Franz-Ulrich Hartl receives Shaw Prize - Award for Research on Protein Folding
Proteins are the cell’s molecular building material and machinery, and they are involved in nearly every bioprocess. Together with Arthur L. Horwich (Yale University, USA), Franz-Ulrich Hartl, director at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, will be awarded the 2012 Shaw Prize in Life Sciences and Medicine for his research on protein folding. The prize comes with a shared $1,000,000 honorarium and will be awarded by the Shaw Prize Foundation on September 17, 2012.
Hartl and Horwich discovered that not all proteins can fold inside cells by themselves. They determined that a protein called Chaperonin acts as a cage-like folding “machine” that provides a safe place for proteins to fold, away from outside interference. Because faulty proteins also play a role in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson, Hartl’s results could contribute significantly to developing new drugs for the treatment of these diseases.
Contact:
Prof. Dr. F.-Ulrich Hartl
Cellular Biochemistry
Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry
Am Klopferspitz 18
82152 Martinsried
Germany
E-Mail: uhartl[a]biochem.mpg.de
Anja Konschak
Public Relations
Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry
Am Klopferspitz 18
82152 Martinsried
Germany
Tel. ++49 89 8578-2824
E-Mail: konschak[a]biochem.mpg.de
www.biochem.mpg.de
