1985 Award Recipient

Two Award Recipients in 1985

Mak, Tak Wah, Ph.D. (Molecular Immunology)

Mak, Tak Wah, Ph.D. (Ontario Cancer Institute, Toronto, Ontario)
Outstanding contributions in Molecular Immunology

Educational Background
Dr. Tak Wah Mak is educated in the University of Wisconsin where he obtained his B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Biochemistry and Biophysics.  He obtained his Ph.D. in biochemistry in University of Alberta.  He is currently a Senior Scientist with the Ontario Cancer Institute and is a Professor in the Department of Immunology and Department of Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto.

Major Contributions
Dr. Tak Wah Mak is extremely active both professionally and academically.  He has a long list awards from 1967 to 1985.  He has over 93 scientific articles to his Research Credit.  One of his well-known contributions is T-Cell Antigen Receptor which is a breakthrough for the treatment of cancer.

Tsui, Lap-Chee, Ph.D. (Elucidation of the Cystic Fibrosis Gene)

Tsui, Lap-Chee, Ph.D. (The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario)
Outstanding achievements in genetic research in cystic fibrosis

Educational Background
Dr. Lap-Chee Tsui received his B.Sc. And M.Sc. In Biology in the Chinese University of Hong Kong. In 1979 he obtained his Ph.D. in Biological Sciences in the University of Pittsburgh.

Dr. Tsui’s post-doctoral experience has spanned from Oak Ridge National Laboratory to Department of Genetics in the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto. Currently, he is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medical Genetics, Hospital for Sick Children.

Dr. Tsui has won numerous Awards and Scholarships which include Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Award, the Foundation’s most prestigious award.

Major Contributions
Dr. Tsui, together with his colleagues at the Hospital for Sick Children, discovered the location of the gene that causes cystic fibrosis, a common deadly genetic disease in Caucasian children.

His research interest also includes studies of a family of genes whose functions are important for maintaining the transparency of the eye lens.

Other Contributions
Dr. Tsui and others has made a significant contribution to Cystic Fibrosis, in locating the Chromosome which carries the genes causing Cystic Fibrosis. In Cystic Fibrosis, the Secretory Glands of various organs function poorly. The lung produces thick mucus which clogs airways etc. This is a common genetic disease with an incidence of one in two thousand; one in twenty is a carrier.