The IFCC, the international leading organization in the field of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, is pleased to announce that Dr Jack H. LADENSON (Division of Laboratory and Genomic Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, US), is the winner of the 2017 IFCC Distinguished Award for Contributions to Cardiovascular Diagnostics, sponsored by HyTest. This award honours an individual who has undertaken remarkable scientific work with cardiac markers or immunodiagnostic applications to improve cardiac disease diagnosis. It will be presented for the first time on occasion of the WorldLab Congress to be held in Durban in 2017. The IFCC is very pleased to acknowledge the support from HyTest in the recognition of scientists and educators with a distinguished career in this area.

Dr Ladenson is one of the researchers who helped bring the field of cardiovascular diagnostics to its current state, being instrumental in the development of diagnostic tests for myocardial infarction and other cardiac diseases. He developed the first monoclonal antibody for the quantification of CK-MB, which was used by almost all commercial CK-MB measurement procedures and was for many years the gold standard biomarker of myocardial infarction. He then went on to develop the first monoclonal antibody and immunoassay for quantifying Troponin I the current gold standard biomarker for myocardial infarction. He used this assay to prove the clinical importance of this biomarker for evaluating myocardial infarction. His Troponin I assay is used in several current FDA-approved assays.

Prof. Howard MORRIS, IFCC President-Elect and Chair, IFCC Awards Committee, said: "We are delighted to select Dr Ladenson as the 2017 IFCC Distinguished Award for Contributions to Cardiovascular Diagnostics recipient. His lifelong commitment to cardiovascular diagnostics through the development and validation of two key diagnostic tests for cardiovascular disease, namely CK-MB and cardiac troponin I, makes him an outstanding candidate for this award”.

The 2017 IFCC Awardees are a witness of the contribution that IFCC gives to advancement of excellence in laboratory medicine for better healthcare worldwide. Dr Ladenson along with seven other IFCC Distinguished Award winners will be formally announced on Sunday 22nd October at the Opening Ceremony of the 23rd IFCC International Congress in Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine being held in Durban (South Africa) from 22nd to 25th October 2017.

Download the press release here.