AWARDEE OF MEDICAL SCIENCE PRIZE

HUANG LIANG

Abstract

Huang Liang, Female, an organic and medicinal chemist, was born in 1920 in Shanghai. She received her B.S. degree in chemistry in 1942 from St. John's University in Shanghai, and her Ph.D.in organic chemistry from Cornell University in the United States in 1949 working with Prof.  A. T. Blomquist.  She performed her post- doctoral work at Cornell University, Bryn Mawr College (Prof.  E. Berliner), Wayne State University (Prof C. Djerassi) and iowa State University (Prof E. Wenkert) on organic synthesis, physical organic chemistry, and natural products.
In 1956, Prof. Huang returned to her home country, China.  In the following year,  she joined the Department of Materia Medica of the Central Institute of Health, which was later reorganized to form the Institute of Materia Medica of the Chinese  Academy of Medical Sciences in 1958.  She was the director of the Department of Organic Synthesis of the institute from 1960 to 1983 and has been a full professor since 1964.  She was elected as a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1980.
During her research career, Prof. Huang has made substantial contribution. Her research areas concern the search for new anticancer, and antiviral drug, contraceptives and synthesis and modification of biologically active natural products. Currently her research interest is in chiral drugs.  Eight of the research projects from her group have been awarded either the National Science Conference Award, the National Progress in Science and Technology Award or the National Invention Award.
Prof. Huang Liang is the author of more than 100 research publications.  She was   the chief editor of the Volume of “Pharmaceutical Science and Pharmacology” in the   “Chinese Encycopedia of Medical Sciences” and a member of the international   advisory board of the six-volume “Comprehensive Medicinal Chemistry”.
Prof. Huang has demonstrated boundless enthusiasm in guidance her graduate   students. The twenty Ph.D. and M.S. graduate students whom she has supervised all   are doing well in their own right.