Two Women Among the Inaugural Winners of the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences

The Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences Foundation has announced 11 scientists as the inaugural recipients of the Breakthrough Prize. Each winner will receive $3 million from the foundation to “recognize excellence in research aimed at curing intractable diseases and extending human life.” In future years, five $3 million prizes will be awarded.

The foundation was established and funded by several wealthy entrepreneurs including Art Levinson, chair of the board of Apple Inc., Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, and Sergey Brin, a founder of Google.

Among the 11 inaugural winners are two women. Both hold teaching posts at Rockefeller University in New York City.

Cornelia I. Bargmann is the Torsten N. Wiesel Professor and director of the Lulu and Anthony Wang Laboratory of Neural Circuits and Behavior at Rockefeller University. She is being honored for her research on the genetics of neural circuits and behavior and synaptic guidepost molecules.

Dr. Bargmann is a graduate of the University of Georgia. She earned a Ph.D. at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Titia de Lange is the Leon Hess Professor, director of the Laboratory of Cell Biology and Genetics, and director of the Anderson Center for Cancer Research at Rockefeller University. She joined the faculty at the university in 1990 and was appointed to her current post in 1999.

Dr. de Lange earned a Ph.D. in biochemistry at the University of Amsterdam. She is being honored for her research on telomeres, illuminating how they protect chromosome ends and their role in genome instability in cancer.