Many congratulations to Samantha in the Lower Sixth who has won the prestigious global Molecular Frontiers Inquiry Prize (2020) for her question:
“Are there any molecular biological mechanisms behind the placebo effect of open-label placebos? For example, does dopamine as a neurotransmitter have a role in eliciting positive OLP responses?”.
She also had to explain the importance of her question, her interest in it and suggest ways for science to find its answer.
Each year, five girls and five boys win the MFIP for asking the most insightful and thought-provoking scientific questions. Samantha is the first girl from the UK to win the Prize since it began in 2008. The winners were selected by Molecular Frontiers’ Scientific Advisory Board consisting of 27 eminent scientists, 15 of which are Nobel laureates. Molecular Frontiers is a non-profit organisation, hosted by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and supported by the Nobel Foundation.
Some individual comments made by the judges about Samantha’s question included:
“This remains an open question, a good one. Studying dopamine release (…) is a good approach.” Nobel Laureate Roald Hoffmann
“This is a very interesting question and if we understand the molecular basis for the placebo effect we could utilize it more optimally in treatment.”
Scientific Advisory Board member and former Chair of the Committee for the Nobel Prize in Chemistry Sara Linse.
Click here for the competition website and here for Molecular Frontiers’ Facebook page where the winners have been announced.
