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World-renowned French neuroscientist Jean-Pierre Changeux to present keynote lecture at the 2023 ELKH Award Ceremony

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At the invitation of Balázs Gulyás, President of the Eötvös Loránd Research Network (ELKH), Professor Jean-Pierre Changeux, world-renowned French neuroscientist will be the keynote lecturer at the 2023 ELKH Award Ceremony. At the November event including a scientific conference, Professor Changeux gives a lecture titled The Brain as a Chemical Machine. At the Award Ceremony the Eötvös Loránd Research Network Prize, the Róbert Bárány Prizes that recognize the exceptional achievements of young researchers and the titles of Research Professor Emeritus will be presented.

Jean-Pierre Changeux has conducted extensive research in several fields of biology, including protein structure and function, early nervous system development and cognitive functions. His groundbreaking ideas regarding the connection between mind and physical have earned him worldwide acclaim. Within the field of biological sciences, he is highly regarded for the Monod-Wyman-Changeux model (MWC model) he proposed, which describes the allosteric transitions of proteins made up of identical subunits. The MWC model proved very popular in enzymology and pharmacology, particularly for its successful application in regulating hemoglobin function. Another notable scientific achievement of Professor Changeux is his pioneering work in the identification and purification of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, which has profound implications in the treatment of addiction, neurological disorders and the field of anesthesia.

Born in 1936 in Domont, France, Jean-Pierre Changeux completed his degree at the École Normale Supérieure in 1958 and obtained his doctorate at the Pasteur Institute in 1964. He pursued postdoctoral studies at the University of California, Berkeley from 1965 to 1966, and at Columbia University, New York in 1967. In 1972, he assumed the position of Director of the Unit of Molecular Neurobiology at the Pasteur Institute, where he was later appointed as a professor in 1975. That same year, he was elected as a professor at the Collège de France, holding the Chair of Cell Communications until 2006. Throughout his career, Professor Changeux has authored over 600 scientific articles and numerous books.

His scientific work has been recognized with numerous prestigious awards, including the Albert Einstein World Award of Science (2018), the Goldman-Rakic Prize (2018), the National Academy of Sciences Award in the Neurosciences (2007), the Balzan Prize (2001), and the Wolf Prize (1982).