Female Chinese neuroscientist honored with prestigious award

• Published date: 28 June 2022
• Publication title: Shanghai Daily

Chinese neuroscientist Hu Hailan is one of five exceptional female scientists and the only one from China to win the 2022 L'Oreal-UNESCO For Women in Science Award.

total of 15 recipients of this international award from 2020, 2021 and 2022 were recognized for their outstanding scientific achievements during this year's event, the first ceremony held since the COVID-19 outbreak.

Every year, the L'Oreal Foundation and UNESCO celebrate the scientific excellence of five eminent female researchers, each from a different part of the world.

This year's ceremony also featured 30 young female scientists selected as International Rising Talents in 2020 and 2022. They were selected by a highly respected, international scientific jury from hundreds of nominees to recognize their achievements on a global scale.

"I felt especially lucky to receive the award which I believe belongs to my whole team, the collaborators and all my supporters," she said at the award ceremony.

"I am honored to join previous award winners who are all leading scientists in their own research field and I hope to pass on the encouragement from my predecessors to fellow researchers and to call on more females to take up science as a vocation."

Hu graduated from Peking University with a degree in biochemistry and molecular biology and completed her doctorate and postdoctoral work in the United States before returning to China in 2008.

Her most notable findings include identifying the impact of ketamine on a small area of the brain called the lateral habenula (LHb) that becomes highly active in those suffering from depression.

Lateral habenula is a negative reward center in the brain. Ketamine blocks the bursting activity of LHb neurons to inhibit downstream monoaminergic reward centers, providing a framework for developing new rapid-acting antidepressants.

Hu has called for more public awareness of basic scientific research to encourage more people to pursue careers in science.

"I would not suggest focusing too much on the peculiarity of female scientists and their achievements and discoveries merely because they are made by women. Each gender is equal when it comes to solid scientific facts."

She thinks resilience is of paramount importance when navigating through obstacles that are part of breakthrough scientific discoveries, because when doing scientific research, a majority of the time will be spent in overcoming difficulties. Developing and assessing safe and effective drugs, for instance, can...