Eminent molecular biologist Professor Michael N Hall of the Biozentrum University of Basel, Switzerland, has been chosen for the Genome Valley Excellence Award which will be presented to him during BioAsia 2018, an annual flagship event of the Telangana government.
 

The event begins on February 22, an official release stated, adding that Prof Hall will be presented the award during its opening ceremony. The release informed that Prof Hall had been bestowed with the 2018 Genome Valley Excellence Award for his pioneering work in discovering the nutrient-activated TOR (Target of Rapamycin) proteins and their central role in the metabolic control of cell growth. The award, instituted in 2004, was in recognition of the 'transformative advances toward biomedical research and facilitating improvement in human life' and was chosen by an international advisory board consisting of eminent personalities of the life sciences industry, it informed.

Announcing the 2018 Genome Valley Excellence Award, Telangana s Minister for Industries and Commerce, K T Rama Rao, said, "We are delighted to have an eminent expert like Professor Michael N Hall joining us at the BioAsia 2018. Professor Hall s work in discovering the nutrient-activated TOR (Target of Rapamycin) proteins is a commendable achievement." Rao further said that the event acted as a platform for the government to invite global investors, scientists and business leaders to showcase the extraordinary infrastructure available in the state.

According to the release, Prof Hall s exhaustive research proved that the TOR system adjusts cell size in response to the availability of raw materials. "TOR balances constructive and destructive activities to match accumulation of cell mass with nutrient supply and other growth signals, such as hormones," it said. "Disruption of the TOR network contributes to numerous human illnesses, including diabetes and cancer, and has implications across various age-related disorders," the release informed.