The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)-Equatorial Guinea International Prize in Life Sciences recently awarded the 2017 recipients for their contributions addressing the most pressing health issues impacting Africa.
The Prize was created by an initiative from Equatorial Guinea President Obiang Nguema Mbasogo and is awarded every year to outstanding scientific research projects of individuals, institutions, or other bodies working in life science that have contributed to the quality of human life. This is the fourth year the prize has been awarded.
The Organization for Agricultural Investigation, from the Volcani Center in Israel, won for innovative and methodical capacity development programs focused on food security in arid, semi-arid, and desert environments.
Rui Luis Goncalves dos Reis, from the University of Minho in Portugal, won for contributions to the development and engineering of natural biomaterials and applications focused on tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, stem cell research, and the supply of pharmaceuticals.
Ivan Antonio Izquierdo, from the Institute for Biomedical Research at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, won for discoveries in memory processes and their applications in ageing, psychological disorders, and neurodegenerative illnesses.
The award ceremony will be held in December at the Grand Hotel Djibloho.