Anthony Hyman, group leader and director at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden (Germany), is this year's winner of the EMBO Gold Medal. This prestigious prize is awarded by EMBO in recognition of Anthony Hyman's outstanding work on understanding the mechanisms and components involved in the division of living cells. He will receive this award at the EMBO Members Meeting "Frontiers of Molecular Biology" in Killarney, Ireland, on 17th October, 2003.
"To me, being awarded this prize reflects the opinion of my peers about my scientific work," said Hyman shortly after being notified "and therefore feels like a real accomplishment".
The EMBO Gold Medal highlights the quality of European molecular biology performed by young research scientists. It is awarded annually to a European scientist under 40 years of age. The medal has been awarded to many illustrious recipients in the past. It brings the high-quality work of young European scientists to the attention of a worldwide audience. In this way the EMBO Gold Medal acts as an indicator of standards achieved by European scientists. The awardee is also honoured as being a role model for scientists in Europe. (German release: http://www.embo.org/press/gold_medal2003_d.html)
Background Material
Short CV
Anthony Hyman, born 1962 in Haifa, currently group leader and director of the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG), Dresden (Germany), received his PhD in biology and zoology at King's College, Cambridge University, (England) in 1988. After working as a post-doctoral fellow at the University of California San Francisco (USA), Hyman joined the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg (Germany) as group leader in 1993. In 1998 he was recruited as group leader and director to build on the newly founded CBG in Dresden. EMBO elected Hyman as a member in 2000.
Research interests
Whilst investigating development from a single cell to a complex organism, Hyman's research concentrates on the role of microtubules. Microtubules are crucial components of the cytoskeleton, – the scaffold of a cell. They are responsible for a number of morphogenetic processes in cells such as spindle assembly during cell division and membrane traffic. Hyman is particularly interested in the formation of intracellular structures using microtubules. To this end, the Hyman lab at MPI-CBG seeks to understand the mechanisms by which microtubules perform these functions. The scientists use a wide range of genetic, biochemical, cell and molecular approaches. Three model organisms they work with are: the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the African clawed toad Xenopus laevis, and the nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans.
Hyman's research group focus on understanding the relationship between the dynamics of microtubule polymers and the formation of the mitotic spindle, the structure that segregates the chromosomes at mitosis. They also look at understanding the interrelationship between microtubules and cell polarity during division of living cells.
One key future issue will be to understand and investigate whether the mechanisms that control the organisation of the microtubule cytoskeleton in these organisms also apply in more complex organisms. (Additional material: http://www.embo.org/press/gm_2003_brief.html)
About the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics
Anthony Hyman, together with MPI-CBG's four other directors, established in Dresden an international research institution aimed at understanding a fundamental biology question: How do cells form tissues? To accomplish this they brought together a cross-section of 20 different research groups consisting of cell biologists and developmental geneticists, using a wide variety of techniques.
About EMBO
The European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO) promotes biosciences in Europe. It was established by leading scientists almost 40 years ago. The organization raised the standards in this area of science through the establishment of a specialist laboratory (EMBL), the provision of training through practical courses and workshops and by stimulating mobility through its Fellowship Programme. Today EMBO has 1200 elected members, including 36 Nobel Prize laureates. EMBO's activities are supported by the European Molecular Biology Conference (EMBC) supports. The EMBC member states are: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and United Kingdom.
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