British scientist to receive global UNESCO Award
British scientist Professor Frances Ashcroft FRS has been named the 2012 European Laureate in the 14th annual L’ORÉAL-UNESCO For Women in Science Awards.
Professor of Physiology and a Fellow of Trinity College at the University of Oxford, Frances Ashcroft is one five exceptional women scientists from around the world, one from each continent, who will be recognised for their contribution to science at an awards ceremony, held at UNESCO in March 2012.
The $100,000 award is part of a global partnership between UNESCO and L’Oréal celebrating the outstanding achievements of women in science. This partnership also includes fellowships for female scientists in the UK and Ireland in the early stages of their careers.
Professor Ashcroft was chosen for advancing our understanding of insulin secretion and of neonatal diabetes. Professor Ashcroft commented,
This award honours not only myself but also the team of dedicated scientists and collaborators with whom I have worked. I have been enormously fortunate: there is nothing more exciting or more rewarding than discovering something new."
In 1984, Professor Ashcroft discovered the missing link connecting an increase in the blood sugar level (as happens after you eat a chocolate bar) to secretion of the hormone insulin - a protein known as the KATP channel. If this process fails, it leads to diabetes. In subsequent studies, she unravelled how genetic mutations in this protein cause a rare inherited condition, known as neonatal diabetes, in which patients develop diabetes soon after birth. This has enabled many people with neonatal diabetes to switch to a better form of medication.
The theme of the 2012 awards is “Life Sciences” and the Laureates were selected through nominations by an international network of nearly 1,000 members of the international scientific community. Diverse in origin, determined in nature, and extraordinary in intellect, the 2012 Laureates reflect the programme’s mission: change the face of science and support the advancement of women in the scientific field.
The other four 2012 Laureates are:
- Professor Jill Farrant (Africa and Arab States), Research Chair, Molecular Physiology of Plant Desiccation Tolerance, School of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Cape Town, SOUTH AFRICA, “For discovering how plants survive under dry conditions.”
- Professor Ingrid Scheffer (Asia / Pacific), Chair of Paediatric Neurology Research, Melbourne Brain Centre, University of Melbourne, AUSTRALIA, “For identifying genes involved in some forms of epilepsy.”
- Professor Susana López (Latin America), Developmental Genetics and Molecular Physiology, Department of the Institute of Biotechnology, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Cuernavaca, MEXICO, “For identifying how rotaviruses cause the death of 600,000 children each year.”
- Professor Bonnie Bassler (North America), Principal Investigator, Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, USA, “For understanding the chemical communication between bacteria and opening new doors for treating infections.”
Written: 08/11/2011 , last modified: 08/11/2011
Professor Frances Ashcroft 