This week, two L'Oreal-UNESCO Award For Women in Science recipients, Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn and Dr. Ada Yonath, were recognized with the 2009 Nobel Prizes in Physiology or Medicine, and Chemistry, respectively. Both Dr. Blackburn and Dr. Yonath received the L'Oreal-UNESCO Award For Women in Science in 2008. Dr. Blackburn, L’Oreal-UNESCO For Women in Science Laureate for North America, is just one of ten women to receive the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine since 1901 when the first prize was awarded and this year marks the first in which two women were awarded this specific prize. Dr. Yonath, L'Oreal-UNESCO For Women in Science Laureate for Europe, is just one of four women to receive the Nobel Prize in Chemistry and the first since 1964.

Dr. Blackburn will receive the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine along with Dr. Carol Greider and Dr. Jack Szostak for their work in telomere research and their discovery of telomerase, an enzyme that affects the lifespan of cells. Telomeres are the protective caps at the end of chromosomes which maintain the integrity of the genes. Dr. Blackburn received the 2008 L'Oreal-UNESCO Award For Women in Science for discovering the nature and maintenance of chromosome ends and their roles in cancer and aging.

Dr. Yonath shares the Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Dr. Venkatraman Ramakrishnan and Dr. Thomas Steitz. Dr. Yonath and her colleagues were honored for their work on ribosomes. Dr. Yonath received the 2008 L'Oreal-UNESCO Award For Women in Science in recognition of her structural studies of the protein biosynthesis system and its disruption by antibiotics.

This year marks a historic event for women in science with three female scientists, Dr. Blackburn, Dr. Greider and Dr. Yonath, receiving Nobel Prizes in their respective fields. Since its inception, 16 women have been awarded the Nobel Prize in the fields of physiology and medicine, physics, or chemistry compared with 514 male recipients. For more than a decade, L'Oreal in partnership with UNESCO, has led a crusade to promote and recognize women in science and their contributions to the field. Both organizations are delighted that two former For Women in Science Award Laureates have received such a prestigious honor.

"We are very happy and very proud that Professor Ada Yonath will receive the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. This announcement, coming just two days after that of Professor Elizabeth Blackburn, not only fills us with joy but reinforces our commitment to the promotion of science and the place of women in science," said Beatrice Dautresme, Director General of the L'Oreal Corporate Foundation. "For 12 years, our goal has been to promote exceptional women in science through the annual L'Oreal-UNESCO Awards. That an institution as prestigious as the Nobel Prizes recognizes the excellence of these two women scientists is, for us, a major encouragement."

ABOUT THE FOR WOMEN IN SCIENCE PROGRAM
For Women in Science is a global effort by L'Oreal to celebrate women who have dedicated their careers to scientific research and to encourage emerging talent to pursue scientific discoveries. The program includes: the L'Oreal-UNESCO For Women in Science Awards, which honors five distinguished female scientist each with a $100,000 grant annually; the UNESCO-L'Oreal For Women in Science International Fellowships which aims to encourage international scientific cooperation and awards 15 young women researchers each with a $40,000 grant annually; and the L'Oreal USA Fellowships For Women in Science, a national extension of the international fellowship program which recognizes and rewards five U.S.-based young women researchers each with a $60,000 grant annually.

ABOUT L'OREAL USA
L'Oreal USA, headquartered in New York City, with 2008 sales of over $4.6 billion and over 9,000 employees, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of L'Oreal SA, one of the world’s leading beauty companies. In addition to corporate headquarters in New York, L'Oreal USA has Research and Development, Manufacturing and Distribution facilities across eight states in the U.S., including New Jersey, Kentucky, Arkansas, Illinois, Ohio, Colorado, North Carolina and Texas.

L'Oreal's impressive portfolio of brands includes Lancome, Giorgio Armani, shu uemura, Yves Saint Laurent Beaute, Biotherm, Viktor & Rolf, Diesel, Cacharel, L'Oreal Paris, Garnier, Vichy, La Roche-Posay, L'Oreal Professionnel and Kerastase. The U.S. is the base for the product development, international marketing and advertising for L'Oreal's eleven American brands: Maybelline New York, Soft-Sheen, Carson, Kiehl's Since 1851, Ralph Lauren, Redken 5th Avenue NYC, Matrix, Logics, Mizani, Pureology, SkinCeuticals and Dermablend.

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L'Oreal

A worldwide leader in the cosmetics industry, L'Oréal develops innovative products to meet the diverse needs of customers in 130 countries worldwide. Over 3,000 people work in the Group's 14 research centers, located in France, Asia and America. Their findings are responsible for the registration of hundreds of patents annually. Women represent 55% of the research workforce - a percentage unmatched anywhere else in the industry. www.loreal.com

 

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