IRR Chemistry Hub scientist wins prestigious Royal Society of Chemistry Prize

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Professor Marc Vendrell has been named winner of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s 2023 Bader Prize.

Based at the University of Edinburgh's IRR Chemistry Hub, Professor Vendrell has won the Bader Prize for the design and synthesis of activatable fluorophores, and their application in high-resolution biological imaging and translational medicine.  The Bader Prize recognises eminence in organic chemistry.

Professor Vendrell also receives £3,000 and a medal.  

After receiving the prize, Professor Vendrell said: “It is an honour to be awarded with the Bader Prize this year. This is a recognition of all the efforts from our team and all our collaborators that are working together every day to build stronger bridges between chemistry and medicine.”  

Professor Vendrell’s work focuses on the preparation of new chemical compounds to help us visualise and understand how cells behave inside our bodies. In the lab, they make very specific fluorescent compounds that can bind to cells associated with disease, such as tumour cells or pathogens. They can then see where they are, how many of them there are, and how they are responding to treatment. Using these fluorescent molecules during clinical imaging, or as part of clinical assays in the lab, means earlier and better diagnosis of disease and also help clinicians choose the right treatment for patients.  

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IRR Chemistry Hub

Professor Marc Vendrell

Royal Society of Chemistry - 2023 Prize Winners