Five pioneers of the modern cochlear implant awarded 2026 Merkin Prize in Biomedical Technology
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By Corie Lok
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Summary
Five scientists and engineers — Graeme Clark, Erwin Hochmair, Ingeborg Hochmair, Michael Merzenich, and Blake Wilson — have been awarded the 2026 Richard N. Merkin Prize in Biomedical Technology for developing the modern cochlear implant, the first medical device to interface directly with the nervous system to provide a sense of hearing. The $400,000 prize, administered by the Broad Institute, recognizes a technology used by over one million deaf or nearly deaf people worldwide to access sound and spoken language by converting sounds into electrical signals delivered to the auditory nerve.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledFive scientists and engineers — Graeme Clark, Erwin Hochmair, Ingeborg Hochmair, Michael Merzenich, and Blake Wilson — have been jointly awarded the 2026 Richard N. Merkin Prize in Biomedical Technology for developing the modern cochlear implant
The technology converts sounds into electrical signals delivered directly to the auditory nerve.
More than a million deaf or nearly deaf people worldwide use cochlear implants to access sound and spoken language.
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