This week saw the annual BMC Research Awards presentations, in the Emirates Stadium and with a sports science theme, to acknowledge the forthcoming London Olympics. BMC Biology is very happy to be able to congratulate the authors of three BMC Biology papers that won awards reflecting the diversity of interesting topics on which we publish:-

Alexei Korennykh and colleagues won the General Biology award for their research on how ADP binding can tune the kinase in the activation of Ire, the remarkable bifunctional kinase-RNase whose activity directs the alternative splicing of a key transcription factor in the rescue program in response to the toxic accumulation of unfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum.

The Molecular and Cellular Science award was taken by Judith Goodship and colleagues with an article examining the molecular details behind Ellis-van Creveld syndrome, a genetic disorder with distinctive growth defects caused by migration in the Evc protein. The authors identified a novel binding partner for Evc – Evc2 – and identify that both bind together within the basal body of the cilia, activating the hedgehog signaling pathway.

Felipe Vilas-Boas, Rita Fior, Kate Storey and colleagues were the recipients of the prize for Neuroscience, Neurology and Psychiatry for their article detailing a new reporter for detecting the activity of the Notch signaling pathway, which is involved in specification of neural cell fates. This reporter is based on a downstream promoter from a Notch target gene, Hes5-1, coupled with instability elements and a new fluorescent protein (VNP), and provides a reliable readout of Notch activity. The advantage is that the authors can now achieve single cell resolution and real time imaging, enabling more dynamic analysis of Notch activity.

Congratulations again to all our winners.