Schuman Receives 2026 Kavli Prize in Neuroscience

According to Caltech News, Erin Schuman, a former Caltech professor now leading Germany's Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, has won the twenty twenty-six Kavli Prize in Neuroscience. She shares the award with three colleagues for discovering that neurons synthesize proteins locally within their dendrites—branches extending from the cell body—not just at the cell center. The discovery, made in nineteen ninety-six, solved a puzzling question: how does the brain sustain the molecular changes required for learning and memory? Schuman demonstrated that protein synthesis occurring far from the cell body is essential for long-lasting changes at synaptic junctions, the points where neurons communicate. Her subsequent research created tools to visualize these newly synthesized proteins, revealing how cells manage their molecular machinery across different compartments. The Kavli Prize recognizes major achievements in neuroscience every two years.

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