Prestigious award for Cardiff scientists' schizophrenia research

  • Wales
Professor Mike Owen and Professor Michael O'Donovan have worked together for 20 years Credit: ITV News Wales

Two Cardiff University scientists are travelling to America to pick up a major international prize for their research into schizophrenia.

Professor Mike Owen and Professor Michael O'Donovan, from Cardiff University's MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics in the School of Medicine, have spent 20 years looking at the causes, prevention and treatment of the disorder.

The pair have discovered specific genetic variations that predispose people to schizophrenia. As a result of their work, the way psychiatric disorders are classified may be revised.

Tonight, they will pick up the distinguished Lieber Prize for Schizophrenia Research in New York. The $50,000 cash prize rewards past achievement and provides further incentive for scientists to continue to research.