First prize in DSM Awards for Chemistry and Technology 2006 presented to German researcher in the field of chemical biology

30-May-2006

German researcher Marcus Koch won the first prize in the DSM Awards for chemistry and Technology 2006. An international jury selected Dr. Marcus Koch, who earned his doctorate from the University of Dortmund, for his research in the fields of chemical biology and chemical genomics, the science in which chemistry is used for probing biological systems. Marcus Koch has succeeded in combining the advantages of two concepts - protein structure Similarity Clustering (PSSC) and Structural Classification of Natural Products (SCONP) - to develop a material- and time-efficient tool leading to more focused and biologically prevalidated compound collections. These can for example be used for elucidating the function of proteins and thus contribute to drug discovery. The research adds a new dimension to pharmaceutical R&D. As the winner of the first prize Marcus Koch will receive a cash prize of EUR 7,500.

The DSM Awards for Chemistry and Technology were presented for the twenty-first time this year. Until 2001, the contest was open only to doctoral students from research institutes in the Netherlands and Flemish-speaking Belgium. The catchment area was extended to Belgium's French-speaking region in 2002, and since 2003, the contest has also been open to researchers from the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Over the years the awards have gained a high reputation in academic circles and the contest is a major event on the international calendar.

DSM has now decided to expand the geographic scope of the awards. In 2007, a parallel contest with an identical awards scheme will be introduced for young scientists from universities in Switzerland, Austria, Eastern France and Southern Germany. This parallel contest will link up with DSM Nutritional Products, one of the newest members of the DSM family. DSM Nutritional Products is based in the Basel area of Switzerland and has extensive contacts with the academic world in and around its home base.

Also in 2007, the name of the awards will change to "DSM Innovation - Science & Technology Awards", reflecting both DSM's commitment to innovation and the increasingly wider range of scientific disciplines covered by the awards.

https://www.chemeurope.com/en/news/55108/first-prize-in-dsm-awards-for-chemistry-and-technology-2006-presented-to-german-researcher-in-the-field-of-chemical-biology.html