U.S. vision researchers share major Portugal award

LISBON (Reuters) - Two U.S. researchers whose work could boost efforts to eradicate blindness have won a 1 million euro ($1.41 million) prize, Portugal's Champalimaud Foundation said on Tuesday.

The award will be shared by Dr. Jeremy Nathans and Dr. King-Wai Yau, both professors at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, for their work on how light is converted into electric signals used by the brain to create vision.

Established in 2006, the annual award for work related to vision is one of the world's largest science prizes. It is only slightly smaller than the 10 million Swedish crown ($1.5 million) Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

The money will be used to fund each scientist's "ongoing, cutting-edge vision research", the foundation said.

"Taken individually or together, Drs Nathans and Yau's pioneering research represents breakthroughs of historical proportions," foundation's chief, Leonor Beleza, said in a statement, expressing hope the findings "will contribute significantly to the global quest to eradicate blindness".

Nathans told Reuters his and Yau's research helped to define the basic molecular mechanism of vision.

"If your car doesn't work you take it to a mechanic, but if the mechanic doesn't have a parts list there is not much he can do. The basic research is the equivalent of getting a parts list for the retina and showing how parts work together ... I'm optimistic this is going to end up in the clinics," he said.

The research may contribute to treatment of such potentially blinding diseases as diabetic retinopathy and age-related retinal molecular degeneration.

"This award is great for vision research, it's a huge shot in the arm and it brings the area to public attention - vision research has not exactly been in the limelight," Nathans said.

The foundation was set up at the bequest of Portugal's late industrialist Antonio Champalimaud who died in 2004. Last year, its prize went to India's Aravind Eye Care System of clinics.

(Reporting by Andrei Khalip; editing by Keith Weir)