Genetics Experts Win the Princess of Asturias Research Award
The trio was recognized for methods that cut genome sequencing from months to a day and made it thousands of times more cost-effective.
- On Wednesday, British chemists David Klenerman and Shankar Balasubramanian and French biophysicist Pascal Mayer won Spain's 2026 Princess of Asturias Award for Scientific and Technical Research.
- Klenerman and Balasubramanian founded the biotechnology company Solexa, now named Illumina, building on Mayer's work studying "the surface amplification of DNA" to copy DNA on solid surfaces.
- Their innovation made sequencing "thousands of times more cost-effective" and faster, enabling rapid SARS-CoV2 sequencing that accelerated Covid-19 vaccine development.
- The laureates receive 50,000 euros and a sculpture by the late Catalan artist Joan Miro, with King Felipe and Queen Letizia presenting the awards this October in Oviedo.
- Founded in 1981, the Asturias Awards are the most prestigious in the Spanish-speaking world and named after Princess Leonor, following last year's winner Mary-Claire King, honored for "saving millions of lives.
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30 Articles
British scientists among winners of top Spanish award
British chemists David Klenerman and Shankar Balasubramanian joined French biophysicist Pascal Mayer in winning Spain's top science award on Wednesday for DNA sequencing research that helped combat coronavirus. The jury of the Princess of Asturias Awards for scientific and technical research recognised the trio for "driving clinical diagnosis and research in biology, biomedicine, forensic medicine and ecology". "The sequencing of a complete huma…
Qu micos David Klenerman and Shankar Balasubramanian and biof sico Pascal Mayer were awarded for sequencing work r request DNA.
Madrid/Oviedo (Spain), 13 May (EFE).- British chemists David Klenerman and Shankar Balasubramanian and French biophysicist Pascal Mayer have been recognized today with the Princess of Asturias Prize for Technical Scientific Research 2026; all three are responsible for the technology that has revolutionized DNA sequencing, now faster and more massive.
MADRID (AP) — British chemists David Klenerman and Shankar Balasubramanian and French biophysicist Pascal Mayer were recognized Wednesday for their work in developing next-generation DNA sequencing technologies with the award…
British chemists David Klenerman and Shankar Balasubramanian and French biophysicist Pascal...
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