BEIJING, April 29 (Xinhuanet)-- Seymour Benzer, an 84-year-old biologist at the California Institute of Technology, was awarded the $500,000 Albany Medical Center Prize, US the richest prize in medicine and biomedical research on Friday. His pioneering research in genetics has led to the exploration of diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

    Benzer also made discoveries that bridged the gap between DNA and the structure of the gene, which ultimately led to the Human Genome Project, an effort to map and sequence the three billion letters in the human genome.

    Benzer has received 40 major awards, including the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research, the National Medal of Science and the Peter Gruber Award for Neuroscience.

    The Albany Medical Prize award, which is the only to the $1.4 million Nobel Prize in cash value. was established in 2000 by a $50 million gift from the late Morris "Marty" Silverman, a New York City businessman who wanted to encourage health and biomedical research. Silverman died in January at age 93.

    Past recipients of the prize include Stanley N. Cohen and Herbert W. Boyer, whose research discovering gene cloning paved the way for the modern biotechnology industry, and Anthony S. Fauci, who was recognized in 2002 for his seminal work on AIDS and other diseases of the immune system. Enditem

    (Agencies)