GRENOBLE, France--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CEA-Leti today announced that Prof. Alim-Louis Benabid, chairman of the board of CLINATEC, has received the Robert A. Pritzker Prize for Leadership in Parkinson’s Research from the Michael J. Fox Foundation for his pioneering work on treating Parkinson’s disease (PD).
The prize, and a $100,000 award (€75,624), recognizes Benabid’s contributions to developing innovative surgical methods for treating severe PD. Benabid invented deep brain stimulation (DBS), a standard method of treating advanced PD, in which electrodes placed in the patients’ brain create pulses that eliminate tremors associated with the disease.
"Professor Benabid's contributions to the field of Parkinson's disease research, and to improving lives of those living with the disease, are well-documented," said Todd Sherer, CEO of the Michael J. Fox Foundation. "Today, deep brain stimulation remains a viable option for many with PD, and one that can offer life-altering results. Since his groundbreaking work with DBS, Prof. Benabid has refused to rest on his laurels, but instead, he has remained committed to improving on existing treatments for PD. We are proud to recognize him for a lifetime of devotion to this goal."
Benabid, who has received many professional honors during his career, accepted the award this spring in New York City from Michael J. Fox, the actor and writer who launched the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research in 2000. He will donate his $100,000 award to CLINATEC.
“It is a major honor to receive the Robert A. Pritzker Prize, and to be recognized by my peers, and by a foundation that remains at the forefront of leading the drive for new and better treatments for PD,” Benabid said. “I am pleased to donate the award to CLINATEC, an institute that has much to offer in advanced healthcare research at the intersection where neuroscience and nanoelectronics meet.”
In 2009, Benabid helped found CLINATEC, the multidisciplinary biomedical research center created by Leti, Grenoble University Hospital, INSERM and Joseph Fourier University, that allows medical practitioners, researchers, biologists, and technologists to collaborate on the frontier of health care and micro- and nanoelectronics.
Benabid has centered his scientific activity on the approach of neurosurgical pathologies, particularly brain tumors and movement disorders. From 1989 to 2007, he was head of the Neurosurgery Department at the University Hospital of Grenoble. He currently is a professor emeritus of biophysics at Joseph Fourier University.
About CEA-Leti
Leti is an institute of CEA, a French research-and-technology organization with activities in energy, IT, healthcare, defence and security. Leti is focused on creating value and innovation through technology transfer to its industrial partners. It specializes in nanotechnologies and their applications, from wireless devices and systems, to biology, healthcare and photonics. NEMS and MEMS are at the core of its activities. An anchor of the MINATEC campus, CEA-Leti operates 8,000-m² of state-of-the-art clean room space on 200mm and 300mm wafer platforms. It employs 1,700 scientists and engineers including 320 Ph.D. students and 200 assignees from partner companies. CEA-Leti owns more than 2,200 patent families.
