UW Alumna Linda Buck, '75, Shares 2004 Nobel Prize in Medicine

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Scientist Linda Buck, '75, shared the 2004 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine with Richard Axel of Columbia University for unlocking the mysteries to our sense of smell, the Nobel Assembly announced Oct. 4. Buck and Axel's work is a landmark achievement in the study of the nervous system. It is the first to define one of our sensory systems in the most detailed manner possible-by defining the genes and proteins that control this remarkably complex response. A Seattle native, Buck majored in psychology and microbiology as a UW undergraduate and is an affiliate professor of physiology and biophysics at the University as well as a member of the Fred Hutchinson research team. With this honor the UW now has nine Nobel Prize laureates: five faculty and four alumni.

Also see:

• Nobel Press Release
• Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Release on Buck
• UW Dean's Report on Linda Buck's Research: "Sniffing Around Neural Pathways: Scientists Unearth Mechanisms of Smell"
• List of Other UW Nobel Laureates
• Seattle Post-Intelligencer: "Scientist at Fred Hutch Wins Nobel"
• Seattle Times: "Hutch Scientist Unlocked Secret to Sense of Smell"