Dr. Alim Benabid accepted the 2015 Breakthrough Prize from Anne Wojcicki, deep brain stimulation patient Nicolas Berben (second from right) and Sergey Brin. Photo via Steve Jennings/Getty Images.
Alim Louis Benabid, MD, PhD, is having quite a year.
In September he was named co-recipient of the 2014 Lasker~DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award. And Sunday night he took home a 2015 Breakthrough Prize.
Those honors join his 2013 Robert A. Pritzker Prize for Leadership in Parkinson’s Research, presented by The Michael J. Fox Foundation.
All regard Dr. Benabid for his work in the development of deep brain stimulation, a revolutionary treatment for movement disorders including Parkinson’s disease.
The $3 million Breakthrough Prizes aim to celebrate scientists and generate excitement about the pursuit of science as a career and are sponsored by eight Silicon Valley titans, including Sergey Brin and Anne Wojcicki. One prize, sponsored by Brin and Wojcicki, is aimed specifically at advancements in Parkinson's disease research.
“This year’s life sciences laureates have made some spectacular discoveries, from a new kind of gene to a Parkinson’s treatment that has improved the lives of many,” said Wojcicki, 23andMe.com co-founder. “It’s energizing to be in the company of such brilliant and fertile minds.”
Benabid, a neurosurgeon and emeritus professor at Joseph Fourier University in France, accepted the award at the ceremony in California from Wojcicki, Brin and deep brain stimulation patient Nicolas Berben.
His Lasker Award co-recipient, Dr. Mahlon Delong, was the recipient of the 2014 Breakthrough Prize for his work characterizing the brain circuitry affected in Parkinson’s disease.
