2002 NOBEL PRIZE IN CHEMISTRY

Published on March 21, 2024 in Communication

Professor Christophe Hirtz had the honor of welcoming the 2002 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, Mr. Koichi Tanaka —an engineer at Shimadzu Corporation—who came to Montpellier to visit the Clinical Proteomics Platform (PPC) at the Montpellier University Hospital (IRMB Saint Eloi/UM).

Prof. Hirtz has been collaborating with Mr. Tanaka and Shimadzu for more than 8 years on innovative developments in mass spectrometry for the quantification of clinically relevant biomarkers.

This visit took place in the presence of Ms. A. Ferrer (Director of the Montpellier University Hospital), Prof. J-C. Durand (Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry), Prof. D. Deville de Périère (former President of the University of Montpellier 1 and member of the PPC), Prof. C. Jorgensen (Director of the IRMB, head of the Immune4cure IHU), Prof. S. Lehmann ( Director of the INM), and a delegation of executives from Shimadzu.

Mr. Tanaka did us the honor of giving a 20-minute lecture on the future (r)evolutions of mass spectrometry, drawing on examples from anime (Pikachu!). What we’ll take away from this very special moment with Mr. Tanaka is an incredible vision of science and a surprising humility from the recipient of one of the most prestigious scientific awards—which he refers to simply as “the prize” and never as the “Nobel Prize.”