Former Academia Sinica President Wong Chi-huey is winner of the 2021 Robert A. Welch Award in Chemistry for his achievements in advancing scientific research, according to the U.S.-based Welch Foundation Sept .8.
Wong, currently the Scripps Family Chair Professor in the Department of Chemistry at Scripps Research in California, was recognized for his development of new methods to synthesize complex carbohydrates and glycoproteins and elucidate carbohydrate-mediated biological recognition linked to disease progression.
According to the foundation, his breakthroughs in the fields of synthetic chemistry and chemical biology were key to creating a vaccine that targets carbohydrates uniquely found on the surface of cancer cells.
Carin Barth, chair and director of the foundation’s board of directors, additionally lauded his revolutionary advances, stating that his methodologies will be instrumental to the development of new drugs and vaccines for many years.
Wong will receive US$500,000 and a gold medallion upon his acceptance of the award, which was created to encourage basic chemical research while recognizing the value such contributions hold for humankind, according to the foundation.
Since 1954, the Welch Foundation has contributed more than US$1.1 billion to the development of chemistry through grants, endowed professorships and support for other chemistry-related programs in Texas. (YCH-E)
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