NEWS

Geert-Jan Boons

Lamar Dodd Award 2015

Geert-Jan BoonsGeert-Jan Boons, Distinguished Professor in biochemical sciences, is a world leader in glycoscience and synthetic chemistry. His discoveries have provided new insights into a variety of infectious and immunological processes, and many of the compounds developed in his laboratory are entering clinical evaluation. Boons is particularly well known for co-developing a vaccine that trains the immune system to recognize and attack tumors. In a mouse model that mimics human breast and pancreatic cancer—including those resistant to common treatments—this vaccine shrunk tumor size by an average of 80 percent. He is also widely recognized for developing one of the first methods to synthesize asymmetrical N-glycans, complex structures that are essential for normal cell function. This discovery will allow the scientific community to develop a better understanding of how complex carbohydrates function and how to fight against the diseases some of them cause.

Previous Award

Inventor’s Award 2012