ROCKVILLE, MD – The Biophysical Society is pleased to announce that Akihiro Kusumi, PhD, Professor at Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Japan, will receive the Avanti Award in Lipids. Kusumi will be honored at the Society’s 64th Annual Meeting at the San Diego Convention Center in California, February 15-19, 2020.

Kusumi is being recognized for his seminal contributions in elucidating the mechanisms of plasma membrane organization and function through the development of unique methodologies of single-molecule observation and manipulation in living cells. Avanti Polar Lipids, Inc., established this award to recognize an investigator for outstanding contributions to our understanding of lipid biophysics.

“The Avanti Award allows the Society to highlight and reflect on a researcher’s contributions to the biophysics of lipids,” said BPS President Dave Piston, Washington University in St. Louis. “Aki’s work over the past forty years has helped further our understanding of lipids in the context of cells, tissues, and whole animal physiology.  We look forward to honoring his work, while eagerly waiting to see his next exciting results.”

The Avanti Award in Lipids, supported by Avanti Polar Lipids, Inc., was established to recognize an outstanding investigator who has made a significant contribution to the understanding of lipid biophysics.