Louis-Jeantet Prize Winners Announced

The 2010 Louis-Jeantet Prize for Medicine is awarded to the French cardiologist Michel Haïssaguerre, Professor of Cardiology at the University Victor-Segalen Bordeaux 2 and head of the Department of Cardiac Arrhythmias of the University Hospital of Bordeaux, and to the British biologist Austin Smith, Medical Research Council professor at the Department of Biochemistry and Director of the Welcome Trust Centre for Stem Cell Research at Cambridge University.

THE Louis-Jeantet Foundation awards the sum of CHF 600’000 to each of the prize winners for the continuation of their work, and CHF 100’000 for their personal use.

Michel Haïssaguerre received the Prize for Medicine for his work on cardiac fibrillation, notably for his discovery of the origin of atrial fibrillation, and for developing treatment that has already helped thousands of people in the world.

He discovered that atrial fibrillation does not originate in the heart muscle, as had been thought for a long time, but outside the heart in the pulmonary veins. His research has led to the development of new treatment for this cardiac rhythm disorder, which consists of destroying or isolating the affected tissues using cryotherapy or ultrasound. The same original approach has been used for research into the causes of ventricular fibrillation, which is the principal cause of sudden death. The preliminary results offer hope for the treatment of this grave pathology.

Austin Smith is awarded the 2010 Louis-Jeantet Prize for Medicine for his seminal contribution to understanding the mechanisms governing the renewal or differentiation of stem cells, a vital stage in the development of cell treatment.

Austin Smith is considered to be one of the world-class specialists in embryonic stem cells. He showed how these pluripotent stem cells form at the embryonic stage, and how they could proliferate in a cell culture environment. His work guided cell therapy development, which is aimed at regenerating damaged tissues or organs.

The award ceremony will be held in Geneva (Switzerland) on Thursday, 22 April 2010.