Epigeneticist wins DSM science award

French researcher Dr Armelle Corpet from the University Pierre and Marie Curie in Paris, yesterday won the €10,000 first prize in the 2011 southern edition of the DSM Science & Technology Awards.

Dr Corpet’s research examined how specific proteins affect genomic reproduction and integrity, a process she then used as a prognostic method for detecting breast cancer.

She told NutraIngredients after the ceremony in Interlaken, Switzerland, that the technique could also be used to detect the likelihood of development of other chronic diseases, and further work would involve overian cancer research.

“It is a wonderful reward for my PhD work and I am really thankful to DSM for acknowledging it and to my PhD supervisor Geneviève Almouzni, who guided and supported me during these intense years. This award is also an encouragement to pursue my career in science,” Dr Corpet said.

Second prize went to Stefan Radl who conducted research at the Institute for Process and Particle Engineering, Graz University of Technology in Austria; third was Antoine Diguet from the Department of Chemistry, Ecole Normale Supérieure, also in Paris.