Ivan Đikić, IBC2 Director and Brenda Schulman, Director at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry in Martinsried will together be awarded the 2023 Louis-Jeantet Prize for medicine for their outstanding scientific achievements in the ubiquitin field.

Ubiquitination plays a key role in protein homeostasis, being one of the major post-translational modifications that regulates a multitude of life processes. Dysfunction of the ubiquitin system contributes to several diseases such as cancer, neurodegeneration and cardiovascular diseases. Using complementary approaches, Ivan Đikić and Brenda Schulman have contributed significantly to the scientific progress in this field. Whilst Brenda Schulman uncovered the structural secrets of ubiquitin conjugation cascades, Ivan Đikić spearheaded the concept of ubiquitin being a pleiotropic cellular signal rather than a degradation signal only, and has contributed critically to discover the underlying molecular mechanisms enabling diverse ubiquitin functions. With the 2023 Louis-Jeantet Prize for Medicine, the foundation acknowledges their contributions to our current understanding of the functions of ubiquitin and the mechanisms of ubiquitination, as well as to revealing the potential of this process as a target to combat diseases.

“I am so proud to be awarded the Louise-Jeantet Prize for Medicine together with my close friend and colleague Brenda Schulman. I am indebted to all the members of my lab, colleagues in Frankfurt and all collaborators around the world who have demonstrated that the culture of working together and sharing data is a real joy and is also critical for promoting impactful scientific discoveries.” stated Ivan Đikić.

The Louis-Jeantet Prize for Medicine is amongst the most prestigious awards for biomedical research. Since 1986, they have been awarded annually to distinguished scientists who are still actively pursuing research, and are intended not only as a recognition, but also to fuel future innovative work. The prize is endowed with 500,000 Swiss francs. The award ceremony will take place on Wednesday 26 April 2023 in Geneva, Switzerland.