16/06/2004

Professor Kyriakos C. Nicolaou, one of the most distinguished chemists in the world, received the Aristeio Bodossaki Prize 2004, by the Greek President of Democracy Mr Konstantinos Stefanopoulos, in a ceremony that took place on 10 June 2004, at the University of Athens.

The Aristeio Bodossaki Prize 2004 in the field of Chemistry, accompanied by the sum of 150.000 euro, was awarded to Prof. K. Nicolaou, scientist of Cypriotic origin, for his outstanding contribution to the synthesis of the most complex natural products, which are used against many diseases such as cancer, microbe infections and cardiovascular diseases.

The Aristeio Bodossaki was instituted in 2002 by the Bodossaki Foundation to give recognition to Greeks who have made a distinctive contribution and have earned international renown in science, technology and medicine. The Board of Trustees of the Bodossaki Foundation awards the Aristeio Bodossaki every two years, upon the proposal of the International Committee for the Aristeio. Most of the proposed scientists are renowned for their original and completed mainstream work, their excellent performance and significant achievements in universities and research institutes in Greece and abroad.

As mentioned in the Committee's proposal, Prof. K. Nicolaou has made a remarkable contribution to Organic Chemistry, a key determinant of scientific progress in the field. For the last ten years, "Science Watch" has placed him in the ten leading chemists of the world (ISI, 1993-2003). He is also widely known in the scientific community as the "enchanter of organic synthesis" thanks to the successful chemical synthesis of the most complex natural products, including many of high biological activity.

Prof. K. Nicolaou is a professor of Chemistry at the University of California in San Diego and Chairman of the Department of Chemistry at the Scripps Research Instiute in La Jolla, California and a member of the US National Academy of Sciences. His research activity includes 500 scientific publications, 64 patents and more than 27.200 references to his scientific work. Prof. K. Nikolaou has received many awards and honors. He is married and has four children.

Among his research interests are chemistry, biology and medicine of natural and designed molecules. His group's research activities include the total synthesis of Taxol TM- the most renowned anticancer medicine - as well as Epothilone, a new promising branch of anticancer medicine that is now in the phase of clinical testing.

The synthesis of Taxol TM constitutes, maybe, his most well-known and widely acknowledged scientific success. At the end of the 1980s and the early 1990s, many researchers were yearning for the synthesis of this combination. This remarkable molecule is the perfect symbol of all complex natural products and its total synthesis has been characterized as the most impressive creation of synthetic chemistry of recent times.

Prof. K. Nicolaou has also made a significant contribution to education, through the coordination of his research group (around 400 members in his career) and the publication of two books and several educational papers. The books "Classics in Total Synthesis I" and "Classics in Total Synthesis ΙΙ", apart from promoting the "strength" of science, constitute the most famous and necessary papers not only for students all over the world, but also for every scientist involved in synthetic chemistry.

A third book, entitled "Art and Science of Synthesis and Its Impact on Society", is currently being prepared, in cooperation with his colleague T. Montagnon, and is expected to be published soon.

To sum up, Prof. K. Nicolaou has a remarkable contribution to the art of synthesis, the molecular architecture and the science of total synthesis. His work has a direct impact on the discovery and invention of novel synthetic strategies and methods for sectors exploiting chemical synthesis, such as biotechnology, nanotechnology and high technology materials. The art of molecular synthesis, which is compared with the composition of music, is used in innumerable scientific, technological and industrial applications.

Source: Bodossaki Foundation