Thomas J. Walsh, M.D., Director of the Transplantation-Oncology Infectious Diseases Program of Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY, has been selected as the 2010 laureate of the sanofi-aventis ICAAC Award for his translational research on antifungal pharmacology and therapeutics. Supported by sanofi-aventis since 1982, the award has honored outstanding accomplishment in antimicrobial chemotherapy, development of new agents, investigation of antimicrobial action or resistance to antimicrobial agents, and/or the pharmacology, toxicology or clinical use of those agents.
Dr. Walsh received his M.D. degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and subsequently pursued post-doctoral at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, MD. There he established a world-renowned program of translational research in antifungal pharmacology, innate host defenses, and molecular diagnostics of life-threatening and debilitating mycoses of immunocompromised children and adults.
In response to a major unmet medical need, Dr. Walsh and his colleagues established a consortium that systematically studied the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of the entire class of systemic antifungal agents used during the past 20 years in pediatric cancer patients and other immunodeficient children. These translational research studies assure that children now receive antifungal therapy that is pharmacokinetically appropriate for their ages.
The sanofi-aventis ICAAC Award will be presented during ASM's 50th Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC), September 12-15, 2010 in Boston, MA. ASM is the world's oldest and largest life science organization and has more than 40,000 members worldwide. ASM's mission is to advance the microbiological sciences and promote the use of scientific knowledge for improved health, economic, and environmental well-being.