The Pickford Award aims to offer a career-enhancing opportunity to young research members by funding £10,000 (almost €12,000) for a short-term research project. It is resolved by competitive competition and the professional career of the candidates is evaluated, as well as the solidity of their project proposal. Jose Vicente Torres received the Award at the Royal College of Pathologists in London, this December 5.

“In my case, this funding will help me study how possible imbalances in the endogenous endocannabinoid and opioid systems influence pain perception in Rett syndrome. For this research, I will use a murine model deficient in Mecp2, the gene that causes this disorder.”

“For me, it is especially gratifying to receive this award named after Lillian Mary Pickford (1902-2002) to honour her, a brilliant British experimental neuroendocrinologist who was a pioneer in establishing the bidirectionality of interactions between hormones and the brain”, José Vicente Torres highlights. Mary Pickford was the first to demonstrate that oxytocin and vasopressin act as hormones that regulate the body’s fluids and their composition. She also proved that acetylcholine acts in the hypothalamus as an excitatory neurotransmitter to stimulate vasopressin secretion. Among other merits, Mary was the first woman to be elected as a member of the Pharmacological Society in 1935 and was also a member of the Royal Society (1966).

The British Pharmacological Society is a professional and academic organisation in the United Kingdom dedicated to the field of pharmacology. It was founded in 1931 and it aims to promote research and knowledge in the field of pharmacology, as well as to encourage collaboration and the exchange of information between professionals and scientists in that field and related disciplines.