This month, Vertex researcher Paul Negulescu, Ph.D., alongside Michael Welsh, M.D. received the 2025 Canada Gairdner International Award “for pioneering research into the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the genetic disease cystic fibrosis (CF), leading to the development of drug therapies based on these mechanisms, thereby improving countless lives.” The Canada Gairdner International Award recognizes the world’s most significant biomedical and global health research and discoveries.
For over 25 years, Paul has worked with countless others across Vertex to invent, develop and provide access to a new class of therapeutics. Paul and his team’s contributions are inspiring. Paul conceived of the CF program and served as overall program leader from its conception; along with Fred Van Goor as the lead biologist, and Sabine Hadida the lead chemist. It is truly an honor to congratulate Paul for his leadership that helped get us to this point.
Paul and the team’s accomplishments are of lasting significance to people with CF and to therapeutics more broadly. These advances have not only inspired a novel class of therapeutics, but they are also having a profound impact on the lives of tens of thousands of people and families with CF.
This recognition adds to the series of prestigious awards Paul and the Vertex CF team have received for their groundbreaking work. In 2024, Paul, Sabine and Fred were awarded the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences for developing transformative medicines for people with CF. In 2023, they were also honored with the Wiley Foundation Prize in Biomedical Sciences for their discovery of small molecule therapies for the treatment of CF. The team shared the award with Professor Michael Welsh at the University of Iowa.
Further recognizing these significant advances, Paul Negulescu was awarded the 2022 Shaw Prize in Life Science and Medicine with Professor Michael Welsh and the 2018 Warren Alpert Foundation Prize alongside Michael Welsh, Francis Collins, Lap-Chee Tsui and Bonnie Ramsey. Both prizes honor the group’s pioneering contributions to the discovery of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) modulators and the subsequent research that led to the development of these medicines to treat the underlying cause of CF.
More importantly, each of these awards recognizes the entire effort at Vertex over two decades. This effort required innovation, dedication and commitment spanning the entire company. Paul, Fred and Sabine would be the first to call out the contributions of everyone at Vertex who has worked for so long — and so well — to bring these medicines to patients.
While this award recognizes the amazing discoveries these Vertexians have made for people living with CF, our work in CF is nowhere near done. I believe the best is yet to come as we pursue investigational therapies to treat all people with CF and to achieve our goal of getting all people with CF to normal CFTR function.
Learn more about the Canada Gairdner International Award.