KNCV Van Marum Medal 2024 for Eric Reits

Medical biologist Eric Reits of Amsterdam UMC is to receive the KNCV Van Marum Medal 2024 for the way in which he places his scientific research into Huntington’s disease in a broader context and makes it accessible to a highly diverse audience, ranging from patients and their families to healthcare providers, students, and scientists from related fields. The KNCV Van Marum Medal is a recognition for individuals who contribute to raising the visibility of chemistry and the life sciences (and those who practise them). Eric Reits’ research centres on Huntington’s disease, a rare and extremely serious hereditary condition (combining, in terms of its symptoms, elements of dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and ALS) for which no treatment is currently available. Reits combines fundamental molecular-biological and biochemical research with investigations into potential treatment options. But he does not stop at research alone. For many years, Reits has been active on numerous fronts to generate greater awareness of the disease. He is a driving force behind the Huntington Campaign Team, which works to inform patients and their families, healthcare providers, students, schoolchildren, and the general public about various aspects of Huntington’s disease in an accessible manner. To this end, Reits makes use of a wide variety of platforms, ranging from small gatherings with patients and their families across the country to appearances in national media (most recently on NPO Radio 1’s “Publieke Tribune” and “Geef om je hersenen” on NPO1/Omroep Max). In doing so, he manages both to explain clearly the molecular basis of the disease and the possible therapeutic interventions, whilst simultaneously conveying, with great empathy, the impact the disease has on those affected. The KNCV sees in Eric Reits a researcher who succeeds in making chemistry and the life sciences — in this case the molecular-biological, biochemical, and biomedical aspects of the field — visible and relevant to a wide range of audiences in a manner that is both highly skilled and genuinely engaging. It is therefore with great pleasure that the KNCV awards him the Van Marum Medal 2024. The formal presentation ceremony will take place on 10 October at the [Evening of Chemistry at theatre Flint in Amersfoort](https://www.kncv.nl/bijeenkomsten/1331/avond-van-de-chemie-2024). ### About the KNCV Van Marum Medal The KNCV Van Marum Medal is named after the chemist Martinus van Marum (1750–1837), who introduced ‘Lavoisian Chemistry’ to the Netherlands in 1787. Van Marum combined the qualities of a great researcher with an open-minded approach to social affairs. Since 1987, the KNCV has awarded the prize biennially to individuals who have made a significant contribution to the development and societal importance of chemistry, and to raising the visibility of the field and those who work within it. [In 2022, the Van Marum Medal was awarded to the Sisters in Science](https://www.sciencelink.net/verdieping/sisters-in-science-ontvangen-kncv-van-marumpenning-2022/20755.article).