Eppendorf&Science Prize for Neurobiology 2005 awarded to Scientist in the U.S.

Hamburg biotech company and Science magazine award annual research prize during the week of the 35th Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in Washington D.C., USA.

The "Eppendorf & Science Prize for Neurobiology," an international prize of US $25,000, has been awarded to Pingxi Xu, M.D., Ph.D., University of Texas, Southwestern Medical Center, USA, for his work on "Extracellular LUSH Protein in VA Sensitivity".

The Prize, which is sponsored by Eppendorf, is open to all young scientists who have made outstanding contributions to neurobiological research using methods of molecular and cell biology and have obtained their Ph.D. or M.D. within the past 10 years. This year’s winner was selected from a pool of approximately 30 applicants by a distinguished committee of scientists chaired by the editor-in-chief of Science magazine, Dr. Donald Kennedy.

The Prize was presented during a gala dinner that took place in Washington D.C., on November 14, 2005. More than 90 guests from the scientific community and related industries were in attendance. Following opening remarks by Dr. Donald Kennedy as well as Dr. Michael Schroeder, Board Member of Eppendorf AG, and a speech by last year’s winner, Dr. Miriam B. Goodman, the achievements of this year’s winner were honored.

Dr. Xu’s work has elucidated the role of the extracellular protein LUSH as a key player in pheromone sensitivity, and he plans on applying this knowledge to explore ways of blocking pheromone perception in mosquitoes.

A summary of the winning essay and photos of the award ceremony are available soon under www.eppendorf.com/prize

About the winner:

Born in the northern province of Jiangsu, China, Dr. Pingxi Xu dreamt of becoming a doctor so that he could help people. After practicing pediatrics for years, he became interested in exploring basic science applications as they relate to medicine. In 1988 he earned his Master’s degree in Biochemistry and in 1999 his Ph.D. in Neurobiology in Xian, China. In 2000 he joined Dr. Dean Smith’s lab at the University of Texas, Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, where he began studying the molecular basis of signaling in Drosophila. Although his focus has moved from babies to bugs, his dream remains essentially the same: to improve human health by preventing the occurrence and spread of disease at its inception.