Anthony Hyman: The cell biologist who won this year’s Korber European Science Prize
The world may not know much about C. Elegans, but cell biologist Anthony Hyman, this year’s Korber European Science Prize, winner owes his career milestone to these obscure worms. Yes, you read it right. Believe it or not, he recently discovered ways to understand the functioning of human cells more efficiently with the help of worms. The findings of Hyman’s research were published in the journal Science. Hyman, after winning the honour was quoted saying, ““The only way we can make better healthcare decisions and develop new treatments is by understanding what the exact problems are in disease. If a mechanic doesn’t know how a car works, it’s almost impossible to fix it. Scientists have a harder job — we’re trying to understand a system that we didn’t design or build ourselves.” He further added how the goal of biomedical research is not only to find cures for diseases but also understand what causes them.
Understanding degenerative diseases better with Hyman
Hyman received the prestigious Korber European Science Prize for his discovery that proteins affect cell activity by accumulating inside them as tiny drops in high concentration. Usually, proteins flow like liquids inside the cell. However, recently, when Hyman was analysing single-celled embryos of a roundworm called C. Elegans (often used to study degenerative human diseases), he found proteins getting clustered together like tiny water drops. Now, when a biological process called ‘phase separation’ occurs inside the cells, each of these protein drops engages in chemical reactions, at the end of which they disappear. And guess what? This helps in understanding neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), Alzheimer’s and Dementia. How? Well, such ailments are caused by build-up of proteins in the brain that get clustered instead of flowing or moving around. The immobile proteins turn toxic, leading to one or multiple symptoms of these degenerative diseases. Thanks to Hyman’s brand-new discovery, scientists around the world are hoping to find more about such diseases and shed light on their potential cures.
Going beyond neurodegenerative disease research
Turns out, Hyman’s latest findings not only contribute to neurodegenerative disease research but also offer insights into the process of phase separation and how it is the fundamental property of all cell functions.
A sneak peek into Korber European Science Prize
The Korber European Science Prize is a prestigious honour in the field of science that is awarded every year by the Korber Foundation based in Hamburg, Germany. It is conferred to European individuals working on promising research projects. The awards were introduced in 1985 by entrepreneur Kurt A. Korber in collaboration with Reimar Lust, the President of The Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science, a non-governmental and non-profit association of German research institutes. The prize comprises of a certificate and money worth 1 million euros. Only 10 per cent of this is meant for the awardee, while the rest goes into his research in Europe for the next five years. The prize aims to promote research initiatives in the fields of life science and physical sciences.