Durham, NC - Robert J. Lefkowitz, M.D., James B. Duke Professor of Medicine and Biochemistry and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) investigator at Duke University Medical Center, has been awarded the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in the Biomedicine category.

Lefkowitz discovered G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) on the surface of cells. These molecules have become the targets of almost half of the drugs on the market today, including beta blockers for heart disease, antihistamines and ulcer medications.

The 400,000 euro prize (about $563,400) was announced by the BBVA Foundation in partnership with Spain's National Research Council in Madrid on Jan. 27.