French researcher Emmanuel Mignot wins prestigious Lasker Award for breakthrough narcolepsy research
French psychiatrist and pharmacologist Emmanuel Mignot has been awarded the 2025 Lasker Award for his groundbreaking research into narcolepsy, a chronic sleep disorder that affects approximately one in 2,000 people worldwide. The 66-year-old scientist, who has been based at Stanford University in California since the late 1980s, shares the prestigious honor with Japanese researcher Masashi Yanagisawa of the University of Tsukuba.
The recognition marks another milestone for Mignot, who serves as the Craig Reynolds Professor in Sleep Medicine and director of the Center for Narcolepsy at Stanford Medicine. He and Yanagisawa previously received the Breakthrough Prize in 2023 for the same body of work. The Lasker Award, established in 1945 by Albert and Mary Lasker to spotlight fundamental biological discoveries and clinical advances, carries a $250,000 stipend divided between the two recipients. Often referred to as "America's Nobels," the award has proven a strong predictor of future Nobel recognition, with 86 Lasker laureates going on to receive the Nobel Prize, including 32 in the past two decades.
A Scientific Detective Story
Mignot's path to this discovery began with an unusual research subject: a line of narcoleptic dogs, including his current chihuahua Watson, named after Sherlock Holmes. Through studying these animals, Mignot's team identified the biological mechanism underlying narcolepsy, a disorder that causes excessive daytime sleepiness, sudden muscle weakness triggered by emotions, and disrupted nighttime sleep patterns.
In 1999, Mignot published his findings in the journal Cell, demonstrating that narcolepsy results from disruption of the orexin system in the brain. Yanagisawa reached the same conclusion around the same time through parallel work in mice. The peptides at the center of their discovery, known as both hypocretin and orexin, had only been identified in 1998 by two independent research groups who gave them different names.
The evidence was compelling. When Mignot's team analyzed cerebrospinal fluid samples, they found orexin easily measurable in all healthy controls but undetectable in seven out of nine patients with narcolepsy. This striking correlation provided definitive proof of the peptide's critical role in the disorder.
From Laboratory to Treatment
The practical impact of this research has been transformative. In 2026, a drug targeting orexin deficiency in type 1 narcolepsy patients received approval in the United States, China, and Japan. Unlike previous treatments that only managed symptoms, this medication addresses the underlying biological cause of the condition.
The breakthrough comes at a crucial time. Narcolepsy affects an estimated 200,000 Americans and approximately three million people worldwide. Yet the disorder remains significantly underdiagnosed, with about 50 percent of cases going undetected. Patients who do receive a diagnosis often face a lengthy journey, with an average delay of seven to ten years between symptom onset and proper identification of their condition.
When asked for a photograph to accompany this story, Mignot's response reflected both his scientific dedication and personal warmth. He immediately pulled out his phone, scrolling through images dominated by his narcoleptic dog Watson. "You could show him instead!" he suggested with characteristic humor, acknowledging the canine companions who helped unlock one of sleep medicine's most important mysteries.
The research represents a fundamental shift in understanding and treating narcolepsy, transforming it from a poorly understood condition into one with a clear biological basis and targeted therapeutic options. For the three million people worldwide living with this debilitating disorder, Mignot and Yanagisawa's work offers not just scientific insight but tangible hope for better management and quality of life.
