Erik De Clercq

Biography

 Erik De Clercq was born in Dendermonde, Belgium, on March 28, 1941. He received his M.D. degree in 1966 and his Ph.D. in 1972 both at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (K.U.Leuven) in Belgium. After having spent two years at Stanford University Medical School as a postdoctoral fellow, he returned to the K.U. Leuven Medic of today he is teaching the courses of Cell Biology, Biochemistry, Microbiology and Viroloal School, where he became docent (assistant professor) in 1973, professor in 1975, and full professor in 1977. Asgy in the first, second and third undergraduate years of the Medical School at the K.U. Leuven and K.U. Leuven Campus Kortrijk. Prof. E. De Clercq served as chairman of the Department of Microbiology from 1986-1991. Since 1999 he is serving once more as chairman of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. In 1985, he became President of the Rega Foundation and, in 1986, Chairman of the Directory Board of the Rega Institute for Medical Research, two positions which he still holds. He is a titular member of the Belgian Royal Academy of Medicine and the Academia Europaea, and has also held the Prof. P. De Somer Chair of Microbiology at the K.U.Leuven. Prof. De Clercq’s scientific achievements are in the antiviral chemotherapy field, and, in particular, the development of new antiviral agents for the treatment of various viral infections, including AIDS. He has (co)-discovered a number of antiviral drugs, currently used in the treatment of various virus infections, such as herpes simplex (valaciclovir), herpes zoster (brivudin), AIDS (stavudine), CMV (cytomegalovirus) infections (cidofovir), HBV (hepatitis B virus) infections (adefovir), and HIV infections (AIDS) (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, marketed as VireadTM, and, in combination with emtricitabine, as TruvadaTM).

Research Interest

 Research on Microbiological and Immunological  Studies