Stephen J. Elledge and Evelyn M. Witkin are co-recipients of the 2015 Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award. The Lasker Award recognizes the contributions of scientists, physicians, and public servants who have made major advances in the understanding, diagnosis, treatment, cure, and prevention of human disease.

Drs. Elledge and Witkin have received the award for their work elucidating the DNA Damage Response, the mechanism by which cell detects and responds to genetic damage. Evelyn Witkin discovered the DNA Damage Response in bacteria; Stephen Elledge described the DNA Damage Response in more complex organisms.

Stephen Elledge is the Gregor Mendel Professor of Genetics and Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital.