Examine individual changes

'{{Infobox scientist | honorific_prefix = | name = Brigitte Kieffer | honorific_suffix = | native_name = | native_name_lang = | image = [[File:Dr. Kieffer during an interview.png|thumb|'''Dr. Kieffer during an interview''']] | image_size = | alt = | caption = | birth_date = <{{birth date |1958|02|26}}> | birth_place = | death_date = | death_place = | death_cause = | resting_place = | resting_place_coordinates = <!--{{coord|LAT|LONG|type:landmark|display=inline,title}}--> | other_names = | residence = | citizenship = France | nationality = French | fields = Molecular Psychiatry, Addiction, Mood Disorders, Pain, and Developmental disorders | workplaces = | patrons = | education = | alma_mater = [[University of Strasbourg]] | thesis_title = <!--(or | thesis1_title = and | thesis2_title = )--> | thesis_url = <!--(or | thesis1_url = and | thesis2_url = )--> | thesis_year = <!--(or | thesis1_year = and | thesis2_year = )--> | doctoral_advisor = <!--(or | doctoral_advisors = )--> | academic_advisors = | doctoral_students = | notable_students = | known_for = Discovery of delta-opioid receptor linked to pain and addiction | influences = | influenced = | awards = | author_abbrev_bot = | author_abbrev_zoo = | spouse = <!--(or | spouses = )--> | partner = <!--(or | partners = )--> | children = | signature = <!--(filename only)--> | signature_alt = | website = <!--{{URL|www.example.com}}--> | footnotes = }} Dr. '''Brigitte Kieffer''' (born February 26th, 1958) is a [[French people|French]] molecular neurobiologist known for her research of opiate receptors. Her areas of expertise include: molecular psychiatry, addiction, mood disorders, pain, and developmental disorders. Dr. Kieffer has international reputation in the field of opiate receptors, and has paved the way for better understanding of brain mechanisms involved in pain, mental illness, and drug addiction.<ref name="Source1">"Brigitte Kieffer PhD." Douglas Mental Health University Institute. Centre Intégré Universitaire De Santé Et De Services Sociaux De L'Ouest-de-I'lle-de-Montréal Québec, 7 Feb. 2015. Web. </ref> She continues to pursue research and directs a team of over 300 people. Her discoveries have enabled us to comprehend how substances like morphine or heroine can kill pain, and foster addiction. <ref name="Source2">-"Cloning Opioid Receptors to Better Understand Our Brain." Cloning Opioid Receptors to Better Understand Our Brain. For Women in Science L'Oreal Foundation, n.d. Web. </ref> ==Life== Dr. Brigitte Kieffer graduated from the University of Strasbourg, in Strasbourg, France, where she later became a professor. She went on to become Research Director of the Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (INSERM) in France. Her main research was later developed at the Institut de génétique et de biologie moléculaire et cellulaire (IGBMC) in Strasbourg in 2001. She directed IGBMC from 2012 to 2013. In January 2014 she became the new Scientific Director of the Research Centre as well as Professor of Psychiatry and the Monique H. Bourgeois Chair in Pervasive Developmental Disorders at the faculty of medicine of McGill University. <ref name="Source1" /> ==Research== In 1992, Dr. Brigitte Kieffer succeeded in cloning and isolating the gene for an opioid receptor in the brain that plays a key role in alleviating pain. Her findings and continued research have laid the foundations for new treatments for pain, addiction, and depression. <ref>Kieffer, Brigitte L. et al.. “The Δ-opioid Receptor: Isolation of a Cdna by Expression Cloning and Pharmacological Characterization”. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 89.24 (1992): 12048–12052. Web</ref><ref name="Source3">- "Brigitte Kieffer Receives the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Award." Douglas Mental Health University Institute. Centre Intégré Universitaire De Santé Et De Services Sociaux De L'Ouest-de-I'lle-de-Montréal Québec, 2 May 2014. Web. </ref> The gene she isolated encoded for an opioid receptor that can reduce pain, generate pleasure, and help cope with stress. The receptors can be activated by drugs, which can cause addictions. Better knowledge of the way that these receptors function can help scientists understand addictions, mood disorders, and mental illness. Her research discoveries have led to development of new analgesic medicines and new treatments for addiction. Opioid system disorders are involved in emotional problems such as anxiety and severe depression.<ref name="Source2" /> ==Awards== *Brigitte Kiefer PhD - Scientific Director, Douglas Institute Professor, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University Chair, Monique H. Bourgeois in Pervasive Developmental Disorders. Between 2001 and 2002 she received three major awards from the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the French Académie des sciences. She was also named a member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) and was made Chevalier (Knight) of the Legion of Honour by the President of the French Republic. In 2004 she won the Richard Lounsberry Prize from the Institut de France de l'Académie des Sciences. In 2012 Dr. Kieffer won the Lamonica Prize for Neurology from the French Académie des sciences.<ref name="Source4">- "Opioid Systems and Brain Function." IGBMC. Institut De Génétique Et De Biologie Moléculaire Et Cellulaire, n.d. Web. </ref> In December 2013, she was elected Membre of the French Académie des sciences. <ref name="Source1" /> On March 19th, 2014 she received the L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Award in Paris. The award is bestowed by the L'Oréal Foundation and UNESCO recognizes exceptional career paths and contributions of women scientists worldwide. Brigitte Kieffer was selected as the winner for Europe for her work completed at IGBMC in Strasbourg, France. <ref name="Source3" /> ==Quotes== *''- “I chose science because that’s where the excitement seemed to be.”''<ref name="Source2" /> *''- “Mental illnesses are biological illnesses. The brain is an organ, certainly a highly complex and fascinating one, but like every other organ in the human body, it can be treated.”''<ref name="Source2" /> *''- “Women can do at least as well as men in science, if not better. The only problem is that, until recently, no one’s ever told them so!”''<ref name="Source2" /> ==References== {{reflist}}'