Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) biochemist Billy Hudson recently was named the recipient of the 2018 Distinguished Investigator Prize from the International Society for Matrix Biology for his work in the field.
“I am deeply honored to receive this prestigious award and will accept it on behalf of my students, fellows [and] collaborators,” Hudson, a professor of biochemistry, cell and developmental biology, and pathology, microbiology and immunology and director of Vanderbilt’s Center for Matrix Biology, said in a university press release.
He and his fellow scientists discovered that collagen IV — an extracellular matrix protein — plays a significant role in epithelial tissue, a type of membrane adhering to polarized cells. Moreover, it played a key role in evolution, allowing the development of multicellular tissues and the diversity of the animal world, the release said.
Additionally, Hudson’s teamwork paved the groundwork for grasping the molecular cause of Goodpasture’s disease and Alport syndrome, both kidney diseases affecting millions of individuals, according to the university.
The VUMC faculty member has co-authored hundreds of scientific publications and 30 patents and previously received numerous awards; he is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
Hudson will formally receive the accolade in October at the American Society for Matrix Biology Biennial Meeting slated for Las Vegas.
