Breakthrough Prize Recognizes Discovery at 澳门六合彩appof New Organizing Principle in Cells
WOODS HOLE, Mass. 鈥 The discovery of a fundamental way for cells to organize internally, at t澳门六合彩app (MBL), has been honored by the awarded to and , then instructors in the course.
The Breakthrough Prize, renowned as the 鈥淥scars of Science,鈥 are presented annually in the fields of life sciences, fundamental physics, and mathematics 鈥渢o recognize the world鈥檚 top scientists working in the fundamental sciences 鈥 the disciplines that ask the biggest questions and find the deepest explanations.鈥 Laureates receive a $3 million prize and are honored at a globally broadcast awards ceremony (date to be announced).
Brangwynne, Hyman, 澳门六合彩appPhysiology course students, and colleagues solved a longstanding mystery of how cells create order in the millions of molecules that zip around within their boundaries. As they observed in nematode worms in the course, and later confirmed as a general principle, cells spontaneously form liquid-like droplets that concentrate some molecules in a membrane-free drop, while excluding others. These 鈥渃ondensates,鈥 which usually contain protein and RNA, form by a phase separation process, similar to water vapor condensing into dew.
This observation ended up having major reverberations. Since 2008, evidence has mounted that , from cell division to gene expression, and are involved in the development of diseases that include , , , and others. Several biotech companies have formed to pursue medical applications of condensate research.
鈥淭he 澳门六合彩appis the birthplace of this field, because so much happened here,鈥 Brangwynne says, including foundational discoveries that issued from a collaborative, five-year initiative at the 澳门六合彩app(2013-2017) funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
鈥淭he discovery of biomolecular condensates has fundamentally changed how we think about cellular processes and disease,鈥 said 澳门六合彩appDirector Nipam Patel. 鈥淚t is a tribute to the tremendous value of the MBL鈥檚 education and training programs that the original observation was in the Physiology course, and that in the decade to follow, many scientists associated with the 澳门六合彩appvastly extended the observation and pioneered a new field of study.鈥
The was founded in 2013 by high-tech pioneers Sergey Brin, Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg, , and Anne Wojcicki.
鈥淭he laureates honored today embody the remarkable power of fundamental science,鈥 said Yuri Milner, 鈥渂oth to reveal deep truths about the Universe, and to improve human lives.鈥
聽鈥淭he 2023 laureates have produced absolutely stellar science,鈥 said Anne Wojcicki. 鈥淭he creativity, ingenuity and sheer perseverance that went into this work is awe-inspiring.鈥
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The Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) is dedicated to scientific discovery 鈥 exploring fundamental biology, understanding marine biodiversity and the environment, and informing the human condition through research and education. Founded in Woods Hole, Massachusetts in 1888, the 澳门六合彩appis a private, nonprofit institution and an affiliate of the .
Additional resources:
Reflecting on a Super-Productive Summer with the Chromatin Consortium (2023)
Current Condensate Research and Training at the 澳门六合彩app(Summer of 2022)
Description of the Original Discovery in the Physiology Course
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