The 2024 Keio Medical Science Prize Awardees

Sir Demis Hassabis

Co-Founder and CEO, Google DeepMind

Reason for Selection

“Innovation in biomedical research through brain-inspired artificial intelligence”

Sir Hassabis pioneered deep reinforcement learning, which combines deep neural networks with reinforcement learning based on the computational principles of the brain. He set a milestone in artificial intelligence with AlphaGo, which famously defeated the world champion in the game of Go. Furthermore, aiming to transform science through artificial intelligence, Sir Hassabis and his colleagues developed AlphaFold, a program that predicts protein structure from amino acid sequences using deep neural networks, which has had a revolutionary impact on biomedical research. Sir Hassabis’ work spans from basic science to generative models of languages and images, and toward the realization of general artificial intelligence inspired by the computational principles of the brain. This is expected to not only revolutionize biomedical research but also contribute to a richer human society.

Background

Education

1994 - 1997: BA (Hons) in Computer Science (Double 1st Class), Queens’ College, University of Cambridge
2005 - 2009: PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Neurology, University College London (UCL)

Position

1993-1998: Lead AI Programmer, Lead Designer, Bullfrog Productions; Lionhead Studios, Guildford
1998- 2005: Founder & CEO, Elixir Studios, London
2009- 2010: Wellcome Trust Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Gatsby Unit, UCL ; McGovern Institute, MIT; Dept of Psychology, Harvard
2010 -present: Co-Founder & CEO, Google DeepMind

Major Honors/Awards

2022: BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award
2022: Wiley Prize in Biomedical Sciences
2023: Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research
2023: Canada Gairdner International Award
2023: Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences

Comments

I'm deeply honoured to receive the Keio Medical Science Prize. Inspired by human intelligence, I’ve dedicated my career to AI because of its potential to advance science and improve billions of lives. AlphaFold solved the 50-year grand challenge of protein structure prediction, and has been used by over 2 million researchers to advance critical work across biomedical science. I believe AI will be one of the most beneficial technologies ever, enabling cures for devastating diseases and delivering truly personalised medicine

Mitinori Saitou，M.D., Ph.D.

Professor, Kyoto University Institute for Advanced Study
Director, Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Biology (WPI-ASHBi)

Website
Saitou Group

Reason for Selection

“In vitro reconstitution of germ cell development”

The birth of new life begins with the fusion of reproductive cells, namely sperm and egg, which form a fertilized egg. The fertilized egg undergoes cell division, differentiating into various tissues and organs, gradually forming the human body. Remarkably, just two weeks after the fertilized egg is formed, preparation for the next generation begins, with primordial germ cells forming within the fetus. Dr. Saitou has succeeded in explaining this mysterious phenomenon of germ cell development, which has been repeated continuously throughout 2 million years of human history, at the molecular level. He discovered the molecules essential for this phenomenon and based on such knowledge, created sperm, eggs, and fertilized eggs from mouse iPS cells in vitro, and even succeeded in growing these into mice. Furthermore, in his research on humans, he has generated the cells preceding the sperm and eggs from iPS cells, leading the human in vitro gametogenesis research. His achievements pave the way to solve the ultimate challenge in biology—creating fertilized eggs from somatic cells—and thus deserve the Keio Medical Science Prize

Background

Education

1995: M.D. Faculty of Medicine, Kyoto University, Japan
1999: Ph.D. Cell Biology, Graduate School of medicine, Kyoto University, Japan

Position

1996: Young Research Fellow(DC1), Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
1999: Young Research Fellow(PD), Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
2000: Travelling Research Fellow, Wellcome Trust/ Cancer Research UK Gurdon Centre for Developmental Biology and Cancer
2003: Senior Research Associate, Wellcome Trust/ Cancer Research UK Gurdon Centre for Developmental Biology and Cance
2003: Team Leader, RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology
2009- Present: Professor, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University
2011- 2018: ERATO Research Director, Japan Science and Technology Agency
2018- Present: Guest Principal Investigator, Center for iPS Cell Research and Application, Kyoto University
2018- Present: Professor, Kyoto University Institute for Advanced Study
2018- Present: Director, Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Biology (WPI-ASHBi)
2023- Present: FOREST Program Officer, Japan Science and Technology Agency

Major Honors/Awards

2016: Takeda Prize for Medicine
2019: Uehara Prize
2019: The Asahi Prize
2020: Imperial Prize and Japan Academy Prize
2020: ISSCR Momentum Award

Comments

I am deeply honored and grateful to be selected as the recipient of the Keio Medical Science Prize. My research is driven by a profound interest in the mechanisms of germ-cell development, which are fundamental to the continuity of life. The intricate nature of these mechanisms and the ongoing emergence of new questions and possibilities continue to captivate me. Currently, my work is focused on understanding the mechanisms of human germ-cell development and achieving in vitro reconstitution of these cells. Encouraged by this award, I am committed to furthering my research to explore human development and disease origins while also advancing reproductive medicine and contributing to the foundational philosophy that underpins the field.

Past Prize Laureates