[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 15048]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  IN RECOGNITION OF DR. BRUCE A. BEUTLER, RECIPIENT OF THE 2011 NOBEL 
                    PRIZE IN PHYSIOLOGY OR MEDICINE

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                           HON. PETE SESSIONS

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 6, 2011

  Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Dr. Bruce A. 
Beutler for winning the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, 
alongside two other scientists, for discoveries in how the immune 
system functions.
  Initially, Dr. Beutler began searching for a receptor with the 
ability to bind lipopolysaccharide (LPS). After devoting a great deal 
of time cloning LPS receptor genes, Dr. Beutler and his colleagues made 
an important discovery in 1998--a Toll-like receptor (TLR) that 
activates signals when bound with LPS. This discovery spurred further 
research in innate immunity and now, over a dozen of different TLRs 
have been identified. I applaud Dr. Beutler's dedicated efforts and 
know that this finding will provide our medical community with greater 
understanding about how immune systems respond to diseases, keeping us 
on the forefront of medical research.
  In 2008, he was elected to the National Academy of Sciences. He 
currently serves as the Director of the Center for the Genetics of Host 
Defense at UT Southwestern Medical Center. Dr. Beutler is the fifth 
faculty member from UT Southwestern Medical Center to be awarded a 
Nobel Prize since 1985.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my esteemed colleagues to join me in 
congratulating Dr. Beutler on receiving this prestigious award.

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