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Dr. Iwan de Esch (VU Medicinal Chemistry) wins Galenus Researchprize for Biocomputational Molecular Design & Chemical Synthesis

Dr. Iwan de Esch, Associate Professor in the Medicinal Chemistry group at VU University Amsterdam has received the prestigious Galenus Research Prize. The prize (5.500 Euros and a golden medal) was awarded on Monday June 27th in the presence of minister Schippers.

The jury commends Dr. De Esch’s work in the area of Biocomputational Molecular Design & Chemical Synthesis, his research skills, involvement in education, and his ability to valorize scientific knowledge. The jury was particularly impressed by the development and application of computer-aided molecular design methods by Dr. De Esch for the design and synthesis of new small bioactive molecules (fragment-based drug design). This research line has already resulted in more than 70 scientific publications and has earned almost 5 milion Euros external financial funding by, amongst others, EU, TI Pharma, and STW programs. Also the efforts of Dr. Iwan de Esch in academic education received appraisal, including his involvement in the development of the VU program (bachelor and master) Science, Business & Innovation  (SBI). Finally, his successful valorisation of academic research was noticed: using his scientific expertise, Dr. De Esch has founded two “spin-offs”, IOTA Pharmaceuticals (2007) and Griffin Discoveries (2008).