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IUSM researcher receives international biomedical research award
By Mary Hardin

Benson



Dr. Merrill Benson, professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, of medical and molecular genetics and of medicine at the IU School of Medicine, is the first recipient of the prestigious Pasteur-Weizmann/Servier International Prize in Biomedical Research, awarded in Paris in December.

He was recognized for his pioneering research on protein deposits, called amyloids, which play a role in the development of a variety of diseases including Alzheimer and Huntington diseases and multiple myeloma. The award is to be presented every three years to a top-level researcher, scientist or physician who has gained international recognition for a major biomedical discovery which led to a therapeutic application. Neurobiology was selected as the specialty for the first award.

The Pasteur Institute was formed in 1888 by Louis Pasteur, who is best known for developing a vaccine for rabies. It is one of the leading research institutes in France. The Weizmann Institute of Science is a leading research and academic institution based in Israel. France’s Servier Institute promotes all forms of research and scientific knowledge for the purpose of medical progress.