On 17 March 2017, during the symposium of the Division Medicinal Chemistry of the KNCV, Dr. Marcel Scheepstra was awarded the Dutch Medicinal Chemistry Prize 2015-2016 for his dissertation entitled Molecular modulation of nuclear receptor conformational states. The prize, consisting of a certificate, a small sculpture, and a EUR 1,000 cash prize made available by Mercachem BV, is awarded for the best dissertation in the field of medicinal chemistry research published between 1 January 2015 and 31 December 2016. Dr. Scheepstra completed his PhD in September 2016 under the supervision of Prof. dr. Luc Brunsveld and Dr. Lech Milroy at the Eindhoven University of Technology.
The panel of judges consisted of four members: Prof. dr. Pieter Van der Veken (Antwerp University), Dr. Gary Tresadern (Janssen Pharmaceutica R&D, Toledo), Dr. Laura Heitman (Leiden University) and Dr. Leon van Berkom (Mercachem). In total, eight dissertations were submitted for consideration by the judges. Dr. Scheepstra’s work describes the effect of small ligands of diverse chemical, structural, and functional nature on nuclear receptor conformations in relation to protein-protein interactions. His research has resulted in several publications in renowned journals including Nature Communications, ACS Chemical Biology and Angewandte Chemie. The prize was awarded to Dr. Scheepstra for his groundbreaking scientific work as well as his proficient manner of writing. The judges hailed his extensive and educational introduction and pleasant style of writing and lay-out.
Marcel Scheepstra presented his work during the symposium ‘Small molecules and biologicals in cancer immunotherapy’. He currently works as Senior Scientist in the Medicinal Chemistry Department of Mercachem BV.
