Nobel Laureate Tim Hunt to visit China for the Nobel Prize Inspiration Initiative, in partnership with AstraZeneca

Lecture series aims to inspire young scientists in Shanghai and Chengdu

This week, Nobel Laureate Tim Hunt will give a series of lectures to students and faculty at Shanghai’s Fudan University School of Pharmacy and Chengdu’s Sichuan University West China School of Medicine. Dr. Hunt, whose pioneering research on the cell cycle has profoundly impacted many aspects of biology and medicine, is visiting China as part of the 2014 Nobel Prize Inspiration Initiative (NPII).

NPII is a global program that brings Nobel Laureates to universities and research centers to inspire and engage young scientists, the scientific community and the public. The program is a partnership between AstraZeneca, an innovation-driven global biopharmaceutical company, and Nobel Media AB, who use a range of broadcast and digital media productions and events to spread knowledge and interest in the Nobel Prizes. This is the third time the event is being held in China.

Dr. Hunt is an emeritus Principal Scientist at Cancer Research UK and shared the 2001 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discoveries of key regulators of the cell cycle. The discoveries made by Dr. Hunt and his colleagues led to ground-breaking advances in the field of oncology and have since been applied to tumor diagnostics, opening new possibilities for cancer therapy. At today’s opening ceremony, hosted at AstraZeneca’s China headquarters in Shanghai, Dr. Hunt delivered a keynote lecture entitled “Lessons from a life in science: how to get a Nobel Prize” to invited guests and AstraZeneca scientists.

During his upcoming lectures at Fudan and Sichuan Universities, Dr. Hunt will describe his journey from selecting a research topic and making life-changing discoveries to ultimately being awarded the Nobel Prize. He will engage closely with aspiring scientists and students by participating in roundtable discussions. Dr. Hunt will also have the opportunity to learn about scientific innovations taking place in China, through a laboratory visit at the Sichuan University West China School of Medicine.

“I am thrilled to participate once again in the Nobel Prize Inspiration Initiative,” said Dr. Hunt. “It will be an honor to share my experiences with some of China’s brightest young scientists and early-stage researchers. Most of all, I hope to encourage them to remain curious and creative in all of their scientific endeavors.”

“Dr. Hunt’s devotion to medical innovation is an inspiration to scientists everywhere,” said Ajay Gautam, Executive Director, Emerging Market Collaborations at AstraZeneca. “Based on our experience from previous events at universities in Shanghai, Beijing and Nanjing, we believe that his achievements will also inspire students and scientists in China to aim higher in order to pursue innovation that will positively impact society. Through the Nobel Prize Inspiration Initiative, we hope to engage those who share AstraZeneca’s passion for scientific leadership in order to bring life-changing medicines to patients.”

Since 2010, Nobel Media and AstraZeneca have arranged events in China, India, South Korea, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States. Each NPII event sees a Nobel Laureate participating in a series of lectures, question and answer sessions and discussion panels, with particular emphasis on promoting informal interaction with young and aspiring scientists.

“We are proud to yet again present an opportunity for young researchers to engage with the top scientists in their field,” says Mattias Fyrenius, CEO of Nobel Media. “Dr. Tim Hunt has made extraordinary discoveries in his career as a scientist and is an inspiration to all in the area of medical research. It is our honor to invite him to lead this NPII event.”