Thomas Südhof, neuroscientist and professor of molecular and cellular physiology at the Stanford School of Medicine won the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine this morning.
Südhof shares the award with Yale professor and former Stanford professor of biochemistry, James Rothman, and UC-Berkeley professor Randy Schekman Ph.D. ’75 for their collective discovery on the molecular principles of our cells’ major transport system.
Their research tapped into the precise control system for the transport and delivery of cellular cargo, a system which if disturbed could contribute to medical conditions such as neurological diseases, diabetes and immunological disorders.
Südhof was in Spain — where he will be attending a conference and giving a lecture — when he received a call from a representative of Nobel Media announcing the news. He expressed shock and delight.
“It is quite an amazing … gosh,” he said to the representative.
Just last month Südhof also won the 2013 Lasker Basic Medical Research Award. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Medicine and the American Academy of Arts & Sciences.
The three Nobel Prize winners will share an award totaling an approximate $1.2 million, with about $413,600 going to each.