The university announced the recipients of the 2022 Rosenstiel Award—an award given to researchers with distinctive work in basic biomedical research, according to the award’s page. The winners are Christine Holt and Erin Schuman. 

Holt and Schuman received this distinction, “for their pioneering work that shed light on the role of local protein synthesis in neuronal development and function,” according to the university’s website.

In their review—Local translation in neurons: visualization and function—Holt and Schuman looked at neurons and their interactions with proteins. Neurons are a type of cell in the human body that are used to transport signals throughout the brain using electrical impulses. To do this, neurons must use proteins as their main sensors and effectors, according to Holt and Schuman’s review. 

In the review, Holt and Schuman identified how, “the modification of the proteome in axons and dendrites is used to guide the formation of synaptic connections and store information.” A proteome is an entire set of proteins that can be expressed by a cell. Axons and dendrites are both parts of the structure of neurons. Dendrites are the part of the neuron that receives electrical impulses necessary for communication across neurons. Axons are the main part of the neuron cell and act as a cable through which electrical impulses travel down to be passed to the next neuron in the system.

“Neurons are among the most compartmentalized and interactive of all cell types,” according to the review by Holt and Schuman. 

The discussion Holt and Schuman brought to the table is how local synthesis of proteins is an important source of protein for dendrites, axons and their associated elements. In the study, Holt and Schuman reviewed data that indicated, “the presence of the machinery required for protein synthesis, and the established functional roles for local translation for many different neuronal functions.”

Holt is a professor emerita of Developmental Neuroscience and fellow of Gonville and Caius College at the University of Cambridge. Schuman is a professor of Neurobiology at the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research.

The Rosenstiel Award for Distinguished Work in Basic Medical Research was established in 1971, according to the university webpage. It was intended to be “an expression of the conviction that educational institutions have an important role to play in the encouragement and development of basic science as it applies to medicine.” 

The award is given out annually, with the nomination for recipients to be submitted by Aug. 31 and the presentation of the award being in the following spring, according to the page. The nominations go through a panel of Boston-area scientists appointed by the Director of the Rosenstiel Basic Medical Sciences Research Center who review applications. To qualify for the award, scientists must make a discovery of originality and have an important application to basic biomedical research. 

The award is meant to place an emphasis on the relationship between basic science and medicine, according to the page. The formation of the Rosenstiel Basic Medical Sciences Research Center hopes to support the connection between research in basic medical science beyond the university’s community. 

The 2021 recipient of the Rosenstiel Award was Robert Sinner for his “key role in revealing the dynamics of gene expression using high-resolution imaging,” according to the webpage. 

Holt and Schuman will receive the 2022 Rosenstiel Award in a presentation ceremony hosted by the university in Spring 2023.