The University of Chicago's Janet Rowley, Peter Nowell from the University of Pennsylvania, and Brian Druker of Oregon Health and Science University have won the Albany Medical Center Prize in Medicine and Biomedical Research, the Associated Press reports.
"These individuals exemplify the extraordinary impact that painstaking research can have on the lives of countless individuals," James Barba, president and CEO of Albany Medical Center tells the AP.
Rowley is known for her work identifying chromosomal translocations in leukemia. "It's remarkable that people still remember (my research)," Rowley tells the Chicago Tribune.
Nowell found the Philadelphia chromosome in chronic myeloid leukemia, showing that cancer could be a genetic disease, and Druker worked on the development of the leukemia drug, imatinib, also known as Gleevec.
The trio will split a $500,000 prize, which will be awarded in May.
In 2011, the honors went to Elaine Fuchs of Rockefeller University in New York City, the University of Wisconsin's James Thomson, and Shinya Yamanaka of Japan's Kyoto University for their stem cell work. Last year's went to James Darnell and Robert Roeder, both at Rockefeller University.