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The 2026 Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award
Emmanuel Mignot (Stanford University School of Medicine)
Masashi Yanagisawa (University of Tsukuba)
For identification of orexin, a brain peptide that maintains wakefulness, and the discovery that orexin deficiency causes uncontrolled sleep in narcolepsy—revealing a key insight into the nature of sleep
The 2026 Lasker~DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award
Kunihiro Hattori (formerly at Chugai Pharmaceutical )
Takehisa Kitazawa (Chugai Pharmaceutical )
Tomoyuki Igawa (Chugai Pharmaceutical )
For invention of a bispecific antibody that joins blood clotting Factors IX and X—restoring deficient Factor VIII activity in hemophilia A and preventing severe bleeding in this genetic disorder
The 2026 Lasker~Bloomberg Public Service Award
Michael J. Fox (The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research)
For empowering patients’ voices and accelerating research to find improved therapies and a cure for Parkinson’s disease
(New York, September 9, 2026) -- The Lasker Foundation today announced the winners of its 2026 Lasker Awards: Emmanuel Mignot (Stanford University School of Medicine) and Masashi Yanagisawa (University of Tsukuba) will receive the Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award ; Kunihiro Hattori , Takehisa Kitazawa, and Tomoyuki Igawa (Chugai Pharmaceutical ) will receive the Lasker~DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award ; and Michael J. Fox (The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research) will receive the Lasker~Bloomberg Public Service Award.
Established in 1945 by pioneering biomedical research advocates, Albert and Mary Lasker, the Lasker Awards are now widely regarded as America’s preeminent biomedical research prize. The awards carry an honorarium of $250,000 for each category. They will be presented at a gala ceremony in New York City on Thursday, September 17, 2026. More information — including detailed scientific back stories and videos that document laureates’ achievements — is available at laskerfoundation.org .
The 2026 Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award honors Emmanuel Mignot and Masashi Yanagisawa for discovering orexin, a brain peptide that maintains wakefulness, and for showing that its absence causes narcolepsy — a disorder marked by sudden sleep attacks and loss of muscle tone. They independently investigated the relatively rare disorder and, remarkably, arrived at the same key driver of sleep and wakefulness through completely different routes. Today, narcolepsy affects at least 1 in 2,000 people in the United States, and many are still undiagnosed.
Yanagisawa, searching for molecules that activate "orphan" brain receptors, isolated peptides he named orexins. Mice bred to lack orexin showed sudden nighttime collapses that resemble human narcolepsy. Mignot took a different path, studying inherited narcolepsy in dogs and identifying mutations in the orexin receptor-2 gene. Mignot went on to show that most human patients with narcolepsy had lost their ability to produce orexin, likely due to an autoimmune reaction to infection.
These two pathbreaking researchers advanced the science of sleep, defining a molecular understanding of wakefulness. Their work has already yielded transformational treatments in the field, such as orexin-blocking drugs for insomnia and Takeda’s oveporexton (marketed as Orzeyful™), an orexin-activating drug for narcolepsy, which gained FDA approval in August 2026.
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The 2026 Lasker~DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award honors three scientists from Japan’s Chugai Pharmaceutical — Kunihiro Hattori, Takehisa Kitazawa, and Tomoyuki Igawa — for their invention of a bispecific antibody that treats hemophilia A by preventing uncontrolled bleeding. This genetic disorder stems from a deficiency in Factor VIII (F-VIII), a protein needed for clotting. Their antibody mimics F-VIII by bringing together two other clotting factors, allowing blood to clot normally even without functional F-VIII.
Getting there took almost a decade of persistence. Hattori's original idea in 2000 — that an antibody could be engineered to bind two different clotting factors and bring them together — seemed promising, but early candidates worsened bleeding in animal tests, a serious setback. Rather than abandon the project, the team, with Kitazawa driving the biology and Igawa the engineering, screened tens of thousands of antibody combinations and solved thorny manufacturing problems to make industrial production feasible. Years of careful refinement boosted effectiveness and balanced competing properties such as stability and solubility. They eventually landed on the successful molecule in 2010.
Clinical trials showed the drug they developed slashed bleeding rates by as much as 87%, even in patients whose bodies had rejected older treatments. The results were transformative, and the drug received FDA approval in 2017. Unlike previous therapies, which required frequent injections directly into a vein, emicizumab (Hemlibra®) can be self-administered under the skin as infrequently as once a month, freeing patients from a demanding treatment burden that shaped daily life. More than 30,000 people worldwide have already benefited, and the breakthrough has opened the door to a new generation of bispecific IgG antibody-based against lymphoma, myeloma, and other cancers, extending this team's impact far beyond hemophilia A alone.
The 2026 Lasker~Bloomberg Public Service Award honors Michael J. Fox for empowering patients’ voices and accelerating research to find improved therapies and a cure for Parkinson’s disease (PD). Harnessing his celebrity to raise awareness and understanding of this devastating illness that impacts 10 million people worldwide, Fox and the Michael J. Fox Foundation have helped dispel the stigma of the disease and spearheaded a revolution in the world of PD research.
In 1990, at the age of 29 and already a successful and popular television and film actor, Fox experienced initial symptoms of early-onset PD. He resisted sharing the news publicly because of concerns about how it would impact his career, and he developed subtle methods to hide his tremors. Then, in 1998, he announced his diagnosis, increasing public awareness and conversations about PD, while also overturning the belief that only older individuals could be stricken with the disease.
He established the Michael J. Fox Foundation in 2000 and devised a groundbreaking approach to scientific research and advocacy that amplified patients’ voices to accelerate research funding and awarded grants — all with the aim to make the disease obsolete. Since its inception, the Foundation has funded more than $3 billion in PD research, leading to tremendous insight into the illness’s genetic and cellular underpinnings. Today, several dozen Foundation-supported studies of therapies are underway, with some of the treatments in clinical trials; many symptomatic treatments are nearing or have achieved FDA approval.
Fox’s courage and leadership have galvanized stakeholders across the PD community. He leveraged his stature and celebrity to bring the disease to the world stage, and through his enthusiasm and tireless focus, he has transformed the outlook for everyone with this neurodegenerative disorder.
About the Lasker Awards : Renowned as America’s preeminent biomedical research prize, 360 recipients have received Lasker Medical Research Awards since 1945. Over these years, 101 Lasker Laureates have also received the Nobel Prize, including 28 in the last two decades. Lasker Public Service Awards, which recognize people or organizations that accelerate progress in medical science or health, have been given 68 times.
More details on the Lasker Award recipients, the full citations for each award category, video interviews and photos of the awardees, and additional information on the Foundation are available at laskerfoundation.org .
About the Lasker Foundation : Established in 1942 by Albert and Mary Lasker, The Lasker Foundation seeks to increase support for biomedical research by celebrating the power of biomedical science to save and improve human lives. Through its internationally renowned Lasker Awards, educational initiatives, and public advocacy, the Foundation recognizes the most important achievements in science and public service, supports and encourages the scientific leaders of tomorrow, and raises awareness of the ever-present need for research funding. The Foundation is committed to inspiring robust and sustained support for biomedical research, fueled by Mary Lasker’s call to action: “If you think research is expensive, try disease.” More information at laskerfoundation.org .
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