Jerusalem, Jan. 22, 2007 – Minister of Education, Professor Yuli Tamir, Chairperson of the Wolf Foundation Council, announced that the 2007 Wolf Prize in Agriculture will be jointly awarded to Professor Ronald L. Phillips, of the University of Minnesota, USA, and Professor Michel A. J Georges, of the University of Liege, Belgium, “for groundbreaking discoveries in genetics and genomics, laying the foundations for improvements in crop and livestock breeding, and sparking important advances in plant and animal sciences.” The $100,000 Prize will be presented by the President of the State of Israel, at a special ceremony, at the Knesset (parliament) in Jerusalem, on Sunday, May 13, 2007.

METHODS TO GENETICALLY MODIFY CORN PLANTS AND OTHER CEREALS

Professor Ronald L. Phillips  “was the first to generate whole corn plants from cells grown in culture, which laid the foundation for, and sparked, a new industry, using cell-culture methods to genetically modify corn plants and other cereals. The corn cell line most widely used in the world today for genetic modification of corn has greatly accelerated the improvement of corn, as food, feed and fuel. Fundamental studies in the Phillips laboratory have further led to the identification of cells and plants with increased levels of essential amino acids and the development of an efficient DNA sequence mapping system used by plant scientists in genomics research,” stated the international Jury in this field.

Born in Indiana, US, in 1940, Ronald L. Phillips received his Ph.D. in Genetics from the University of Minnesota.  He has been affiliated with this Institution since 1968, first as Assistant Professor, and as full Professor since 1976. He was Director of the Plant Molecular Genetics Institute at the University from 1991 to 1994, and since 2000 he holds the Presidential Chair in Genomics, and is Director of the Center for Microbial and Plant Genomics.  Phillips is fellow of the American Society of Agronomy, of the Crop Science Society of America, and member of the National Academy of Sciences, US.

Phillips is also world-renowned for his leadership and service in the field of plant science within international agricultural research communities and for his teaching and student training in plant genetics.

WORLD LEADER IN ANIMAL GENETICS AND GENOMICS

Professor Michel  A. J. Georges  “has been, with his group, a world leader in the field of animal genetics and genomics, and in the development of tools and strategies for increasing the efficiency of genome analysis for livestock improvement. Georges has applied his methods to the identification and mapping of genes affecting economically important single-gene (e.g. polled, double-muscling, callipyge, weaver, congenital muscular distonia), as well as complex multi-gene traits (e.g. milk and fattening yield and quality, fertility, disease resistance),” posited the Jury.

Born in Schoten, Belgium, in 1959, Georges received his Doctor in Veterinary Medicine from the University of Liege, in 1983, and a M.Sc. in Molecular Biology from the Free University Brussels, in 1985. He was Assistant Professor at the University of Liège from 1983 to 1988, and since 1994, has been Professor of Genetics at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, at this Institution. During the years 1991-93, Georges was Associate Professor at the Department of Human Genetics, University of Utah, US.

“Georges is also a pioneer in opening up the field of epigenetics for animals, a hereditary form that does not conform to simple Mendelian rules. He is considered a giant within the animal genetics and genomics community, both for his genius and for generously sharing his ideas. His approach to genome analysis and to the dissection of complex traits is also of interest in the field of genetics in general, and has led to insights relevant to genetic diseases in humans,” added the Jury.

He is a member of the Belgian Royal Academy of Medicine.

AWARDS TO BE PRESENTED IN JERUSALEM IN MAY 2007

The Israel-based Wolf Foundation was established by the late German-born inventor, diplomat and philanthropist, Dr. Ricardo Wolf. A resident of Cuba for many years, Wolf became Fidel Castro's ambassador to Israel, where he lived until his death in 1981. Five annual Wolf Prizes have been awarded since 1978, to outstanding scientists and artists, "for achievements in the interest of mankind and friendly relations among peoples, irrespective of nationality, race, color, religion, sex, or political view." The prizes, of $100,000 in each area, are given in four out of five scientific fields, in rotation: Agriculture, Chemistry, Mathematics, Medicine and Physics. In the Arts, the Prize rotates among Architecture, Music, Painting and Sculpture. To date, a total of 232 scientists and artists from 22 countries have been honored.