Erik De Clercq

Last updated
Erik De Clercq
Born1941
Nationality Belgium
Alma mater Catholic University of Leuven
Awards European Inventor Award
Scientific career
Fields Virology
Institutions Rega Institute for Medical Research

Erik De Clercq M.D. Ph.D., (1941) is a Belgian physician and biologist. He studied medicine at the Catholic University of Leuven (Leuven, Belgium). He did research and later became a professor at the Department of Medicine, where he specialised in microbiology and immunology. He worked at the Rega Institute for Medical Research. He is one of the founders and the second president of the International Society for Antiviral Research. [1] :6–7 [2] [3] :3,23

Since 1976 Erik De Clercq has collaborated on the development of new antiretroviral drugs with Antonín Holý, of the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry (IOCB Prague) of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences in Prague, Czech Republic. Together they discovered amongst others Tenofovir.

In 2008 he received the European Inventor Award Lifetime Achievement for landmark contributions to antiviral treatment, including the development of the drug cocktail for AIDS. [4]

In 2010 De Clercq was awarded the 2010 Dr. Paul Janssen Award for Biomedical Research. He was recognized for his landmark discoveries in anti-HIV medications, including nucleotide analogues, and inventions or co-inventions of several approved drugs for anti-viral therapy.

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Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry

Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences is a research institute under the Czech Academy of Sciences (CAS). The institute centers around research in the fields of organic chemistry, biochemistry and neighboring disciplines, mostly oriented at applications in medicine and environment. It is known for its contribution in the development of key drugs against HIV and HBV. The institute also takes part in university education, supervising master's and doctoral theses.

References

  1. The International Society for Antiviral Research: The First Decade 1987-1997 (PDF). International Society for Antiviral Research. 1998.
  2. Colacino, Joseph M. (April 2013). "Professor De Clercq and 25 Years of International Collaboration on Antiviral Research". Antiviral Chemistry and Chemotherapy. 23 (2): 57–58. doi:10.3851/IMP2395 . Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  3. Vere Hodge, R. Anthony (2019). The International Society for Antiviral Research: The Third Decade 2008-2017 (PDF). International Society for Antiviral Research.
  4. European Inventor of the Year 2008 in the category "lifetime achievement"