We are pleased to announce that professor Ryszard Kierzek from the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences, member of the Council of the National Science Centre, and professor Douglas H. Turner from the University of Rochester have received the Poland-U.S. Science Award. The award is conferred jointly by the Foundation for Polish Science (FNP) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) for outstanding scientific achievements accomplished in American-Polish scientific cooperation.Professors Kierzek and Turner have been rewarded for their collaboration in research into thermodynamics, biology and structure of ribonucleic acid (RNA). Thanks to their research it has become possible to predict the structure of any RNA based on its sequence. The researchers have also determined thermodynamic rules of RNA folding, currently in use among most research teams active in this research area. Their research on RNA is also related to learning the development mechanisms of certain human diseases. For several years, they have worked on the use of modified oligonucleotides for the modulation of biological activity of pathogenic RNAs, including inhibition of replication of the influenza virus.
The Poland-U.S. Science Award was established in 2013. It is granted once every two years by way of a nomination-based competition. The winners are chosen by a jury of eminent scientists from Poland and the United States. This has been the second edition of the Award.