Structural biologist recognized for research on molecular motor structure and function

Anne Houdusse to receive 2009 FEBS/EMBO Women in Science Award

19-Feb-2009 - France

The European molecular biology Organization (EMBO) and the Federation of European Biochemical Societies (FEBS) announced Anne Houdusse, head of the Structural Motility Team, CNRS/Institute Curie, Paris, France, as the winner of the FEBS/EMBO Women in Science Award for 2009. The selection committee honoured Anne Houdusse’s outstanding contributions to the field of structural biology and the understanding of the molecular mechanism of action of myosins.

Anne Houdusse has established and clarified the molecular structure and function of myosins – a family of motor proteins vital for muscle contraction and motility processes such as cell division or transport of organelles within cells. She has transferred details seen in atomic resolution structures into functional insight and co-developed a theory that describes the movement of the molecular motors during muscle contraction. The committee praised Anne’s originality and research creativity as well as her courage to tackle difficult areas of science and persistence to achieve results.

“We are fortunate to work on a very puzzling and interesting question: how motor proteins convert chemical energy to produce force,” said Anne Houdusse. “My laboratory’s contribution is just one piece of this incredibly complex and important puzzle, and the current picture is the fruit of the research lead by many brilliant scientists. By trying to understand how to inhibit the activity of specific motors responsible for metastasis or cell proliferation we hope to develop therapeutic strategies against cancer.”

The award winner credits the support of the Institute Curie and the dynamic collaboration with several researchers to contribute to the understanding of this fundamental problem in biology.

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