Kansas City, Mo. (June 12, 2006) – The M.R. and Evelyn Hudson Foundation has named two recipients of the 2006 Hudson Prize at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research. Laurence Florens, Ph.D., Managing Director of Proteomics, and Michael Washburn, Ph.D., Director of Proteomics, received the award at a ceremony at the Institute on June 10.

     The Hudson Prize carries a grant of $50,000 to be used by the recipients to conduct innovative research and accelerate the pace of laboratory experimentation. It was created by the Texas-based Hudson Foundation to recognize and encourage excellence in basic biomedical research at the Stowers Institute.

     Since its creation in 2003, the Proteomics Center has consistently contributed to the quality of science conducted at the Institute. Under the dedicated supervision of Mike Washburn and Laurence Florens, the Proteomics Center team has collaborated on key findings by Institute researchers published in leading peer-reviewed journals including Science, Nature, and Cell.

     Dr. Florens collaborates with investigators across multiple disciplines to apply the techniques of molecular biology, biochemistry, and genetics to analyze the structure, function, and interactions of proteins. She was listed as a co-author on 15 Institute publications in peer-reviewed journals in 2005.

     Dr. Washburn’s research focuses on quantitative proteomics as well as mRNA and protein expression. He leads a team of nine scientists who provide comprehensive proteomics to the Institute’s independent research programs while advancing the field of protein identification by mass spectroscopy. The team’s work has contributed significantly to the scientific progress of the Institute in its early years.

     “The Hudson Foundation’s ongoing support of Stowers Institute researchers allows important science to move forward even more rapidly,” said William Neaves, President and CEO of the Stowers Institute. “We are grateful to the Trustees of the Hudson Foundation for their dedication to basic biomedical research, and we know that important work will come from their support of Drs. Florens and Washburn in the Institute’s Proteomics Center.”

     Dr. Florens joined the Stowers Institute for Medical Research in 2003 from the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California. She holds a Ph.D. in Structural Biology and Microbiology from the University of Aix-Marseilles in Marseilles, France.

     Dr. Washburn joined the Stowers Institute from the Torrey Mesa Research Institute in San Diego in 2003. He earned a Ph.D. in biochemistry and environmental toxicology from Michigan State University before completing a postdoctoral fellowship with Professor John Yates, III, in the Department of Molecular Biotechnology at the University of Washington.

About the Hudson Foundation
     The Hudson Foundation was established in 1991 to further the Hudsons’ lifelong interest in supporting education, medical research, children’s issues, and the arts. M.R. Hudson was the founder of Hudson Oil Co. and later Fisca Oil Co.

About the Stowers Institute
     Housed in a 600,000 square-foot state-of-the-art facility on a 10-acre campus in the heart of Kansas City, Missouri, the Stowers Institute for Medical Research conducts basic research on fundamental processes of cellular life. Through its commitment to collaborative research and the use of cutting-edge technology, the Institute seeks more effective means of preventing and curing disease. The Institute was founded by Jim and Virginia Stowers, two cancer survivors who have created combined endowments of $2 billion in support of basic research of the highest quality.

     Additional information about the Stowers Institute Proteomics Center can be found at http://www.stowers-institute.org/labs/WashburnLab.asp. Photos available upon request.