Professor Barbara Canlon has been awarded the Grand Prix Scientifique 2023
The Grand Prix Scientifique 2023 celebrates the work of a scientist or doctor who has made a significant discovery in the field of hearing. The Fondation Pour l'Audition has now awarded Professor Barbara Canlon, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, the prize that rewards leading research.
Professor Barbara Canlon is a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and has devoted her entire research career to elucidating the mechanisms behind damage to the inner ear and developing
strategies to prevent and treat them.
She has discovered the existence of a biological, or circadian, clock that regulates the function of the cochlea, the sensitive organ in the inner ear, during the 24 hours of the day.
Barbara Canlon has been able to demonstrate that the time of day is an important factor in how vulnerable the body is to hearing damage. The discovery may make it possible to optimize the time for administering drugs.
"I am very honoured to receive this prestigious award. I hope it will help raise awareness of the importance of circadian rhythms for our auditory system," says Barbara Canlon, professor at the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet.
The medal was presented at a formal ceremony by Jean-Pierre Meyers, who founded the Fondation Pour l'Audition together with his wife Françoise Bettencourt Meyers.
The prize money is EUR 65,000, of which EUR 40,000 is a personal part of the prize and EUR 25,000 is for a stay at a research institution in France.