Perl-UNC Prize

The Perl-UNC Prize is awarded internationally in the field of neuroscience. Its purpose is two-fold: to recognize researchers for outstanding discoveries and seminal insights in neuroscience and to celebrate the strength of the neuroscience research program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Perl-UNC Neuroscience Prize
Sponsored by	UNC-Chapel Hill School of Medicine
Date	2000
Country	United States
Reward(s)	USD $20,000
Website	Website

Creation

Edward Perl (1926-2014), a neuroscientist and former professor of Cell Biology & Physiology at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, established the prize in 2000 to recognize outstanding scientific contribution in neuroscience. He had envisioned that the selection committee would choose recipients "from a broad field of neuroscience ranging from development to molecular mechanisms to integrative function." Perl further noted that "[t]he prize allows me to acknowledge the university for the opportunities it has given me" and that it "would help call attention to the institution and our strength in neuroscience."[1]

As of 2017, six recipients of the Perl-UNC Prize have gone on to win Nobel Prizes in Physiology or Medicine (Linda Buck, Richard Axel, May-Britt Moser, Edvard Moser) or Chemistry (Roger Tsien, Roderick MacKinnon). Three winners of the Perl-UNC Prize (Thomas Jessell, Cori Bargmann, Marcus Raichle) have been awarded the Kavli Prize in Neuroscience.[2]

Recipients

Source: UNC Neuroscience Center

• 2000 David Julius, Cloning the Capsaicin Receptor.[3]
• 2001 Roderick MacKinnon, Solving the Crystal Structure of the Potassium Channel.[4]
• 2002 Linda Buck and Richard Axel, Discovery of the Family of Olfactory Receptor Proteins.[5][6]
• 2003 Yves Barde, Discovery of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor.[7][8]
• 2004 Roger Tsien, Development of Tools for Monitoring Signaling in Living Nerve Cells.[9][10]
• 2005 Robert Malenka and Roger Nicoll, Discovery of Mechanisms that Underlie Long-term Synaptic Plasticity.[11]
• 2006 Solomon H. Snyder, Identification of Opiate Receptors in the Brain.[12]
• 2007 Huda Zoghbi, Discovery of the Genetic Basis of Rett Syndrome.[13][14]
• 2008 Michael E. Greenberg, Discovery of Signaling Pathways Underlying Activity-Regulated Gene Transcription.[15]
• 2009 Thomas Jessell, Defining Molecular Mechanisms that Regulate the Development of Neural Circuits.[16]
• 2010 Catherine Dulac and Cori Bargmann, Discovery of Chemosensitive Circuits that Regulate Social Behaviors.[17][18][19]
• 2011 Karl Deisseroth, Edward Boyden, and Feng Zhang, Development and Application of Optogenetics for Studying Neural Circuit Functions.[20][21][22]
• 2012 Edvard Moser and May-Britt Moser, Discovery of Key Principles Governing the Internal Representation of Space and Episodic Memory.[23][24]
• 2013 Marcus Raichle, Discoveries Relating to the "Default Mode Network" of Brain Function.[25]
• 2014 David W. Tank, Discovery of Fundamental Mechanisms of Neural Computation.[26][27]
• 2015 Christopher A. Walsh, Discovery of Genes and Mechanisms Regulating Human Cortical Development.[28]
• 2016 David J. Anderson, Discovery of neural circuit mechanisms controlling emotional behaviors.[29]
• 2017 Doris Tsao and Winrich Freiwald, Discovery of brain mechanisms of face recognition.[30]
• 2018 S. Lawrence Zipursky and Joshua R. Sanes, Discovery of cell-surface proteins that control circuit assembly in the visual system
• 2019 Lily Jan and Yuh-Nung Jan, Discovery and functional characterization of potassium channels

Selection committee

Current members are William Snider (Chair), Tom Albright, Vanessa Ruta, Julie Kauer, Regina Carelli, Ben Philpot, and Mark Zylka.

See also

• List of neuroscience awards

References

1. "Member Obituaries: Edward R. Perl", Society for Neuroscience, 2014
2. "The Perl-UNC Neuroscience Prize". UNC Neuroscience Center. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
3. Leslie H. Lang, "Californian wins neuroscience prize endowed by UNC-CH scientist", UNC News Services, 10 October 2000
4. Leslie H. Lang, "Rockefeller University professor to receive Perl-UNC Neuroscience Prize", UNC News Services, 14 March 2002
5. Leslie H. Lang, "Seattle, New York researchers to receive neuroscience prize endowed by UNC scientist", UNC News Services, 25 February 2003
6. "Profiles of the 2004 Nobel Medicine Laureates", Agence France Press, 4 October 2004
7. Leslie H. Lang, "Swiss researcher to receive neuroscience prize endowed by UNC scientist Perl", UNC News Services, 12 March 2004
8. "He says: 'Don't call me professor.' They call him 'world-class superstar of science'", The Western Mail Cardiff, Wales: 22–23, 24 June 2013
9. Leslie H. Lang "California researcher to receive neuroscience prize endowed by UNC scientist Perl", UNC News Services, 21 February 2005
10. "Roger Tsien Receives Neuroscience Prize", UC San Diego Health System, 21 September 2005
11. "California scientists are named recipients of the Perl-UNC neuroscience Prize", UNC News Services, 25 January 2006
12. "Johns Hopkins scientist receives seventh Perl-UNC Neuroscience Prize", UNC News Services, 2007
13. "Baylor College scientist wins Perl-UNC Neuroscience Prize", UNC, 20 May 2008, archived from the original on 2 May 2019, retrieved 21 May 2015
14. "Baylor scientist wins Perl-UNC Neuroscience Prize", Baylor College of Medicine, From the Labs (Volume 7, Issue 5), June 2008, archived from the original on 2016-03-04, retrieved 2015-05-22
15. "Harvard scientist wins Perl-UNC Neuroscience Prize", UNC, 1 May 2009
16. "Columbia scientist wins 10th Perl-UNC Neuroscience Prize", UNC, 30 April 2010
17. "Catherine Dulac, Cori Bargmann are co-recipients of 11th Perl-UNC Neuroscience Prize", UNC, 12 April 2011, archived from the original on 8 September 2018, retrieved 21 May 2015
18. "Harvard scientist wins 11th Perl-UNC Neuroscience Prize", The Harvard Gazette, 18 April 2011
19. "Cornelia Bargamann receives Kavli Prize in Neuroscience", The Rockefeller University Newswire, 31 May 2012, archived from the original on 3 April 2015, retrieved 22 May 2015
20. "Stanford and MIT scientists win Perl-UNC Neuroscience Prize", UNC, 30 April 2012, archived from the original on 8 January 2015, retrieved 21 May 2015
21. "Institute faculty share prestigious neuroscience prize", MIT News, 26 April 2012
22. "Stanford and MIT scientists win Perl-UNC Neuroscience Prize", Psychology & Psychiatry Journal: 282, 12 May 2012
23. "Norwegian scientists win Perl-UNC Neuroscience Prize", UNC, 17 December 2012, archived from the original on 11 March 2017, retrieved 21 May 2015
24. James Gorman, "A Sense of Where You Are", The New York Times Science: 1, 30 April 2013
25. "Marcus Raichle wins Perl-UNC Neuroscience Prize", UNC, 27 January 2014
26. "Princeton's David Tank wins Perl-UNC Neuroscience Prize", UNC, 15 January 2014
27. "Faculty Award: Tank receives Perl-UNC Neuroscience Prize", News at Princeton, 15 January 2015
28. "Harvard's Christopher Walsh wins Perl-UNC Neuroscience Prize", UNC, 4 February 2016
29. "17th Perl-UNC Neuroscience Prize Recipient Announced", UNC, 25 January 2016, archived from the original on 2 February 2017, retrieved 25 January 2017
30. "18th Perl-UNC Neuroscience Prize Recipient Announced", unchealthcare.org, 29 January 2018

External links

• Perl-UNC Prize, UNC Neuroscience Center