Tõnis Timmusk received the award in the field of chemistry and molecular biology for his research work ‘Mechanisms of neuronal activity-regulated gene expression’.

Tõnis Timmusk, Professor of molecular biology of the TalTech Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, was given the award in the field of chemistry and molecular biology for the research cycle ‘Mechanisms of neuronal activity-regulated gene expression’. A more detailed understanding of the molecular signalling pathways influencing the maturation, count, and communication of nerve cells, as well as the effect of the substances that mediate it, such as neurotransmitters and neurotrophic agents, is the key to a better understanding of the functioning of the nervous system and to treating various neurodegenerative and psychiatric diseases. The research cycle analyses the mechanisms of action of the neurotrophin BDNF and the transcription factor TCF4 that ‘guide’ nerve cell functions. The results lead to new possibilities of developing new medicinal products and treatment methods that affect the nervous system. In 2008, Timmusk was awarded the national research award in the field of medical science for his series of publications on the molecular mechanisms of diseases of the nervous system; in 2010, he was rewarded the Order of the White Star of the Republic of Estonia, fourth class.

Marina Trapido (team leader), Niina Dulova, Marina Krichevskaya, and Sergei Preis received the award in the field of technical sciences for their research work ‘Developing advanced oxidation technologies to solve modern environmental problems: from heavily polluted industrial wastewater to micropollutants in air and water’.

Marina Trapido (team leader, Professor of theTalTech Department of Materials and Environmental Technology), Senior Researcher Niina Dulova, Senior Lecturer Marina Krichevskaya, and Professor Sergei Preis were given the award in the field of technical sciences for the research cycle ‘Developing advanced oxidation technologies to solve modern environmental problems: from heavily polluted industrial wastewater to micropollutants in air and water’. The team developed new air and water purification processes for the decomposition of widespread micropollutants with poor biodegradability, such as medicinal products, pesticides, or synthetic colourants, using advanced oxidation. A new nanocrystalline catalyst was synthesised. Some treatment processes were rendered waste-free and due to the reduction of the toxicity of wastewater, the biological treatment became more efficient. Sergei Preis and Marina Trapido have previously received the national research award in the field of technical sciences in 2001, as part of a team that won for the research work ‘Advanced oxidation processes for water resources protection and sustainable management ’.