Redi Award is an international science award given to scientists who have made significant contributions in

toxinology A toxin is a naturally occurring organic poison produced by metabolic activities of living cells or organisms. Toxins occur especially as a protein or conjugated protein. The term toxin was first used by organic chemist Ludwig Brieger (1849–19 ...

, the scientific study of

venoms Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a sti ...

poisons Poison is a chemical substance that has a detrimental effect to life. The term is used in a wide range of scientific fields and industries, where it is often specifically defined. It may also be applied colloquially or figuratively, with a broa ...

and

toxins A toxin is a naturally occurring organic poison produced by metabolic activities of living cells or organisms. Toxins occur especially as a protein or conjugated protein. The term toxin was first used by organic chemist Ludwig Brieger (1849–1 ...

. The award is sponsored by the

International Society on Toxinology International Society on Toxinology (IST) is a global society of scientists and clinicians working for the advancement of venoms, poisons and toxins. It was founded in 1962 with an aim to advance knowledge on venoms, poisons and toxins of animal, pl ...

(ISI).

Origin

''Osservazioni intorno alle vipere'' (''Observations about the Viper'') written by an Italian polymath

Francesco Redi Francesco Redi (18 February 1626 – 1 March 1697) was an Italian physician, naturalist, biologist, and poet. He is referred to as the "founder of experimental biology", and as the "father of modern parasitology". He was the first person to cha ...

in 1664 is regarded as the milestone in the beginning of toxinology research. Redi was the first scientist to elucidate the scientific basis of

snakebite A snakebite is an injury caused by the bite of a snake, especially a venomous snake. A common sign of a bite from a venomous snake is the presence of two puncture wounds from the animal's fangs. Sometimes venom injection from the bite may occu ...

and venom of the

viper The Viperidae (vipers) are a family of snakes found in most parts of the world, except for Antarctica, Australia, Hawaii, Madagascar, and various other isolated islands. They are venomous and have long (relative to non-vipers), hinged fangs tha ...

. He showed for the first time that the viper venom comes from the

fang A fang is a long, pointed tooth. In mammals, a fang is a modified maxillary tooth, used for biting and tearing flesh. In snakes, it is a specialized tooth that is associated with a venom gland (see snake venom). Spiders also have external fang ...

, not the

gallbladder In vertebrates, the gallbladder, also known as the cholecyst, is a small hollow organ where bile is stored and concentrated before it is released into the small intestine. In humans, the pear-shaped gallbladder lies beneath the liver, although ...

as it was believed; that it is not poisonous when swallowed, and effective only when it enters the

bloodstream The blood circulatory system is a system of organs that includes the heart, blood vessels, and blood which is circulated throughout the entire body of a human or other vertebrate. It includes the cardiovascular system, or vascular system, tha ...

. He even demonstrated the possibility of slowing down the venom action in the blood by tight

ligature Ligature may refer to: * Ligature (medicine), a piece of suture used to shut off a blood vessel or other anatomical structure ** Ligature (orthodontic), used in dentistry * Ligature (music), an element of musical notation used especially in the me ...

before the wound. This work is heralded as the foundation of

. In honour of the pioneer, the International Society on Toxinology (ISI) instituted the ''Redi Award'' in 1967 in recognition of scientists for their significant contributions in toxinology research.

Nature of the award

The IST awards scientists or clinicians who have made outstanding contributions to the field of toxinology. The award is given at each World Congress of the Society, which is generally held every three years. It is the highest award bestowed by the society and the most prestigious in the world for toxinologists. Selection for the award is made by the Redi Award Committee chaired by the editor of ''

Toxicon ''Toxicon'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal of toxinology and the official journal of the International Society on Toxinology and the North American Society of Toxinology. It is published by Elsevier and the editor-in-chief is Ray Norton. I ...

'' (the official journal of IST) and accompanied by past and present Executive Officers of the society and former Redi awardees. The result is only announced at the World Congress. The recipient is then invited to present a lecture of his/her own choosing, officially called the Redi Lecture, to the congress. The Award consists of a framed citation describing the merits of the awardee and a financial assistance to help cover expenses associated with attendance at the meeting.

Recipients

Source
International Society on Toxinology
* Findlay E. Russell (USA) 1967 *Paul Boquet (France) 1970 *André de Vries (South Africa) 1974 *

Chen-Yuan Lee Chen-Yuan Lee (; December 4, 1915 – November 1, 2001), was a Taiwanese people, Taiwanese pharmacologist and political activist. He is famous for his research on snake venom. He was a recipient of the prestigious Redi Award from the Internation ...

(Taiwan) 1976 *Hugh Alistair Reid (UK) 1979 *Nobuo Tamiya (Japan) 1982 *Philip Rosenberg (USA) 1982 *Sherman A Minton (USA) 1985 *Paul A Christensen (South Africa) 1988 *Ernst Habermann (Germany) 1991 *Elazar Kochva (Israel) 1994 *Evert Karlsson (Sweden) 1997 *Alan Harvey (UK) 2000 *Andre Menez (France) 2000 *

Baldomero Olivera Baldomero Olivera (born 1941) is a Filipino chemist known for discovery of many cone snail toxins important for neuroscience. These molecules, called conotoxins, led to a breakthrough in the study of ion channels and neuromuscular synapses. He dis ...

(USA) 2003 *Lourival Possani (Mexico) 2006 *

Cesare Montecucco Cesare Montecucco (born 1 November 1947, in Trento) is an Italian pathologist and full professor at University of Padua, Italy. He was awarded the Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize in 2011 for his research on tetanus, botulism, anthrax an ...

(Italy) 2009 *David A Warrell (UK) 2012 *Jose Maria Gutierrez Gutierrez (Costa Rica) 2015 * Michel Lazdunski (France) 2017 * Dietrich Mebs (Germany) 2017

References

External links

International Society on Toxinology homepageAlternative IST Homepage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Redi award Science and technology awards Biology awards

Origin

Nature of the award

Recipients

See also

References

External links