Warren Alpert Foundation awards 2026 prize to five scientists advancing blood disorder research

The Warren Alpert Foundation–in collaboration with Harvard Medical School–has announced its 2026 prize recipients, awarding a combined $500,000 to five scientists supporting their breakthrough work in gene-editing therapies for sickle cell disease and beta-thalassemia, both inherited blood disorders. The recipients are Swee Lay Thein and John Tisdale (at the National Institutes of Health), and Stuart Orkin, Vijay Sankaran, and Daniel Bauer (all at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Boston Children’s Hospital). Since 1987, the prize has awarded more than $9 million to 91 scientists backing research advancing curative genetic treatments and access to transformative medicines.