About the Award
Established by E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, the NAS Award for Chemistry in Service to Society is awarded biennially for contributions to chemistry, either in fundamental science or its application, that clearly satisfy a societal need. The award is given in alternate years to chemists working in industry and to those in academia, government, and nonprofit organizations. The award is presented with a $20,000 prize.
Michael E. Jung, University of California, Los Angeles, will receive the 2025 NAS Award for Chemistry in Service to Society.
Jung’s groundbreaking work has advanced synthetic organic and medicinal chemistry and been instrumental to the treatment of prostate cancer.
Jung has made seminal contributions to drug development, particularly in modulating transcription factors. His work includes the design, synthesis, and development of two revolutionary new drugs, Enzalutamide (Xtandi) and Apalutamide (Erleada), for the treatment of castration-resistant and castrate-sensitive prostate cancer, which have extended the lives of hundreds of thousands of men worldwide.
Jung continues to examine ways to treat cancer at various stages of development. Other medicinal chemistry projects include the studies of an androgen receptor degrader that halts the growth of both normal prostate cancer and the androgen receptor splice variants as well as a novel brain-penetrant epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitor for the treatment of glioblastoma.
Jung will be honored in a ceremony on Sunday, April 27 during the National Academy of Sciences’ 162nd annual meeting. The ceremony will be livestreamed.
Award History
Since 1991 the award has recognized the profound benefits of chemistry to society and how advances in chemistry have led to greater economic wealth and a better quality of life. Previous recipients of the NAS Award for Chemistry in Service to Society continue to achieve outstanding advancements in their fields. Five recipients have been honored with a National Medal of Science, one recipient has received a Lasker Award, and one recipient has received a Nobel Prize in Medicine (Lauterbur 2003).
Most Recent Recipient
