How the Albert Lasker Winners Identified Orexin and Elucidated the Peptide's Role in Narcolepsy.

Emmanuel Mignot and Masashi Yanagisawa identified orexin as a neuropeptide linked to narcolepsy, advancing understanding of the disorder's biological basis.

• Why it matters: Understanding the molecular mechanisms of narcolepsy is crucial for developing targeted treatments, as current options are limited and do not address underlying causes.
• What they did: The award-winning researchers discovered orexin and elucidated its role in narcolepsy through their pioneering work in neuropeptide research.
• The result: Their findings enable future research into therapeutic strategies that could modulate orexin pathways to treat narcolepsy more effectively.