of nominees,” Dr. Zaidi adds.
The Maria I. New International Prize for Biomedical Research
The Maria I. New International Prize for Biomedical Research was created to honor the esteemed career of Maria I. New, MD, now deceased, who was one of the world’s foremost pediatricians and a beloved member of the Mount Sinai community. The Prize is awarded annually to distinguished biomedical researchers for lifetime scientific achievements that have led, or may lead to, new ways to prevent and treat human disease.
The award is generously endowed by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author and economic historian Dr. Daniel Yergin and his wife, foreign policy expert Dr. Angela Stent.
The nomination cycle for the 2025 Prize begins on February 1, 2025 and closes on May 31, 2025. To learn more about the nomination process, contact Susan Babunovic at susan.babunovic@mssm.edu.
Over the past half-century, Maria I. New, MD, earned a reputation as one of the nation's leading pediatric endocrinologists. Her studies of congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH)—a deficiency in the adrenal system that causes gender ambiguity in females and precocious sexual development in males—have led to treatments to correct the disorder before the baby is born. Her groundbreaking identification of a new form of hypertension, “apparent mineralcorticoid excess,” has resulted in a new area of receptor biology.
After joining the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City in 2004, Dr. New continued her work as a Professor of Pediatrics and of Genetics and Genomic Sciences. She was also the Founding Director of Mount Sinai’s Adrenal Steroid Disorders Program.
As a member of the National Academy of Sciences, among several other prestigious academies, Dr. New demonstrated a lifetime dedication to biomedical research and clinical care, and her training of a generation of pediatricians and endocrinologists continues to have a far-reaching impact on the lives of patients and the medical community at large.
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About the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is internationally renowned for its outstanding research, educational, and clinical care programs. It is the sole academic partner for the eight- member hospitals* of the Mount Sinai Health System, one of the largest academic health systems in the United States, providing care to a large and diverse patient population.
Ranked 13th nationwide in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding and among the 99th percentile in research dollars per investigator according to the Association of American Medical Colleges, Icahn Mount Sinai has a talented, productive, and successful faculty. More than 3,000 full-time scientists, educators, and clinicians work within and across 44 academic departments and 36 multidisciplinary institutes, a structure that facilitates tremendous collaboration and synergy. Our emphasis on translational research and therapeutics is evident in such diverse areas as genomics/big data, virology, neuroscience, cardiology, geriatrics, as well as gastrointestinal and liver diseases.
Icahn Mount Sinai offers highly competitive MD, PhD, and Master’s degree programs, with current enrollment of approximately 1,300 students. It has the largest graduate medical education program in the country, with more than 2,000 clinical residents and fellows training throughout the Health System. In addition, more than 550 postdoctoral research fellows are in training within the Health System.
A culture of innovation and discovery permeates every Icahn Mount Sinai program. Mount Sinai’s technology transfer office, one of the largest in the country, partners with faculty and trainees to pursue optimal commercialization of intellectual property to ensure that Mount Sinai discoveries and innovations translate into healthcare products and services that benefit the public.
Icahn Mount Sinai’s commitment to breakthrough science and clinical care is enhanced by academic affiliations that supplement and complement the School’s programs.
Through the Mount Sinai Innovation Partners (MSIP), the Health System facilitates the real-world application and commercialization of medical breakthroughs made at Mount Sinai. Additionally, MSIP develops research partnerships with industry leaders such as Merck & Co., AstraZeneca, Novo Nordisk, and others.
The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is located in New York City on the border between the Upper East Side and East Harlem, and classroom teaching takes place on a campus facing Central Park. Icahn Mount Sinai’s location offers many opportunities to interact with and care for diverse communities. Learning extends well beyond the borders of our physical campus, to the eight hospitals of the Mount Sinai Health System, our academic affiliates, and globally.
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* Mount Sinai Health System member hospitals: The Mount Sinai Hospital; Mount Sinai Beth Israel; Mount Sinai Brooklyn; Mount Sinai Morningside; Mount Sinai Queens; Mount Sinai South Nassau; Mount Sinai West; and New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai.