“Acceptance Speech” Frontiers of Knowledge Award 2023 in Biology and Biomedicine

Acceptance speech by F. Ulrich Hartl, winner of the 2023 Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Biology and Biomedicine, who was honored alongside Arthur Horwich, Kazutoshi Mori and Peter Walter for revealing the cellular mechanisms that control protein biogenesis and degradation. Hartl and Horwich discovered the essential role of molecular chaperones in protein folding, a process fundamental to their proper function.

Hartl explains how his research demonstrated that protein folding inside cells is not always a spontaneous process, but requires the assistance of specialized molecular machinery. He also highlights the importance of these discoveries for understanding the origins of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, and their potential to support the development of new therapeutic strategies.