Andrew Z. Fire, PhD, professor of pathology and of genetics, was named 2004 laureate of the Dr. H.P. Heineken Prize for Biochemistry and Biophysics by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. Fire was recognized for his discovery that double-stranded RNA could be used as an inhibitor of specific genes -- a finding with far-reaching implications for the understanding and future treatment of cancer, genetic disorders and viral diseases. The work was done at the Carnegie Institution of Washington before Fire moved his lab to Stanford in November. Fire will receive the $150,000 prize in Amsterdam in October and give lectures at research institutes and universities throughout the Netherlands.

Olivia M. Martinez, PhD, associate professor (research) of surgery, was named recipient of the Fujisawa Basic Science Award by the American Society of Transplantation for substantial contributions to transplant research. Martinez' research focuses on signaling pathways in post-transplant Epstein-Barr virus B-cell lymphomas and cytokine regulation of alloimmune responses. She will receive the $25,000 award May 16 in Boston at the American Transplant Congress, the joint annual meeting of AST and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons.