2002 NOBEL PRIZE IN CHEMISTRY

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). 

Professor Hirtz has been collaborating with Mr. Tanaka and Shimadzu Corporation for over eight years on innovative developments in mass spectrometry for the quantification of clinically relevant biomarkers. 

The 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 IHU Immune4cure), Prof. S. Lehmann ( Director of the INM), and a delegation of executives from Shimadzu Corporation.

Mr. Tanaka did us the honor of giving a twenty-minute lecture on the future (r)evolutions of mass spectrometry, drawing on examples from anime (Pikachu!). What we will 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.”