Scott Emr awarded 2024 Horwitz Prize for discovering ESCRT pathway

Scott Emr, Samuel C. and Nancy M. Fleming Professor Emeritus in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics in the College of Arts and Sciences, was awarded the 2024 Horwitz Prize, along with Wesley Sundquist, for discovering the ESCRT (Endosomal Sorting Complexes Required for Transport) pathway and revealing how it works. The ESCRT pathway is essential in diverse processes central to health and disease. The Horwitz Award is given annually by Columbia University for groundbreaking work in medical science.

"This award places Scott in the company of many of the top figures in molecular biology and biomedical sciences from the past 50 years," said Daniel Barbash, professor and chair of molecular biology and genetics in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Of the 113 previous Horwitz Prize winners, 51 have gone on to receive Nobel Prizes.

"I am honored to be awarded the Horwitz Prize," said Emr. "It recognizes the discoveries made by many wonderful students and postdocs who I have been fortunate to train and work with over the past 42 years. They certainly share in this honor."

ESCRT (pronounced "escort") complexes deform the cell membrane and bend parts of it away from the cytoplasm, the space that houses all material inside a cell. This unique process plays an essential role in keeping cells healthy by packaging and sorting molecules, removing waste, and regulating important functions such as cell division, neuron remodeling, and immune responses. Defects in ESCRT function can lead to uncontrolled cell growth and tumor formation, contributing to cancer, neurodegeneration, and Parkinson's disease. In addition, many viruses, including HIV, hijack ESCRT machinery to exit an infected host cell.

Read the full story on the College of Arts and Sciences website.