Her discovery of the genes for hereditary breast cancer has permanently changed thinking about the genetics of complex common diseases

The €100,000 Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize went 2013 to Mary-Claire King, American Cancer Society Professor in the Department of Genome Sciences and Medicine at the University of Washington in Seattle. Mary-Claire King is being awarded the prize for her outstanding research achievements in the field of human genetics. She is one of the world's leading geneticists in the area of cancer and forensic genetics. "Mary-Claire King was the first to demonstrate that there is a genetic predisposition for breast cancer. This proof has permanently changed thinking about the genetics of common complex diseases," wrote the Scientific Council of the Paul Ehrlich Foundation in explaining its decision. Professor King has also worked for decades in identifying the victims of human rights violations around the world. The Scientific Council continued: "She makes it clear that genetics can benefit humanity."

Breast and ovarian cancers are inherited as an autosomal dominant trait in some families. King has shown that some of the mutations responsible are to be found in a gene that she called BRCA1, which stands for breast cancer susceptibility gene 1. Genes are therefore also involved in complex, multifactorial diseases, which may in addition be influenced by environmental and lifestyle factors. Since the discovery of BRCA1, BRCA2 and other breast cancer genes, programs for women suffering from these types of cancer have been established everywhere. King's discoveries and her calculations for the risk of falling ill with breast or ovarian cancer have fundamentally changed the management of hereditary breast cancer. The prizewinner has also identified other disease genes. The conditions they cause include inherited deafness, schizophrenia, autism, and systemic lupus erythematosus. Mary-Claire King is also highly respected for her humanitarian commitment. She uses genetic technologies to expose violations of human rights. Since 1984 she has been working with the grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo in Argentina. These grandmothers are demanding the return of their grandchildren to their biological families. The children were kidnapped by the military junta between 1976 and 1983, orphaned and given up for adoption to sympathizers of the junta. Mary-Claire King provides sound proof of the biological kinship of the children. She also works with the UN War Crimes Tribunal and has identified the victims of war, terror and torture in countries such as Cambodia, Guatemala, El Salvador, Rwanda, Ethiopia and Bosnia.

Short biography of Professor Dr. Mary-Claire King

Mary-Claire King was born near Chicago in 1946. She has a B.A. in mathematics and later completed her Ph.D. in genetics at the University of California at Berkeley. She was professor of genetics and epidemiology at Berkeley from 1976 to 1995. Since 1995 she has been the American Cancer Society Professor at the University of Washington in Seattle and since 1998 member of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. Mary-Claire King has been awarded thirteen honorary doctorates including honorary doctorates from Harvard, Yale, Columbia and Princeton. She is a member of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the French Academy of Sciences. Professor King has received numerous prizes all over the world. She is a consultant and member of various high-level bodies and committees, including the Advisory Board that advises the Director of the NIH.