The Emil Christian Hansen 2006 Prize has been awarded to Professor Susan L. Lindquist of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA. The prize comprises the Hansen Gold Medal and DKK 30,000 and was awarded in a ceremony at the Carlsberg Laboratory in Copenhagen.
Professor Lindquist was nominated for the prize because of her central role in the elucidation of mechanisms and biological roles of prions, which are particular structural changes in certain proteins. Some prions cause serious disease, but in her work on yeast Professor Lindquist has shown that prions also can be of advantage for the organism in which they occur. The ramifications of her work point far beyond microbiology.
After the award ceremony, professor Lindquist gave a lecture in which she explained recent developments of this work.
The lecture was followed by a reception for Professor Lindquist at the Carlsberg Academy.
Professor Emil Chr. Hansen was head of the Department of Physiology at the Carlsberg Laboratory from 1879 to 1909. He was the first to develop a method for propagating pure yeast, which revolutionised the brewing industry all over the world.
The Emil Christian Hansen Foundation awards prizes to appreciate outstanding achievements in microbiology. The last recipient, in 2003, was Professor Scott D. Emr.
Further information:
Professor Morten Kielland-Brandt +45 3327 5331
Carlsberg Laboratory