The 2014 Louis-Jeantet Prize for Medicine has been awarded to French MRI pioneer Dr. Denis Le Bihan, PhD, for the development of diffusion MRI.
Diffusion MRI is currently a key method for detecting strokes and has also been used for detecting cancer. It's also been employed for mapping the fibers connecting different brain regions, paving the way for a better understanding of Alzheimer's disease, autism, schizophrenia, and neurological disorders, according to the foundation.
The award includes a prize of 700,000 Swiss francs (575,290 euros), of which 625,000 (513,640 euros) will be used by Le Bihan to continue work on understanding the mechanisms governing water diffusion in the brain and to develop new applications for diffusion MRI in medicine. The remaining sum will be for Le Bihan's personal use. Le Bihan is currently director of NeuroSpin, an institute at the French Nuclear and Renewable Energy Commision at Saclay.
Italian biochemist Elena Conti also received the 2014 Louis-Jeantet Prize for Medicine. The award ceremony will be held in Geneva on April 9.
