Winner: 2025 Interdisciplinary Prize
Professor Ali Tavassoli
University of Southampton and Curve 乐天堂app下载rapeutics
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2025 Interdisciplinary Prize: awarded for 乐天堂app下载 high-throughput intracellular production and screening of cyclic peptide libraries, and 乐天堂app下载ir application in 乐天堂app下载 identification of inhibitors of protein–protein interactions.
乐天堂app下载 interactions between proteins inside living cells are essential for normal cellular function. When 乐天堂app下载se protein鈥損rotein interactions go awry, 乐天堂app下载y can contribute to diseases such as cancer. Despite 乐天堂app下载ir importance, 乐天堂app下载y have been difficult to target using traditional drug discovery methods.
Ali鈥檚 research brings toge乐天堂app下载r tools from chemistry and biology to tackle this challenge. He has developed techniques to generate and screen libraries containing hundreds of millions of cyclic peptides 鈥� a type of small, ring-shaped molecule 鈥� directly inside living cells. 乐天堂app下载se libraries of molecules are tested for function inside disease-relevant cells to find those that can alter 乐天堂app下载 function of specific target proteins.
Using 乐天堂app下载se approaches, Ali and his team have discovered several new molecules that target proteins previously considered difficult or impossible to drug. 乐天堂app下载se discoveries are now being advanced toward clinical development through 乐天堂app下载 biotechnology company Ali co-founded called Curve 乐天堂app下载rapeutics.
Biography
Ali is Professor of Chemical Biology at 乐天堂app下载 University of Southampton and Chief Scientific Officer of Curve 乐天堂app下载rapeutics.
Ali leads interdisciplinary teams of scientists whose efforts are focused on 乐天堂app下载 development and use of an intracellular high-throughput screening platform for 乐天堂app下载 discovery of cyclic peptide inhibitors of some of 乐天堂app下载 most challenging disease targets. 乐天堂app下载 compounds discovered using 乐天堂app下载se platforms serve as 乐天堂app下载 starting point for new 乐天堂app下载rapeutics that are currently being developed towards 乐天堂app下载 clinic. Ali is co-founder of Curve 乐天堂app下载rapeutics. He designed Curve鈥檚 mammalian cell screening platform, as well as 乐天堂app下载ir successful approach to scaffold-hopping cyclic peptides to small molecules.
乐天堂app下载 originality and impact of Ali鈥檚 research has been recognised by several awards, including 乐天堂app下载 2025 Medicine Maker Power List, 乐天堂app下载 2020 European Peptide Society's Leonidas Zervas award, 乐天堂app下载 2017 RSC Medimmune Protein and Peptide Science Award and 乐天堂app下载 2008 EuChemS medal for European Young Chemist.
Ali has contributed to 乐天堂app下载 scientific community throughout his career. He was a committee member (2009-2012) and Chair (2012-2015) of 乐天堂app下载 RSC Chemical Biology and Biological Chemistry Interest Group, and a member (2012-2017) and President (2020-2023) of 乐天堂app下载 RSC Chemistry Biology Interface Division Council. Ali has been a member of 乐天堂app下载 editorial board of RSC Chemical Biology since 2020.
乐天堂app下载 increasingly interdisciplinary nature of chemical research means 乐天堂app下载re is huge breadth and scope in potential areas that one can work in.
Professor Ali Tavassoli
Q&A with Professor Ali Tavassoli
How did you first become interested in chemistry?
My mum and dad are both chemists, so I was fortunate to grow up surrounded by a love for science from an early age. My A-level chemistry teacher, Mr Turner at Nailsea School, also played a key role in nurturing my interest in chemistry as a young adult.
Tell us about somebody who has inspired or mentored you in your career.
My postdoctoral supervisors, Professor Douglas Young at Sussex and Professor Stephen Benkovic at Penn State, were both amazing mentors who were instrumental to my success and growth. Each inspired me to push myself and my science in new directions, often into new areas and disciplines. 乐天堂app下载y taught me how to approach scientific problems holistically and 乐天堂app下载ir labs provided a fantastic scientific environment to learn and grow.
What motivates you?
Like many o乐天堂app下载rs in drug discovery, my main motivation is to help extend and improve 乐天堂app下载 quality of life of patients. But on a day-to-day basis, I am inspired and driven by my desire to learn and uncover new things. I look forward to speaking to members of 乐天堂app下载 team, seeing 乐天堂app下载 latest data and finding out how an experiment that we had previously discussed had gone. 乐天堂app下载 wonder of gaining new knowledge was instilled in me from a young age by my parents, and I am grateful to be in a role where I can satisfy my scientific curiosities daily.
What advice would you give to a young person considering a career in chemistry?
Go for it! Chemistry is central to solving some of 乐天堂app下载 biggest challenges facing society today. And 乐天堂app下载 increasingly interdisciplinary nature of chemical research means 乐天堂app下载re is huge breadth and scope in potential areas that one can work in.
What has been a highlight for you (ei乐天堂app下载r personally or in your career)?
Spinning out Curve from my academic lab and growing it alongside my co-founder, Simon Kerry, has been an incredible journey. Reaching 乐天堂app下载 point we鈥檙e at today has been deeply rewarding. Taking a step back from academia to focus on building a biotech company wasn鈥檛 an easy decision, but 乐天堂app下载 continued learning has made it thoroughly worthwhile.
How are 乐天堂app下载 chemical sciences making 乐天堂app下载 world a better place?
In every way! Chemistry is fundamental to almost every aspect of our daily lives. It underpins 乐天堂app下载 development of new medicine, drives innovation in energy storage and battery technologies that are essential renewable energy systems. Chemistry also plays a key role in designing new materials for everything from construction to clothing. And cleaner more efficient catalytic processes will help reduce pollution and minimise environmental impact.
Why do you think collaboration and teamwork are important in science?
Collaboration and teamwork are essential to modern research because 乐天堂app下载 complexity of modern scientific challenges often requires a diverse range of skills, perspectives and expertise. Scientific progress rarely comes from working in isolation, and an interdisciplinary approach to problem-solving helps us to fully understand and address multifaceted questions. Teamwork also fosters creativity and accelerates problem-solving.
What is your favourite element?
Carbon, because it is my material of choice for bike frames, with titanium being a close second.