“For me and my team this is a fantastic recognition of our work, and it has come as a great surprise. America often overlooks Europe, which is why we are particularly pleased to receive this prize, which shows that science can overcome borders,” remarked Beck-Sickinger. The professor of biochemistry and bioorganic chemistry has already received several awards in the past, including the Leipzig Science Prize in 2016 and the Order of Merit of the Free State of Saxony a year later. In 2018, the Society of German Chemists (GDCh) awarded Professor Beck-Sickinger the Albrecht Kossel Prize for her outstanding work in the field of biochemistry. The scientist has taught and researched at Leipzig University since 1999.
The Vincent du Vigneaud Award is presented in honour of the renowned biochemist Vincent du Vigneaud (1901–1978), who was the first to isolate, characterise and synthesise the peptide hormones oxytocinand vasopressin, for which he received the Nobel Prize in 1955. Du Vigneaud received his doctorate in biochemistry from the University of Rochester, with his scientific career also taking him to Johns Hopkins University, the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute in Dresden, and the University of Edinburgh. He later returned to the US and was appointed professor at Cornell Medical College in New York City in 1932, where he worked until his retirement in 1967. His research focused on amino acids containing sulfur and the artificial synthesis of penicillin and biotin.