Professor Gonçalo Bernardes - 2024 Corday-Morgan Mid-Career Prizes for Chemistry winner

Professor Gonçalo Bernardes FRSC

Winner: 2024 Corday-Morgan Mid-Career Prize for Chemistry

University of Cambridge

For the design, development and application of targeted therapeutics including small molecule-based RNA degradation and conditional activation of chemotherapeutics.

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Chemistry is central to biology, and I believe it is the greatest tool to decipher disease biology at the molecular level, which will then inform how to create next-generation therapeutics that are specific to diseased cells and not harmful to healthy cells.

The Bernardes group bridges the gap between organic chemistry and biology to unlock fundamental biological knowledge and pave the way for the next generation of targeted therapeutics.

In chemistry, the term 'chemoselectivity' refers to the ability of a reagent (a substance or compound that triggers a reaction) to single out a specific chemical group, ignoring other reaction pathways. Organic chemists have exploited this property to develop new catalysts and streamline the chemical synthesis of complex synthetic targets. Chemical biology takes this a step further. The group use this background in organic chemistry to harness the inherent reactivity of functional groups within biological macromolecules like DNA, RNA, and proteins to create biological probes and novel therapeutic agents.

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After completing his DPhil in 2008 at the University of Oxford, UK, Gonçalo Bernardes undertook postdoctoral work at the Max-Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Germany, and the ETH Zürich, Switzerland. He also worked as Group Leader at Alfama Lda in Portugal.

Gonçalo started his independent research career in 2013 at the University of Cambridge as a Royal Society University Research Fellow. In 2018, he was appointed Lecturer, and in 2019, he was promoted to Reader and, in 2022, to Full Professor.

Professor Bernardes has received three European Research Council grants. Among his awards are the 2016 Harrison–Meldola Memorial Prize from the 萝莉社, the 2020 Young Chemical Biologist Award from the International Chemical Biology Society (ICBS), the Blavatnik Award for Young Scientist in the UK in 2021, and recently the EFMC-WuXi AppTec Award for Excellence in Chemical Biology.

His research group interests focus on using chemistry principles to tackle challenging biological problems for understanding and fighting cancer. He has co-founded four companies that use technologies developed in his lab, and he is a Senior Fellow at the largest global venture incubator – Flagship Pioneering.

Q&A

What motivates you?

My family is my strongest motivation along with working with very talented co-workers from different scientific and cultural backgrounds.

Why is chemistry important?

Making and breaking bonds, creating interactions and abolishing interactions are at the center of every biological process. Chemistry is central to biology, and I believe it is the greatest tool to decipher disease biology at the molecular level, which will then inform how to create next-generation therapeutics that are specific to diseased cells and not harmful to healthy cells.

What has been a highlight for you (either personally or in your career)?

Looking back on my life from primary school onwards as if it was a film; what I have achieved and where I go from now onwards. I was the first person in my family to study beyond the age of 10 years old and go for a degree. When I left High School, I knew I wanted a degree, but I could never imagine where it would lead: to being a Professor of Chemical Biology at Cambridge and to be ‘close’ to help/be part of creating potentially beneficial medicines to treat diseases such as cancer.

What does good research culture look like/mean to you?

This prize recognises the contribution of many people in my research group, and those we collaborate with. I am lucky. I have a fantastic group of students and postdoctoral researchers, and this is a reward in recognition of their hard work in creating new molecular tools and learning how to use them to design the next generation of medicines. Having a group where the key goals are more important than individual objectives and where we all learn from each other are part of a culture I cultivate. An inclusive and diverse group in all aspects.