Dankesrede – Rom, 21.11.2024 (Englisch)

Schweiz/USA

Michael N. Hall

Balzan Preis 2024 für Biologische Mechanismen des Alterns

Für seine bahnbrechenden Beiträge zu unserem Verständnis der molekularen Mechanismen, die das Zellwachstum regulieren. Michael Hall entdeckte zwei Proteine, TOR1 und TOR2, die das Zellwachstum und die Reaktion des Stoffwechsels auf Nährstoffe regulieren. Diese spielen eine zentrale Rolle in Alterungsprozessen und bei der Entstehung altersbedingter Krankheiten wie Krebs, Diabetes und Herz-Kreislauf-Erkrankungen.

Mr. President,

Distinguished Officials,

Members of the Balzan Foundation,

Fellow Laureates,

Friends, Colleagues, Ladies, and Gentlemen,

I am immensely honored and delighted to receive the prestigious Balzan Prize. It is particularly gratifying to receive an award that broadly recognizes scholars, artists, and scientists – men and women dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge and truth. In this day and age, when science and facts are commonly denied as we confront climate change, disease, global conflict, and disinformation, we need knowledge and truth more than ever.

The importance of knowledge and its acquisition were first instilled in me by my parents when they sent me and my brothers away as young boys to study in a foreign country. I regret that my parents are not here today, particularly my mother, who herself, as a young woman of eighteen, left her family in the United States to study at the University of Madrid in 1934. My long fascination with science was kindled in college when I did my first experiment and was able to discover something previously unknown. I realized I could create new knowledge, although it was of little interest to others. This led to an academic career at the University of Basel where, for over thirty years, I have had the privilege to pursue curiosity driven research. Here, I was fortunate to generate new knowledge that is of interest not only to me but also to others. We discovered a central biochemical pathway that widely controls both growth and aging. This pathway, when disrupted either by a genetic mutation or a poor diet, can lead to many diseases, including cancer and diabetes. The biomedical implications of this new knowledge are that we now have a better molecular understanding of many age-related diseases and, importantly, how to treat them. The challenge now is to apply our new knowledge to alleviate the suffering caused by disease, and thereby to improve the human condition. This is what I will dedicate myself to in the years ahead.

In addition to being honored and delighted to receive the Balzan Prize, I am also deeply grateful. Indeed, I have many to thank. First, I would like to express my profound gratitude to the Balzan Foundation. As I already mentioned, and as is evident in the list of former and current fellow laureates, the Balzan Prize is a special accolade. Thank you to the Balzan Foundation and the Balzan selection committee for recognizing our work.

I would also like to thank the many talented students and postdoctoral fellows whom I have been fortunate to have as colleagues and to whom I also owe a very large debt of gratitude. I thank all, past and present, who have made this journey possible. Indeed, I am standing here today because of them.

I also thank the University of Basel, and in particular my host institute, the Biozentrum, for thirty-seven years of unwavering support.

Next, I would like to acknowledge my adopted country, Switzerland. Switzerland is a small land-locked country with few natural resources, and thus invests heavily in education, research, and innovation. I am fortunate to have been a beneficiary of this visionary policy.

Last, but certainly not least, I would like to thank my family, in particular, my wife Sabine. Having a scientist as a husband or a father is not easy. As a scientist, you are gone physically or mentally most of the time. The science philosopher Jacob Bronowski described it best with the quote, „…as a profession, science attracts men whose temperament is grave, awkward, and absorbed.“ These might be good traits for a scientist, but not necessarily for a husband. So, a special thank you to Sabine, not only for putting up with my absences, but also for the forty-three years of support that made all this possible. Thank you.