The Harvey Prize, the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology’s most prestigious award, will this year be awarded to Distinguished Professor Joseph DeSimone of Stanford University in the Science and Technology category and to Professor Raphael Mechoulam of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in the Human Health category.
The Harvey Prize—established in 1971 by Leo Harvey (1887-1973)—is awarded at the Technion each year for outstanding achievements in science and technology, human health, and significant contributions to humanity. Over the years, the $75,000 prize has become a predictor of the Nobel Prize, and more than 30% of Harvey laureates since 1986 were ultimately awarded the Nobel. Three of them—Professor Emmanuelle Charpentier, Professor Jennifer Doudna, and Professor Reinhard Genzel—are to receive the 2020 Nobel Prize this month.
Professor Joseph DeSimone is being awarded for his contributions to materials science, chemistry, polymer science and technology, nano medicine, and 3D printing. His achievements are a model for combining basic scientific discoveries with developments of industrial technologies that have a significant influence on mankind. His pioneering scientific breakthroughs include the use of supercritical carbon dioxide to produce fluoropolymers, a new process for precise fabrication of nanoparticles (PRINT) widely used in medical applications.
He has published more than 350 articles in leading scientific journals and is a named inventor on more than 200 issued patents. In the 1990s, he and his students developed an environmentally friendly technology for manufacturing polymers. This “green” synthesis process, commercialized by DuPont, makes the use of hazardous solvents for the synthesis of fluoropolymer materials unnecessary. His research team also developed CO2 adsorbents to enable “green” cleaning processes.
Another technology developed by his team is PRINT (particle replication in non-wetting templates)—the only method that enables large-scale production of uniform nanoparticles for medical applications, with precise control over particle parameters such as size, shape, and composition. Using PRINT, the biotechnology company Liquidia Technologies was established. It engages in precision medicine for treating pulmonary disease and pain relief and has numerous products in clinical trials.
Prof. DeSimone and his team also developed a technology called CLIP (continuous liquid interface production) that replaces the slow, traditional layer-by-layer 3D printing method. CLIP enables parts to continuously “grow” from a pool of liquid resin, significantly accelerating manufacturing speed and delivering production-grade parts, including those with complex geometries.
Until recently, Prof. DeSimone (b. 1964) was a professor of chemistry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This year, he joined Stanford University and is the Sanjiv Sam Gambhir Professor of Translational Medicine, and a faculty member in the Departments of Radiology and Chemical Engineering, with a courtesy appointment at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business.
Prof. DeSimone is one of only 25 people to be elected to all three branches of the USA National Academies: The National Academy of Sciences, the Institution of Medicine, and the National Academy of Engineering. He has received numerous awards, including the Lemelson-MIT Prize, the US Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award, and the NIH Director’s Pioneer Award. In 2016, he was recognized by President Barack Obama and received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation—the highest honor in the US for achievement and leadership in the advancement of technological progress.
