A-2
*++#I

     THE EVENING STAP
Washrngton, D. C., Wednesday, November JO, 1971

Lasker Medical Prize
Given to Area Doctor

Dr. Edward D. Freis of the
Veterans Administration Hospi-
tal here today won the $10,000
Albert Lasker award for clinical
medical research.

Freis, 59, has spent most of
his professional career studying
hypertension (high blood pres-
sure). The award is being made
in recognition both of his studies
proving that even mild hyperten-
sion can lead to heart failure,
stroke and kidney disease if al-
lowed to persist, and of his con-
current demonstration that such
dangers can be minimized by
the routine administration of
corrective drugs.

In awarding the prize to Freis,
Mrs. Lasker, president of the
Albert and Mary Lasker Foun-
dation in New York, and Dr.
Michael E. DeBakey, who head-
ed the selection jury, noted that
hypertension affects almost 23
million Americans and is a lead-
ing cause of the strokes that kill
290,000 people a year and disable,

DR. EDWARD FREIS

many more.

Opportunity Cited

with this condition by 50 percent, ing the chemistry of heredity on
and that treatment can be 67 the molecular level.

For this reason, the citation percent effective in preventing  They are Dr. Seymour Benzer
accompanying the prize noted the complications of high blood of the California Institute of
that Dr. Freis has presented the Pressure. These may include Technology, Dr. Charles Yanof-
nation's physicians with an op- loss  of memory, personality sky of Stanford University in
portunity to practice preventive change, crippling and paralysis. Palo Alto, California and Dr.
medicine capable of "saving and  Until publication of the study, Sydney Brenner, a member of
prolonging the lives of tens of many physicians dismissed mod- the Medical Research Council
thousands of Americans."   crate hypertension as unimpor- UIllt at the University Of Cam-
Interviewed after announce- tant in the mistaken belief that bridge in England.
ment of the prize, Freis said:   it was not dangerous. Nor did  The three were recognized for
"Of the major chronic diseas- they recognize that hypertension their separate demonstrations
es that kill, this is the first one can intensify the risk that ac- that "there are hundreds of dif-
that we have a definitive method companies the accumulation of ferent sites, within the gene
of dealing with, This gives us fat in blood VeSSel Walls (ather- "tenre Em&tam?, takre$taE. this
hope that we can likewise con- osclerosisl, which-itself can set
quer the other major killers the stage for heart attacks. means that the scientists have
such as hardening of the arteries Many doctors, says Freis, still spelled out in Precise chemical
and cancer."           need to be reminded of these terms some of the cell charac-
,,t,f~~ Ir$e~:"~~$~ ii:: fa%S iS a graduate of the Co- teristics that give rise to normal
                            and abnormal proteins. Such
                            studies have deepened scientific
VA hospitals. Patients were lumbla University College of understanding of the genetic
matched for age and health con- Physicians and Surgeons in New code.
ditions and divided into groups York and has lived in the Wash-  These contributions have shed
so that some with moderate hy- ington area since 1949. His home light on the mechanisms respon-
pertension were treated with is at 1201 Woodside Parkway
drugs while others were not.   Silver Spring,        9 sible when children are born
                          where he liv>s

A Hopeful Finding

with his wife, Willa.

with such inherited illnesses as
hemophilia, sickle cell anemia

             Another $10,000 Albert Lasker or certain forms of mental re-
That study demonstrated for award, this one for basic medi- tardation. Such understanding
the first time that treatment for Cal research was divided among in turn increases the likelihood
moderate hypertension can re- three scientists whose work has that the treatment of such dlsor-
duce the death rate for those been instrumental in decipher- ders will be improved,