Friday, October 20, 2017

Eric Reynolds awarded Prime Minister's Prize for Innovation

Laureate Professor Eric Reynolds AO FICD FTSE FRACDS, Chief Executive Officer of the Oral Health CRC at The University of Melbourne, has been announced as the winner of the Prime Minister’s Prize for Innovation.

Each year the Australian Government honours Australia’s best scientists, innovators, and science teachers through the Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science.

Professor Reynolds has been recognised for his outstanding achievement in the translation of scientific discovery into globally successful products that prevent and treat oral disease. It is estimated that these products have saved over $12 billion in dental treatment costs worldwide.

The remineralising technology CPP-ACP developed from a dairy protein by Professor Reynolds and his team at The University of Melbourne is now sold globally as RecaldentTM and used by millions of people every day in chewing gum and oral health products.

Prof Reynolds continues to lead research at the Oral Health CRC that is testing, improving and developing new RecaldentTM products. His team is also developing a therapeutic vaccine for chronic periodontitis, a highly prevalent gum disease .

Prof Reynolds was instrumental in the establishment of the eviDent Foundation, an ADAVB and Oral Health CRC initiative. Thanks to this partnership and Prof Reynolds' leadership, eviDent continues to support collaborative multidisciplinary practice based research that is improving the oral health of Australians.

References and further information:

Oral CRC website: www.oralhealthcrc.org.au

Science in public website: www.scienceinpublic.com.au

Photo credit: Prime Ministers Prizes for Science, WildBear 2017.