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Bioconjugate Chemistry Lectureship Award

The Bioconjugate Chemistry Lectureship Award recognizes an outstanding researcher who has made a major impact working at the interface between the biological and human-made worlds.

2023 Award Winner

Dr. Jean-Christophe Leroux
ETH Zurich

This year’s recipient is Dr. Jean-Christophe Leroux, full Professor in Drug Formulation and Delivery and head of the Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences at ETH Zurich.

“Professor Leroux is an innovative leader in the field of drug delivery, where his research group has made numerous advancements in clinical translation in this space,” says Theresa Reineke, Editor-in-Chief of Bioconjugate Chemistry. “We are very excited he has been selected as the 2023 Bioconjugate Chemistry Lectureship Awardee.”

Dr. Leroux was born in Montreal (Canada) in 1969. He received his B.Pharm. from the University of Montreal, followed by a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences (1995) from the University of Geneva (Switzerland). From 1996 to 1997 he completed a postdoctoral training at the University of California, San Francisco and then joined the University of Montreal as an assistant professor. He was promoted to the ranks of associate professor in 2002 and full professor in 2007. In 2001, he was awarded the Canada Research Chair in Drug Delivery. Prof. Leroux joined the Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences at ETHZ as ordinary professor at the end of 2008.

 His research interests include the design of novel biopolymers, stimuli-​responsive drug delivery systems (liposomes, micelles and gels) and the targeting of anticancer drugs. Recently he has been involved in the development of polymer therapeutics for Celiac disease. He is the author or coauthor of numerous refereed articles, book chapters and patents/patent applications in the field of drug delivery. He serves in the editorial board of several journals including the Journal of Controlled Release and Molecular Pharmaceutics. He has received several prestigious distinctions and fellowships including the CRS-​Capsugel (1997 and 2003), AFPC-​Astra Zeneca (2003) and CRS young investigator awards (2004) and the Steacie Fellowships (2008) for innovative research in pharmaceutical technology.

The award will be presented at ACS Fall 2023 in San Francisco, from August 13-17. Leroux will be presenting a lecture as part of the Bioconjugate Chemistry Lectureship Symposium at the meeting, along with other prominent researchers in the field.

For additional information, read the ACS Axial interview with Dr. Leroux.

Sponsored By

Bioconjugate Chemistry, an ACS Journal

Award Details

This award consists of a $3000 prize, a plaque, registration and $1500 maximum travel allowance to attend the Fall ACS National Meeting for the award presentation and to give a lecture at the “Bioconjugate Chemistry Lectureship and Award Symposium.”  The winner is also expected to submit a review or topical review to Bioconjugate Chemistry, which will be subjected to peer review.

History

This award was established by Bioconjugate Chemistry in 2016 and managed by the ACS Division of Colloid and Surface Chemistry until 2018.

Nominations

Nomination packages should follow package submission guidelines detailed below.

The selection will be made by a five-member committee consisting of three individuals selected by the Editor-in-Chief of Bioconjugate Chemistry and two selected by the Chair of the PMSE Division.

Past Recipients

Award and Nomination Summary

Purpose

Bioconjugate Chemistry and the ACS Division of Polymeric Materials: Science and Engineering present the Bioconjugate Chemistry Lectureship Award, which recognizes the contributions of an individual who has made a major impact working at the interface between the synthetic and biological worlds.

Rules of Eligibility

Nominees should be established researchers with documented impact to chemistry, polymers, or engineering at the synthetic and biological interface.

Nominations Process

Nominations are to be submitted to Vincent M. Rotello through a web form that will be advertised on the homepage. The application deadline is near the end of February of each calendar year, but the specific date will be defined annually by the current nomination chair.

The nomination should be submitted as a single pdf file consisting of the following items: (1) a nomination letter that succinctly describes the impact of the individual’s research accomplishments, (2) a second letter from another individual who is familiar with the nominees works, (3) a five-page CV that should include: education, appointments, honors & awards, and a list of up to 25 relevant publications and (4) a tentative lecture title and abstract (300 words or less).

Award Selection

The selection will be made by a five-member committee consisting of three individuals selected by the Editor-in-Chief of Bioconjugate Chemistry and two selected by the Chair of the PMSE Division.

Award Announcement and Nature

Awardees are selected and announced in April of the calendar year. An interview is generally conducted with ACS Axial and released as part of the announcement package.

This award consists of a $3000 prize, a plaque, registration costs, and $1500 maximum travel allowance to attend the Fall ACS National Meeting for the award presentation and to give a lecture at the “Bioconjugate Chemistry Lectureship and Award Symposium.”  The winner is also expected to submit a review or topical review to Bioconjugate Chemistry, which will be subjected to peer review.

The winner is also expected to submit a review or topical review to Bioconjugate Chemistry, which will be subjected to peer review. Awards are given during ACS National Meetings at the PMSE and POLY evening reception.

About Our Sponsor

Bioconjugate Chemistry in an ACS Transformative Journal that started publication in 1990, publishing original contributions on all research at the interface between man-made and biological materials. The mission of the journal is to communicate to advances in fields including therapeutic delivery, imaging, bionanotechnology, and synthetic biology. Bioconjugate Chemistry is intended to provide a forum for presentation of research relevant to all aspects of bioconjugates, including the preparation, properties and applications of biomolecular conjugates.


Full List of Award Winners

2020 – Present

2022 Neal K. Devaraj, University of California, San Diego
Interview at ACS Axial

2021 Chunying Chen, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology (NCNST) of China
Interview at ACS Axial

2020 Jason Lewis, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

2016 – 2019

2019 Heather Maynard, University of California, Los Angeles

2018 Wolfgang J. Parak, University of Hamburg

2017 Matthew Francis, University of California, Berkeley

2016 Xiaoyuan (Shawn) Chen, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, NIH
Topical review: Amphiphilic-Polymer-Guided Plasmonic Assemblies and Their Biomedical Applications