Congratulations to Postdoctoral By-Fellow Alexey Amunts, who has been awarded the 2015 George Palade Award by the Microscopy Society of America for distinguished contributions to the field of microscopy and microanalysis in the life sciences.
Photo: On the left; John F. Mansfield – President of the Microscopy Society of America; on the right, Alexey Amunts.
Alexey was awarded the prize in recognition of his share of the work that showed that electron cryo-microscopy (cryo-EM) can achieve visualisation of macromolecules at the atomic level. This is currently revolutionising the field of molecular biology, revealing detailed structures of otherwise intractable molecular complexes that are at the heart of many biological processes.
The project that Alexey has been working on led to the most detailed understanding of the molecular mechanisms underpinning the process of protein synthesis in human mitochondria. Apart from intriguing methodological and biological insights, the results have important implications for human health, as it provide a reference for analysis of mutations that cause severe pathologies and for future drug design.
The Microscopy Society of America (MSA) is a non-profit organisation dedicated to the promotion and advancement of techniques and applications of microscopy and microanalysis in all relevant scientific disciplines.
