K. C. Nicolaou And Stuart L. Schreiber Share 2016 Wolf Prize

A master of making complex molecules and a chemical biology pioneer will share the 2016 Wolf Prize in Chemistry. K. C. Nicolaou and Stuart L. Schreiber will split the $100,000 prize, given by the Israel-based Wolf Foundation. The Wolf prizes honor achievements in agriculture, chemistry, mathematics, medicine, physics, and the arts; this year’s winners were announced on Jan. 13.

Nicolaou, a chemistry professor at Rice University, is being honored “for advancing the field of chemical synthesis to the extremes of molecular complexity, linking structure and function, and expanding our dominion over the interface of chemistry, biology, and medicine.” Nicolaou’s group has tackled the total synthesis of myriad complex natural products, including the anticancer drug paclitaxel, the immunosuppressant rapamycin, and the antibiotic vancomycin.

“I am deeply moved and grateful to the Wolf Foundation for this special honor and wish to share the joy that it brings with my many students and colleagues around the world and thank them for their support and dedication to the field of organic synthesis,” Nicolaou says. He tells C&EN that he received the call from the Wolf Foundation just moments after his assistant had stepped out of the office to buy Powerball lottery tickets for his lab. He received the news, he says, “with more joy than any winning lottery ticket could ever bring.”

Schreiber, a chemistry professor at Harvard University and the Broad Institute, was recognized “for pioneering chemical insights into the logic of signal transduction and gene regulation that led to important new therapeutics, and for advancing chemical biology and medicine through the discovery of small-molecule probes.” Discoveries in the Schreiber lab revealed key proteins and cellular mechanisms and paved the way to several therapeutics, including the cancer drugs temsirolimus and vorinostat.

“My mentors and colleagues have provided guidance throughout my career to help me navigate life as a scientist. And the trainees who joined my lab have been fearless, dedicated, and determined to make a difference. They make it a joy to come to lab every day,” Schreiber says. “I am extremely grateful for this group, and deeply honored to share this recognition with my friend, K.C. Nicolaou.”

Nicolaou and Schreiber will be honored at a ceremony at the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, in June.