Levon Khachigian has joined Philip Hogg (award in 2001) in becoming the second CVR Scientist to win the Australian 'Commonwealth Health Minister's Award for Excellence in Health and Medical Research'. The 2003 Award was presented to Professor Khachigian by the Federal Minister for Ageing, The Hon Kevin Andrews at the annual Victorian Medical Research Week Dinner on Thursday 5 June. The Award, introduced in 2000, is made to a distinguished Australian Health and Medical Researcher in recognition of their outstanding achievement and potential.

In accepting the Award, Professor Khachigian, Head of the CVR's Signalling and Transcription Laboratory at UNSW, acknowledged the contribution of his dedicated team and said the Award celebrates just one example of the returns on Australia's investment in health and medical research.

Federal Minister for Health and Ageing, Senator Kay Patterson said that Professor Khachigian was an outstanding candidate who fulfilled the ideals of the award through his leadership role and commitment to Australian research.

"Among his major contributions has been research which led to the generation of new DNA-based drugs that block arterial narrowing after balloon angioplasty, and more recently, the process of tumour growth by inhibiting angiogenesis", she said.

Professor Khachigian's work has dramatically increased understanding of the fundamental transcriptional mechanisms that led to the inappropriate expression of harmful genes in cells of the artery wall.

The Health Minister's Award for Excellence includes a commemorative medal and a cash prize of $50,000 to recognise outstanding individual achievement in health and medical research in Australia.