Taiwanese researcher Wong receives U.S. national chemistry award

Taipei, Sept. 7 (CNA) Wong Chi-huey (翁啟惠), honorary president of the Institute for Biotechnology and Medicine Industry (IBMI), has been selected to receive the 2027 American Chemical Society (ACS) Alfred Bader Award in Bioinorganic or Bioorganic Chemistry, the institute announced Monday.

Wong, who is also a professor at Scripps Research in California and a distinguished research fellow at Academia Sinica's Genomics Research Center, was recognized for his "outstanding contributions to carbohydrate chemistry" and "pioneering research into the roles carbohydrates play in human health and disease," according to an IBMI statement.

Wong's research team at Scripps Research uses bioorganic and synthetic chemistry to investigate the diverse biological functions of carbohydrates, including glycans, the IBMI said.

The team focuses on understanding how glycosylation affects protein structure and function and how these mechanisms influence the human body, including in cancer, bacterial and viral infections, neurodegenerative disorders and immune responses, the statement said.

The team's research has contributed to the development of next-generation approaches with broad implications for biomedical research and drug discovery worldwide, according to the IBMI.

The institute said the award represents another major international recognition of Wong's longstanding contributions to chemistry and biomedical science.

It noted that he has also received the Kirkwood Medal from Yale University's Department of Chemistry, the Wolf Prize in Chemistry, the Tetrahedron Prize for Creativity in Organic Chemistry, the Arthur C. Cope Award from the ACS, the Chemical Pioneer Award from the American Institute of Chemists, the Robert Robinson Award from the Royal Society of Chemistry and the Robert A. Welch Award in Chemistry.

The Alfred Bader Award was established in 1986 and is one of the ACS National Awards. It recognizes exceptional achievements in research and supports continued advancement in the field, the statement said.

The award carries a cash prize of US$5,000. Wong has been invited to the award ceremony and banquet, scheduled for March 2027 in New Orleans, according to the statement.