Three NYSCF Innovators Receive Prestigious Awards

NYSCF — Robertson Investigators Claire Wyart, PhD, of the Brain & Spine Institute, France, Maria Lehtinen, PhD, of Boston Children’s Hospital, and Ed Boyden, PhD, of MIT have recently received recognitions for their pioneering work in neurobiology. Drs. Wyart and Lehtinen were awarded a Human Frontier Science Award for their research exploring how cerebrospinal fluid impacts body axis formation and scoliosis, and Dr. Boyden was awarded the Canada Gairdner International Award for his work in optogenetics.

The Human Frontier Science Program supports research at the frontiers of the life sciences, recognizing the groundbreaking work of researchers around the world. The grant awarded to Dr. Wyart and Dr. Lehtinen will support their research examining how molecules in human cerebrospinal fluid (the fluid that fills the hollow spaces of our brain and spinal cord) influence our health and development.

The Canada Gairdner International Award recognizes outstanding biomedical scientists who have made original contributions to medicine with the goal of increasing understanding of human biology and disease. Dr. Boyden received this award for his work in optogenetics, a revolutionary tool that uses light to control the activity of neurons, allowing researchers to closely examine how different neural circuits contribute to normal brain function and disease.

“I am honored that the Gairdner Foundation has chosen our work in optogenetics for one of the most prestigious biology prizes awarded today,” says Dr. Boyden. “It represents a great collaborative body of work, and I feel excited that my angle of thinking like a physicist was able to contribute to biology.”

Congratulations, Dr. Wyart, Dr. Lehtinen, and Dr. Boyden!