The American scientist Laura Seeholzer, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of California, San Francisco, USA, has won the 2024 Eppendorf & Science Prize for Neurobiology for her work on elucidating a role for airway neuroendocrine cells in responding to external threats.

“Laura Seeholzer’s essay brilliantly describes how she identified a group of laryngeal and tracheal neuroendocrine cells that protect our airways” explained Dr. Peter Stern, Senior Editor at the journal Science and Chairman of the Prize Jury. “Activation of these cells drives airway protective reflexes through interaction with airway-innervating sensory neurons.”

“Water ‘going down the wrong pipe’ or refluxing stomach acid into the airways are deeply uncomfortable experiences that elicit protective reflexes like coughing, gagging and swallowing, says Seeholzer. “We found that a rare cell type in the airway epithelium, called neuroendocrine (NE) cells, detect these noxious stimuli. Upon stimulation, tracheal and laryngeal NE cells release a specific type of neurotransmitter that activates nearby sensory neurons, which then drive protective reflexes like swallowing and coughing.”

Laryngeal and tracheal NE cells are critical, previously overlooked cell populations that protect our airways. Seeholzer aims to understand whether NE cell dysregulation contributes to an increased likelihood of aspiration as people age or in diseases where critical airway reflexes are compromised.

“I want to thank Eppendorf and Science magazine for celebrating young trainees in neurobiology over the last two decades”, says Seeholzer. “I have always loved reading these essays and being selected as this year’s winner is one of the greatest surprises and honors of my fledgling career. I would also like to thank Dr. David Julius and my lab mates for creating an enthusiastic and supportive lab environment where it is a joy to go to work each day.”

Two finalists were also recognized. Rosemary Cater, Ph.D., Senior Research Fellow & Group Leader at the University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia,  for her work that reveals molecular details of how the essential nutrients choline and omega-3 fatty acids are transported into the brain, and Claudia Kathe, Ph.D., Assistant Professor at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland, for her work on elucidating the role of neuronal populations in the spinal cord in restoring motor function.

“Eppendorf and the journal Science are awarding this prestigious prize since 2002. Since it’s initiation, the Prize has acknowledged over 70 winners and finalists, who have gone on to become leading scientists in their field,” stated Axel Jahns, Ph.D., Vice President Corporate Citizenship & Governmental Affairs at Eppendorf SE. “Congratulations to the 2024 awardees on their amazing achievements.”

About the Eppendorf & Science Prize for Neurobiology:

The annual Eppendorf & Science Prize for Neurobiology honors early-career scientists for their ground-breaking research. Laura Seeholzer, Ph.D. is the 23rd recipient of this international prize which is awarded jointly by Eppendorf and the journal Science. Researchers who are 35 years of age or younger and have made outstanding contributions to neurobiological research based on methods of molecular, cellular, systems, or organismic biology are invited to apply. The winner is awarded US$ 25,000 and has his or her essay published in Science. The next deadline for applications is June 15, 2025. For more information about all awardees and the Eppendorf & Science Prize for Neurobiology, visit www.eppendorf.com/prize.

About Eppendorf Group

Eppendorf is an international leader in the life science industry, developing, producing and distributing equipment, consumables and services that are used in laboratories around the world.

The product portfolio of the divisions Liquid Handling, Consumables, Separation & Instrumentation and Bioprocess includes pipettes, pipette tips, centrifuges, mixers, ULT freezers and bioreactors for cell and gene research. Furthermore, Eppendorf offers a wide range of high-quality consumables. Eppendorf Group reported a total sales figure of 1.08 billion euros for the financial year 2023 while their research and development (R&D) investments amounted to 69 million euros.

Eppendorf products are used in academic and industrial research laboratories, for example in pharmaceutical, biotech, chemical and food companies. Other fields of application for Eppendorf products include clinical and environmental analytical laboratories, forensics and industrial laboratories for process analysis, production and quality assurance.

Eppendorf Group is headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, since 1945 and has production facilities and R&D sites in Europe, Asia and North America. The Group’s subsidiaries are spread across 33 countries. Today, the Group has more than 5,000 employees around the world. In their everyday work, all of these employees have one and the same mission, proclaimed by the company’s founder: Improving human living conditions.

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