Three outstanding researchers in industry have received the KGF-SCS Industrial Science Awards 2015 by the Contact Group for Research Matters (KGF) and the Swiss Chemical Society (SCS).
The awards honor successful investigators with outstanding achievements and were featured with award lectures at the SCS Fall Meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland, on September 4, 2015.
KGF-SCS Distinguished Industrial Science Award 2015
Dr. Jürg Zimmermann, Novartis Pharma AG, Basel, Switzerland, received the Distinguished Industrial Science Award for the discovery of protein kinase inhibitors, which had an important impact on the research and therapy of cancer and other diseases. The discovery and development of Imatinib (Gleevec) has revolutionized the therapy of certain forms of leukemia, and also influenced research projects in both industry and academia.
Jürg Zimmermann received his Ph.D from ETH Zurich, Switzerland, under the supervision of Dieter Seebach in 1988. After postdoctoral research in Australia and Canada, he joined Ciba-Geigy, Basel, Switzerland, as Medicinal Chemist in 1990. In 1998, Zimmermann became Head of Combinatorial Chemistry, CTA, at Novartis. Since 2011, he is Global Head of Oncology, Infectious Disease, and Exploratory Chemistry there.
KGF-SCS Senior Industrial Science Award 2015
This year’s Senior Industrial Science Award went to Dr. Michelangelo Scalone, F. Hoffmann La Roche, Basel, Switzerland, for his outstanding contributions to the design of new, short, and cost-efficient syntheses for many development projects by applying asymmetric catalytic reactions, and for his longtime success and expertise in leading the Center of Excellence Catalysis at Roche.
Michelangelo Scalone received his Ph.D. in organometallic chemistry from ETH Zurich, Switzerland, under the supervision of Piero Pino in 1983. In 1984, he started as Scientist in the Catalysis and Process Research Group at F. Hoffmann-La Roche. Today, he works at Roche as Distinguished Scientist and Head of the Center of Excellence Metal Catalysis within the Process Research and Development Department.
KGF-SCS Industrial Science Award 2015
Dr. Dietmar Hüglin, BASF Schweiz AG, Basel, Switzerland, received the Industrial Science Award for his contribution to developing new ingredients for consumer product markets and specifically for the discovery, research, and development of cosmetic UV absorbers combining chemistry with nano-technology. These innovations are setting standards in high performance photo-protection of human skin.
Dietmar Hüglin received his Ph.D. from the University of Freiburg, Germany, in the group of H. Zimmermann in 1989. He worked as a Research Chemist at Ciba-Geigy, Basel, Switzerland, and at OCG, Providence, Rhode Island, USA, before joining BASF AG in 2009 as Global Head of Research Stabilizers within BASF’s Specialty Chemicals Research Division. Since 2014, Hüglin heads BASF’s Research Center in Basel.
Selected Publications by Jürg Zimmermann
- A facile synthesis of novel 2-amino-6-arylmethyl-7-carboxamido-7,8-dihydropyrimido[5,4-f][1,4]thiazepin-5-ones,
Lan-Ying Qin, Andrew G. Cole, Axel Metzger, Marc-Raleigh Brescia, Kurt W. Saionz, Joan J. Zhang, Pascal Rigollier, James R. Wareing, Hubert Gstach, Juerg Zimmermann, Roland E. Dolle, John J. Baldwin, Ian Henderson,
Tetrahedron Lett. 2010, 51, 4486–4489.
DOI: 10.1016/j.tetlet.2010.06.070 - Combined solution-phase and solid-phase synthesis of 2-amino-7,8-dihydropteridin-6(5H)-ones,
Axel Metzger, Lan-Ying Qin, Andrew G. Cole, Kurt W. Saionz, Marc-Raleigh Brescia, Hubert Gstach, James R. Wareing, Juerg Zimmermann, Wolfgang K-D. Brill, John J. Baldwin, Roland E. Dolle, Ian Henderson,
Tetrahedron Lett. 2009, 50, 7082–7085.
DOI: 10.1016/j.tetlet.2009.10.005 - Interview with Jürg Zimmermann, Global Head of Oncology & Exploratory Chemistry at Novartis,
Jürg Zimmermann,
Future Med. Chem. 2009, 1, 1395–1398.
DOI: 10.4155/fmc.09.115
Selected Publications by Michelangelo Scalone
- Efficient Synthesis of Differentiated syn-1,2-Diol Derivatives by Asymmetric Transfer Hydrogenation-Dynamic Kinetic Resolution of α-Alkoxy-Substituted β-Ketoesters,
Laure Monnereau, Damien Cartigny, Michelangelo Scalone, Tahar Ayad, Virginie Ratovelomanana-Vidal,
Chem. Eur. J. 2015, 21, 11799–11806.
DOI: 10.1002/chem.201501884 - Practical Asymmetric Hydrogenation-Based Synthesis of a Class-Selective Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor,
Junli Chen, Tianqi Chen, Qiupeng Hu, Kurt Püntener, Yi Ren, Jin She, Zhengming Du, Michelangelo Scalone,
Org. Process Res. Dev. 2014, 18, 1702–1713.
DOI: 10.1021/op500250b - Glucokinase Activator: Practical Asymmetric Hydrogenation and Scalable Synthesis of an API Fragment,
Stephan Bachmann, Alec Fettes, Christian Lautz, Michelangelo Scalone,
Org. Process Res. Dev. 2013, 17, 1451–1457.
DOI: 10.1021/op4002164
Selected Publications by Dietmar Hüglin
- New Sunscreen Actives,
Bernd Herzog, Dietmar Hueglin, and Uli Osterwalder,
Sunscreens 2005, 291–320.
ISBN: 978-0-8493-9859-9 - New UV Absorbers for Cosmetic Sunscreens – A Breakthrough for the Photoprotection of Human Skin,
Bernd Herzog, Dietmar Hüglin, Elek Borsos, Albert Stehlin, Helmut Luther,
Chimia 2004, 58, 554–559.
DOI: 10.2533/000942904777677632 - Direct evidence for bioconversion of vitamin E acetate into vitamin E: An ex vivo study in viable human skin,
W. Baschong, C. Artmann, D. Hueglin, J. Roeding,
J. Soc. Cosmet. Chem. 2001, 52, 155–161.
Also of Interest
- Swiss Chemical and Pharmaceutical Industry Awards,
ChemViews Mag. 2013.
The inaugural KGF-SCS Industrial Investigator Awards were presented at the Swiss Chemical Society Gala dinner in Lausanne
