The prize recognizes his exceptional contribution to the field of animal transgenesis over the past five decades. Jaenisch is globally renowned for his groundbreaking body of work in the development of transgenic animals and the generation and use of induced pluripotent stem cells. In announcing the award, the organization stated that Jaenisch’s scientific achievements have “revolutionized the understanding of embryonic development, cloning, epigenic regulation, cancer and disease, [and] transformed the work of the transgenic community and the scope of our activities.”