Pioneering HIV research recognized

Professor Michael H. Malim, Head of the Department of Infectious Diseases at King's College London, has been announced as the recipient of the 2010 M Jeang Retrovirology Prize. The prize, which is awarded annually, and is partly sponsored by the Ming K. Jeang Foundation, recognizes groundbreaking research from retrovirologists aged 45-60.

Awardee Professor Malim is a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, an EMBO member since 2005 and a Fellow of the Royal Society since 2007. The award recognizes the outstanding work he has conducted into the HIV-1 protein Rev, which has both accelerated understanding of HIV-1 biology as well as greatly enhanced our knowledge about mRNA export mechanisms, and his discovery of the antiviral activity of APOBEC proteins.

Receiving the prize, Professor Malim said "To win the Retrovirology prize is very flattering indeed, and it is a great personal honor to be included among the list of luminaries who have previously received this award".

To mark the award, an interview with Professor Malim discussing his career and research has been published in BioMed Central's open access journal Retrovirology.

The Retrovirology Prize recipient is selected by Retrovirology's Editors based on nominations submitted by the journal's Editorial Board. The prize consists of a $3,000 cheque and a crystal trophy. Last year's winner was Dr Thierry Heidmann, who heads a CNRS laboratory at University Paris-Sud and Institut Gustave Roussy in Villejuif.

Associate Editor of Retrovirology, Ariberto Fassati explained why they selected Dr Malim as the recipient of the 2010 prize. "Professor Malim made key scientific contributions to our understanding of HIV-1 replication, which also illuminated new fundamental biological processes".