Lycia Therapeutics Founder Dr. Carolyn Bertozzi Awarded 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Oct. 05, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Lycia Therapeutics, Inc., a leader in extracellular protein degradation, today announced that founder Carolyn Bertozzi, Ph.D., has been awarded the 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences recognized Dr. Bertozzi for her pioneering work in bioorthogonal chemistry that enabled researchers to interrogate molecules in living systems with click chemistry. The Prize was also awarded to Morten Meldal, professor at University of Copenhagen, and K. Barry Sharpless, professor at Scripps Research, for laying the foundation for a functional form of click chemistry in which molecular building blocks snap together quickly and efficiently.

“We are thrilled to see Dr. Bertozzi recognized with the Nobel Prize for her seminal work in bioorthogonal chemistry,” said Aetna Wun Trombley, Ph.D., President and CEO of Lycia Therapeutics. “Her science has revolutionized the way we conduct research and has dramatically expanded the potential for drug discovery. We at Lycia are honored to have her leadership and ongoing support as we advance her next-generation LYTAC degradation approach to develop medicines for the extracellular proteome.”

Dr. Bertozzi is the Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Professor of Chemistry and Professor of Chemical & Systems Biology and Radiology at Stanford University, and an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. She completed her undergraduate degree in chemistry from Harvard University in 1988 and her doctorate in chemistry from University of California, Berkeley, in 1993. After completing postdoctoral work at University of California, San Francisco, in the field of cellular immunology, she joined the UC Berkeley faculty in 1996.

In June 2015, she joined the faculty at Stanford University coincident with the launch of Stanford’s Chemistry, Engineering & Medicine for Human Health (ChEM-H) Institute. Professor Bertozzi’s research interests span the disciplines of chemistry and biology with an emphasis on studies of cell surface glycosylation pertinent to disease states. Her lab focuses on profiling changes in cell surface glycosylation associated with cancer, inflammation and bacterial infection, and exploiting this information for development of diagnostic and therapeutic approaches, most recently in the area of immuno-oncology. She has been recognized with many honors and awards for her research accomplishments. She is an elected member of the Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, and American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She has been awarded the Dr. H.P. Heineken Prize for Biochemistry and Biophysics, Lemelson-MIT Prize, the Heinrich Wieland Prize and a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, among many others.

About Lycia Therapeutics

Lycia Therapeutics is a biotechnology company using its proprietary lysosomal targeting chimeras (LYTACs) platform to discover and develop first-in-class therapeutics that degrade extracellular and membrane-bound proteins that drive a range of difficult-to-treat diseases, including cancers, inflammatory diseases and autoimmune conditions. Headquartered in South San Francisco, Lycia was established in 2019 with academic founder and chair of the Scientific Advisory Board, Carolyn Bertozzi, Ph.D., professor of chemistry and HHMI investigator at Stanford University. For more information, please visit www.lyciatx.com.

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