Check against delivery.
Your Royal Highness,
Prize winners,
Chairman of the board,
Dear guests.
Thank you for inviting me to be part of this celebration of two incredible scientists and their important work.
The brain is the organ in charge of who we are. It determines how we think, what we feel, our reactions and our movements.
The thought of a tumor growing in and altering the brain – attacking it aggressively and often fatally. The thought of that is terrifying. And the thought of it happening to children is almost unbearable.
It can be hard to find the right words to talk about something that is so dark that most us prefer to not even think about it.
Illuminating, brilliant light
Luckily, we can turn to the world of art to borrow words when the language of politics and science doesn’t quite feel compelling enough.
And that’s what I have done in preparation for tonight. I will quote the Canadian musician and poet, Leonard Cohen, who wrote:
"Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in."
Tonight’s prize winners have cracked open something very dark and incomprehensible. And now suddenly, light flows in. Illuminating, brilliant light.
A whole new research field has been established: Cancer neuroscience.
A new paradigm, a new way of understanding the human brain.
And all of this happened because two brainwaves tuned into the same problem at the same time. Independently and separated by The Atlantic Ocean a light switched on.
This is a giant leap for cancer research.
Because of the work of Michelle and Frank there is hope where there was previously none. Hope of developing a cure for something that has in most cases been incurable. Hope that in a few years we’ll have a whole new tool box for the treatment and understanding of glioma.
The core of science
This is the core of what science is. Talented and hardworking people dedicating themselves to a seemingly unsolvable problem.
Approaching it with curiosity and determination. Working together across borders to find answers. For the benefit of everyone.
No matter how dark or bleak a situation, science always offers some hope. The hope that someday someone somewhere will find a solution or a cure or a missing piece of knowledge.
This is why it is so important that we extend our continuous and unwavering support to academic freedom and for the scientific community as a whole.
We need to make sure that talented scientists have the opportunity to work freely on the hardest questions. So that they can find the cracks.
In Denmark we invest significantly in science and research. For this precise reason. To bring forth new knowledge. To make lives better, societies stronger and the world a better place.
I am deeply grateful for the strong private foundations that are a vital part of the Danish science and research system.
Thank you, Lundbeck Foundation, for your dedicated effort and generous support to science. And also, for putting Denmark on the map as a neuroscience nation.
Michelle and Frank, congratulations on the prize.
You have made a true scientific discovery. You should take your time to enjoy that. To rest on your laurels. Just for a bit. You have certainly earned it.
And then the hard work begins. How does this new paradigm change our understanding of the human brain? How do we put it to use?
How do we turn it into new treatments and maybe even a cure for thousands and thousands of glioma patients around the world?
Those are the questions for tomorrow. But tonight, we celebrate.
Thank you for dedicating yourselves to the brain.
Thank you for letting the light in.