Jaime Lagunez

Jaime Lagunez is a scientist and activist also nominated to receive Harvard University's Gleitsman Prize in 2014 (given to Nelson Mandela in 1990). Founder of the 'Consortium for Humanity' project; he proposed therapies for cancer and AIDS maintaining investigations in bioinformatics. He has directed the creation of computer programs for modeling intramolecular communication^[1] and microarray analysis.^[2] His PhD thesis with Edward N. Trifonov of the Weizmann Institute, presented a universal triplet periodicity of coding sequences pointing to extremely conserved ribosomal RNA sites.

Lagunez has spoken in favor of protecting archeological, historical and environmental heritage in Mexico, especially in Cuernavaca and Teotihuacan.^[3] Since 2002, along with professors Neil Wollman and anti-apartheid activist Dennis Brutus, he has contributed to the international coalition Make TIAA-CREF Ethical^[4] dedicated to lobbying shareholders of 400 billion dollar fund into divesting from corporations shown to have damaged society.

In 2004 the organization Frente Civico, with which he collaborates received the National Mendez Arceo Human Rights Award for having protected civil liberties and the environment against repressive governments. The organization has made constant declarations against privatizations in Mexico. In 2005, 60 archaeological sites in Cuernavaca, Morelos were published as heritage sites by the state of Morelos as a result of the work of the Frente Civico. He has since received support of the Senate with a Punto de Acuerdo in favor of the Cuernavaca valley, approved in August 2008. It speaks of the surrounding forests, the archeological sites, the urban vegetation, historical areas, etc. He has been scientific advisor and director of Instituto de Criónica,^[5] an organization dedicated to cryopreservation, indeed he has a campaign in favor of having governments invest heavily in research and cryonic facilities that would guarantee a successful suspension for anyone. He has also founded the Humanity Consortium project to stimulate investment in drug discovery looking for the best research lines worldwide. The company to develop would be owned by all citizens see World Medicine in FB. Scientific organizations such as the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) the American Chemical Society, and the commission on human rights of the American Physics Society (CIPS), have expressed support, both for his actions and scientific projects. Currently he is advisor to National Institute of Health of Mexico and part of the steering committee of the Prevention Project to aid in improving underprivileged communities. He is campaigning to include zen and yoga based mindfulness as an educational imperative. He is included by Marquis in Who's Who in Science and Engineering and Who's Who in the World.^[6]

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