Andrew Victor Schally

In recognition for his work on the isolation, identification, synthesis, and clinical application of hypothalamic hormones, Dr. Schally shared the 1977 Nobel Prize in medicine or physiology. For his contribution to endocrinology, Dr. Schally received many honors prior to the Nobel Prize. They include the Charles Mickle Award of the University of Toronto (1974), and Gairdner Award, Canada's highest awards (1974); Tyler Award (1975); Borden Award of the Association of American Medical Colleges (1975); Albert Lasker basic Medical Research Award (1975); highest US award for medical research; and the Laude Award, Spain (1977). After 1978, Dr. Schally shifted his interest to the applications of analogs of hypothalamic hormones and other peptides for the treatment of hormone dependent cancers. His main work is focused on the development of new approaches to therapy of various tumors including prostatic, mammary, ovarian, endometrial, pancreatic, colorectal and gastric cancer, osteosarcomas, brain tumors and lung cancer. The use of LH-RH agonists as the primary treatment of advanced prostate cancer is based on work done by Dr. Schally and his associates.

Dr. Schally received the French Legion of Honor in 2004 for saving many lives with the therapeutic compounds he developed. Presently, Dr. Schally’s laboratory is working on evaluation of antagonistic analogs of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) in the treatment of various cancers and Alzheimer’s disease and the application of agonists of GHRH in the therapy of myocardial infarcts, diabetes,

and eye diseases.