Celebrating Neuroscience

The Kavli Foundation has announced the 2010 Kavli Prize laureates in astrophysics, nanoscience, and neuroscience. Genentech's Richard Scheller was recognized for his use of recombinant DNA techniques to identify genes encoding for neuropeptides. Thomas Südhof, of the Stanford University School of Medicine, was honored for his contributions to investigations of "the molecular basis of signaling in the nervous system." Yale Univesity's James Rothman was lauded for his reseach on the molecular "mechanisms responsible for intracellular transport and secretion of neurotransmitters and other proteins." Together, the three investigators are being honored by the Kavli Foundation for "discovering the molecular basis of neurotransmitter release." The awards were distributed September 7 at a ceremony in Oslo, Norway, and each included a cash prize of $1 million.