Slovak-born scientist Ján Vilček, who has lived and worked in the United States for most of his life, is set to receive a US National Medal of Technology and Innovation from American President Barack Obama on Friday, February 1, the TASR newswire reported. The medal is the highest American award in the sphere of technological progress. Its laureates include prominent scientists, engineers and inventors.
Vilček, who was born in Bratislava in 1933, is among the world's top experts in immunology and micro-biological research. As an expert in medical sciences he emigrated to the US from communist Czechoslovakia in 1964 and was hired by New York University's School of Medicine. His research has contributed significantly to the treatment of arthritis and other chronic inflammatory diseases. Vilček captured the attention of the world media in 2005, then he donated $105 million to New York University. The money came from rights related to medicines that were developed based on his research.
Source: TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
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