UTSW molecular biologist Eric Olson, Ph.D., to receive prestigious Horwitz Prize
Dr. Olson is recognized for discoveries related to Duchenne muscular dystrophy and CRISPR gene-editing treatments
DALLAS – Sept. 4, 2025 – Eric Olson, Ph.D., founding Chair and Professor of Molecular Biology at UT Southwestern Medical Center, has been awarded the 2025 Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize in recognition of his groundbreaking work on the genetic control of muscle development and disease and the advancement of novel treatments for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a debilitating and fatal disease of skeletal muscle and the heart.
The Horwitz Prize is presented by Columbia University in recognition of outstanding contributions in basic research in the fields of biology or biochemistry. Nearly half of the scientists who have received the Horwitz Prize over the past 58 years were subsequently awarded the Nobel Prize.
“Dr. Olson’s discoveries of the molecules and mechanisms that guide muscle development and his efforts to develop a gene-editing therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy exemplify his dedication to the patients and families facing DMD,” said Joan Conaway, Ph.D., Vice Provost and Dean of Basic Research at UT Southwestern. “He also reflects UT Southwestern’s deep commitment to bench-to-bedside research.”
“It is an honor to join the esteemed colleagues who have won this award in the past,” said Dr. Olson, who also directs the Hamon Center for Regenerative Science and Medicine and the Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Cooperative Research Center at UT Southwestern. “We continue to make progress toward the biggest prize of all – a cure for this devastating disease.”
Dr. Olson is one of the world’s top researchers in regenerative medicine and, specifically, the mechanisms behind DMD, a severe genetic disorder affecting approximately 1 in every 3,500 to 5,000 male births worldwide. DMD is caused by mutations in the dystrophin gene, which is essential for the stability of muscle fibers and the heart. Without intervention, DMD leads to the loss of mobility in adolescence and can progress rapidly, causing early death from heart and lung failure.
The Olson Lab has uncovered the key transcription factors (proteins that regulate the activity of specific genes) and mechanisms that control the development of cardiac and skeletal muscles. Among its discoveries were MEF2 and myocardin, master transcriptional regulators of muscle tissue formation, and myomaker and myomixer, the long-sought membrane proteins that control fusion of muscle cell progenitors to form muscle fibers.
Over the past decade, Dr. Olson has advanced the use of the gene-editing technique known as CRISPR to treat diseases of the heart and skeletal muscle, including DMD, an approach that is now progressing toward clinical trials.
Two other scientists will also receive the Horwitz Prize for their contributions to the understanding of DMD. Louis Kunkel, Ph.D., Professor of Genetics and Pediatrics at Harvard University and Director of the Genomics Program at Boston Children’s Hospital, is being recognized for his discovery of the dystrophin gene. And Kevin Campbell, Ph.D., Professor of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics at the University of Iowa and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator, is receiving the award for revealing that dystrophin proteins form structural scaffolds with glycoproteins – proteins with sugar molecules attached – inside the cell and disruption of these complexes leads to muscle fiber instability.
Dr. Olson is the fifth UT Southwestern faculty member to be awarded the Horwitz Prize, joining Zhijian “James” Chen, Ph.D., Professor of Molecular Biology (2023), and three Nobel Laureates: the late Alfred Gilman, M.D., former Chair of Pharmacology (1989); Michael S. Brown, M.D., Professor of Molecular Genetics (1984); and Joseph L. Goldstein, M.D., Chair and Professor of Molecular Genetics (1984).
The Horwitz Prize consists of an honorarium and presentation as part of a lecture series at Columbia University in New York.
Dr. Olson is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. His previous honors include the Fondation Lefoulon-Delalande Grand Prize for Science (2009), the Passano Award (2012), and the Edwin G. Conklin Medal in Developmental Biology (2019).
The Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize was established by the late S. Gross Horwitz and honors his mother, the daughter of Samuel David Gross, M.D., a prominent 19th century surgeon. Since 1967, 118 researchers have won the award.
Dr. Brown is a Regental Professor and holds the W.A. (Monty) Moncrief Distinguished Chair in Cholesterol and Arteriosclerosis Research and the Paul J. Thomas Chair in Medicine.
Dr. Conaway holds the Cecil H. Green Distinguished Chair in Cellular and Molecular Biology.
Dr. Goldstein is a Regental Professor and holds the Julie and Louis A. Beecherl, Jr. Distinguished Chair in Biomedical Research and the Paul J. Thomas Chair in Medicine.
Dr. Olson holds the Robert A. Welch Distinguished Chair, the Annie and Willie Nelson Professorship in Stem Cell Research, and the Pogue Distinguished Chair in Research on Cardiac Birth Defects.
About UT Southwestern Medical Center
UT Southwestern, one of the nation’s premier academic medical centers, integrates pioneering biomedical research with exceptional clinical care and education. The institution’s faculty members have received six Nobel Prizes and include 24 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 23 members of the National Academy of Medicine, and 13 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigators. The full-time faculty of more than 3,200 is responsible for groundbreaking medical advances and is committed to translating science-driven research quickly to new clinical treatments. UT Southwestern physicians provide care in more than 80 specialties to more than 140,000 hospitalized patients, more than 360,000 emergency room cases, and oversee nearly 5.1 million outpatient visits a year.