Transplant Pioneer To Be Awarded Cedars-Sinai's Inaugural PRISM Prize

Contact: Laura Coverson | Email: laura.coverson@cshs.org

Los Angeles - May 19, 2015 — A distinguished physician researcher whose work has led to major advances in the treatment of organ transplant patients will receive an inaugural Cedars-Sinai research prize recognizing scientific or medical breakthroughs.

Stanley C. Jordan, MD, professor of medicine and director of Kidney Transplantation and Transplant Immunology, will receive Cedars-Sinai's PRISM research prize for his major contributions to the treatment and care of organ transplant patients. The award will be presented June 10 at the academic medical center's annual commencement ceremony of the Graduate Program in Biomedical Science and Translational Medicine in Harvey Morse Auditorium. Jordan will receive a medal, a citation and a $10,000 cash prize.

The newly established Prize for Research in Scientific Medicine encourages basic and clinical/translational research and recognizes outstanding scientific or medical breakthroughs by Cedars-Sinai faculty, particularly "bench-to-bedside" scholarship.

Jordan's groundbreaking research in transplant immunology led to the development of a drug therapy protocol that significantly reduces the risk of a transplanted kidney being rejected. Jordan said the new approach means that 60 percent of patients once considered unsuitable for a transplant because of the high risk of rejection can now receive kidneys.

"I'm very pleased and honored to receive this award," said Jordan. "I know what great work is being done here in many different fields, by world class researchers and clinicians. It means a lot to have been selected."

Shlomo Melmed, MD, senior vice president of Academic Affairs and dean of the medical faculty, praised the impact of Jordan's work at the medical center and beyond.

"The PRISM prize recognizes outstanding research contributions that are translated to the excellent care of our patients. We applaud Dr. Jordan for his scholarly discovery, which directly benefits transplant patients worldwide," said Melmed.

The external prize selection committee included Laurence Kedes, MD, medical geneticist and emeritus professor at Cedars-Sinai and the University of Southern California; Donald Kohn, MD, director of the UCLA Human Gene Medicine Program; and John Rossi, MD, chair of the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology at City of Hope.

"It was a very difficult decision to reach because of the high quality of scientific discoveries and applications by Cedars-Sinai faculty," said Kedes, who chaired the committee. "We were very impressed with Dr. Jordan's scientific discoveries in the lab and the almost immediate application to patient care to improve clinical outcomes."

For more than two decades, Jordan has performed extensive research into aspects of immunology and transplantation, funded by dozens of research grants and awards, including those from the National Institutes of Health. He has written hundreds of peer-reviewed articles, published in scientific journals and presented findings at prestigious scientific organizations.

"This very special honor validates not only the work of my career, but also the work of our team at the Comprehensive Transplant Center that is devoted to the best possible care of our patients," he said.