The Zurich-based NOMIS Foundation has announced the recipients of the 2020 NOMIS Distinguished Scientist and Scholar Award.

The annual program provides recipients with awards that include significant financial prizes in recognition of their contributions to the advancement of science and human progress.

This year's recipients are Ronald M. Evans, a professor and director of the Gene Express Laboratory at the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California, who is known for his revolutionary work in the fields of endocrinology and metabolism, for producing novel classes of drugs that act on genes, and whose NOMIS-funded project, "The Science of Health: A New Perspective for Treating Disease," seeks to understand organ communication by exploring the use of exercise mimetics to prevent neurodegenerative diseases; and Anthony Hyman, director of the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Dresden, Germany, whose NOMIS-supported project, "Phase Transitions and Biological Condensates: An Important New Paradigm for Understanding Disease," will investigate the physical-chemical basis by which intrinsically disordered proteins phase-separate and explore the roles of phase separation in physiology and disease. Evans will receive $2.5 million from the foundation.

"We are grateful to NOMIS for recognizing Ron's contributions to science as well as for supporting his interdisciplinary approach to better understanding how organs communicate with one another," said Salk Institute president Rusty Gage. "Ron's Science of Health project could lead to new preventative strategies for diabetes, cancer and neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's. We are very proud to have Ron as a member of NOMIS for the Salk community."