The "EFMC-WuXi AppTec Award for Excellence in Chemical Biology"

The "EFMC-WuXi AppTec Award for Excellence in Chemical Biology" will recognise outstanding research in the field of chemical biology as defined by EFMC in The Chemical Biology-Medicinal Chemistry Continuum: EFMC’s Vision1ChemBioChem 2021, 22, 2823-2825 link (free access). The Award is given biennially and consists of a diploma, € 7.500 and an invitation to present a lecture at an EFMC-ISCB symposium.

The award shall be open to any scientist whose career does not exceed 20 years after PhD on January 1st of the year during which the award is to be presented, and whose accomplishment has not yet been honoured by other EFMC awards.

The 2023 EFMC-WuXi AppTec Award for Excellence in Chemical Biology has been awarded to: 

  • Prof. Gonçalo Bernardes (University of Cambridge, UK & IMM Lisboa, Portugal)

For his ground-breaking contributions to the field of chemical biology and cancer biology with meCLICK-Seq, a substrate-hijacking and RNA degradation strategy for the study of RNA methylation, and small molecules that are efficacious in vivo using platinum activators. His innovative research pursues key questions in chemistry and molecular medicine by using innovative strategies that bridge disciplines and inspire the programmes of other researchers.

About Gonçalo Bernardes:

Gonçalo Bernardes is a Professor of Chemical Biology at the Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, UK and Fellow of Trinity Hall College, Cambridge, UK.

After completing his D.Phil. in 2008 at the University of Oxford, U.K., he undertook postdoctoral work at the Max-Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Germany, and the ETH Zürich, Switzerland, and worked as a Group Leader at Alfama Lda in Portugal. He started his independent research career in 2013 at the University of Cambridge as a Royal Society University Research Fellow. In 2018 he was appointed University Lecturer (Tenured), and he has been promoted to Reader (Associate Professor) in 2019 and to Full Professor in 2022.


1For a more complete definition of medicinal chemistry and chemical biology as understood by EFMC, please see Duca M, Gillingham D, Adam Olsen C, Sbardella G, van der Stelt M, Vasquez O, Vauzeilles B, Auberson YP. The Chemical Biology-Medicinal Chemistry Continuum: EFMC’s Vision. ChemBioChem 202122, 2823– 2825. link

Award Sponsor

This Award has been established with the support of WuXi AppTec.