University of Leipzig: Annette Beck-Sickinger honored for significant research achievements

Annette G. Beck-Sickinger, Professor of Biochemistry and Bioorganic Chemistry at the University of Leipzig, receives the Richard Willstätter Prize for Chemical Biology 2023. The prize honors research achievements that make a decisive contribution to a deeper understanding of chemical-biological relationships.

The prize, jointly donated by four scientific societies - DECHEMA, DPhG, GBM and GDCh - is awarded by the joint chemical biology group. The prize money is 6.000 euros. The award ceremony took place at the Advances in Chemical Biology conference on January 24, 2023.

Prof. Dr. Annette G. Beck-Sickinger advanced important areas of chemical biology, particularly through her research on peptide-protein interactions, according to the Statement of the jury. Her research topics ranged from investigations into the interactions of peptide and protein ligands with G protein-coupled receptors, their modulation and elucidation of the mechanisms of action, to the development of therapeutic peptides and proteins for the treatment of metabolic diseases, in tumor therapy and in pain research. In addition, she investigates the chemical modification of proteins for the molecular characterization of their function, for the selective immobilization of proteins on surfaces and for the development of novel biomaterials through functional coatings. The award winner is also characterized by her extraordinary commitment to sustainably promoting the discipline of chemical biology in scientific discourse, in teaching and in society.

Beck-Sickinger has been a professor of bioorganic chemistry and biochemistry at the University of Leipzig since 1997. Since 2020 she has been spokesperson for the SFB1423 "Structural dynamics of GPCR activation and signaling". She has received various awards, including the Leonidas Zervas Award from the European Peptide Society (2020), the Gold Medal from the Max Bergmann Circle and the Albrecht Kossel Prize from the German Chemical Society (2018). In 2017 she received the Saxon Order of Merit.

Source: Press release University of Leipzig from April 25.01.2023th, XNUMX