Two European neuroscientists awarded the 1 million Euro BRAIN PRIZE 2012

Brain Prize 2012 is jointly awarded to Christine Petit (France) and Karen Steel (UK) for their pioneering work on the genetics of hearing and deafness.

Karen Steel and Christine Petit are at the forefront of efforts to understand the molecular mechanisms of the specialised hair cells in the inner ear, whose extraordinary sensitivity to mechanical stimulation underpins the senses of hearing and balance. These two researchers, at the peak of their productivity and influence, are international leaders in the field of hereditary deafness. Each has brought special skill to this challenging area of research. Their approaches have been complementary. Karen Steel has worked upwards, employing elegant and exhaustive study of mutations in mice and their functional consequences to illuminate human disorders. Christine Petit has started with the genetic analysis of patients, subsequently investigating the role of the identified genes in animal model systems.

Inherited conditions render one in a thousand children deaf at birth, and cause as many again to become deaf before maturity, leading to delay or failure in the acquisition of speech, and frequently to disadvantages in communication and learning. Genetic anomalies also contribute to many age-related and progressive forms of hearing loss. About one-tenth of the population in the developed world suffers from significant hearing impairment, which has an enormous impact on individuals and on society.

The prize lectures and award ceremony will take place on May 9, 2012 in Copenhagen, Denmark. The Prize will be presented by Her Majesty the Queen.

The Brain Prize of 1 million Euro is awarded by Grete Lundbeck European Brain Research Foundation, a charitable, non-profit organization. The Brain Prize is a personal prize awarded to one or more scientists who have distinguished themselves by an outstanding contribution to European neuroscience.

For more information please contact:

Kim Krogsgaard, MD, DMSc (Director) orNils Axelsen, MD, DMsc (Chairman), Phone: +45 3917 8240, Grete Lundbeck European Brain Research Foundation, Ole Maaløes Vej 3, 2200 N Copenhagen Denmark

email: kk@thebrainprize.org

www.thebrainprize.org