The medal is considered the most prestigious German award for biochemists and molecular biologists, is awarded by the German Association of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and sponsored by Qiagen
American scientist Susan Lindquist was awarded the Otto Warburg Medal in Mosbach, Germany.
Seven recipients of the Otto Warburg Medal have subsequently received the Nobel Prize.
This year's prize was sponsored by Qiagen.
Lindquist is member of the Whitehead Institute, professor of biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
The award recognised her research into the field of protein folding, allowing a greater understanding of serious diseases like Parkinson's.
"I am very proud to receive the Otto Warburg Medal of the GBM.
I also appreciate Qiagen's commitment to furthering research in biochemistry and molecular biology by sponsoring this prize," said Lindquist.
Proteins are essential components of all organisms and participate in every process within cells.
Susan Lindquist has dedicated her research to these biomolecules, particularly to how they manage to build their shape - a process called protein folding.
One of her important findings is that a dysfunction in the folding of the molecules' three-dimensional structure can have profound influence on the development of human diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
Lindquist and colleagues have developed yeast strains that serve as living test tubes in which these disorders can be studied, revealing the role of protein folding.
For instance, she has succeeded in reproducing many of the biological consequences of Parkinson's in yeast cells and her team is screening for drugs to prevent and treat the disease.
Lindquist's wide-ranging investigations in protein folding also have included prions - the so-called small proteinaceous infectious particles.
Prions are proteins that can change into a self-perpetuating infective form.
They have become well-known in the last decades as the cause of the mad cow and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
Lindquist investigated how prions form and then trigger these diseases.
"Susan Lindquist's findings in the field of protein folding are groundbreaking," said Alfred Wittinghofer, president of the GBM.
"It is only because of her outstanding research that we understand today many human and animal diseases such as mad cow disease.
"If one day these severe diseases can be cured, Susan's research will have been a crucial contributing factor".
Birgit Jostes, senior global director corporate marketing and strategy at Qiagen, said: "It is an honor for us to be able to contribute to the success of internationally recognised scientists through the sponsorship of the Otto Warburg Medal.
"Through our innovative sampling and testing technologies, it is Qiagen's mission to contribute to the success of our customers as they pioneer discoveries such as Susan Lindquist's.
"Those findings serve as the basis for the development of effective therapies against most challenging diseases."
