2025
Warren Alpert Foundation Prize

Each year the recipient(s) of the Warren Alpert Foundation Prize are recognized at a scientific symposium hosted by Harvard Medical School.

October 30, 2025 2:00 pm to 5:30 pm

2025 Warren Alpert Foundation Prize Symposium

The Warren Alpert Foundation Prize recognizes three scientists for their critical contributions understanding the structure and function of the HIV capsid and to the discovery and development of lenacapavir, the first approved drug to disrupt a viral capsid and whose potency and twice yearly dosing regimen has the potential to significantly accelerate the end of the HIV epidemic.

Tomas Cihlar

Tomas Cihlar | 2025 Recipient

Tomas Cihlar, PhD is a Senior Vice President of Research at Gilead overseeing drug discovery and preclinical research in virology. He joined Gilead three decades ago after obtaining his PhD in biochemistry from the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Prague, Czech Republic. Over the years, Dr Cihlar has contributed to the discovery, development and regulatory approval of multiple antiviral products including an extensive portfolio of Gilead’s innovative HIV drugs and their combinations. Together with his colleagues at Gilead he established broad research programs focused on novel long-acting drugs for treatment and prevention of HIV, new approaches for the cure of HIV and viral hepatitis, as well as treatment of respiratory and emerging viral infections. Dr Cihlar played key roles in the discovery and development of lenacapavir, the first long-acting HIV capsid inhibitor, and remdesivir that was approved by US FDA as the first antiviral drug for the treatment of COVID-19. Dr Cihlar is serving on boards of directors of several organizations including the Intrepid Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness, Global Virus Network, and Assembly Biosciences.

John Link

John Link | 2025 Recipient

John O. Link, PhD, was Vice President, Medicinal Chemistry at Gilead Sciences from 2006-2020, where he led a group of research chemists working in antiviral and anti-inflammatory programs.

 

Dr. Link is a co-inventor of four approved drugs discovered in his research group: the curative hepatitis C drugs ledipasvir (NS5A inhibitor), velpatasvir (pan-genotypic NS5A inhibitor), and voxilaprevir (pan-genotypic NS3/4A protease inhibitor), which are components in Harvoni®, Epclusa® and Vosevi®, and the HIV capsid inhibitor lenacapavir (Sunlenca®). He was the discovery-stage and Phase 1 development project leader for the ledipasvir and velpatasvir programs and an early research project leader for the lenacapavir program. Harvoni® was the first approved interferon-free regimen to cure the most prevalent HCV genotype. Millions of individuals worldwide have been cured with these HCV medications. Lenacapavir, a new antiviral modality, is the only approved drug targeting a viral capsid. Further, lenacapavir is the only twice-yearly dosed medication for HIV treatment and, if approved, for HIV prevention. Prior to Gilead, Dr. Link was a chemist with increasing leadership roles at Syntex/Roche and Arris/Celera and is presently a Scientific Advisor at Actio Biosciences and SAB member at Terremoto Biosciences. Throughout John’s career he has sought to discover ultrapotent medications with extremely high levels of resilience to metabolism in the liver while fostering a collaborative environment where all voices are heard, and where each chemist and team member is empowered to contribute creatively.

 

John attended public elementary and high-school, received his BA in chemistry from the University of Minnesota, and his PhD in Organic Chemistry working in the laboratory of Professor EJ Corey at Harvard University where they co-discovered the Corey-Link Reaction.

Dr. Link was awarded the American Chemical Society’s 2015 Heroes of Chemistry for his contributions to the discovery of Harvoni®, the 2017 inaugural Male Ally Award from the Women at Gilead employee resource group, and the Chinese American Biopharmaceutical Society’s 2021 K. Fong Award in Life Sciences and is an author on over 30 publications and an inventor on over 70 patents.

Wesley Sundquist

Wesley Sundquist | 2025 Recipient

Wes Sundquist is Samuels Distinguished Professor and Chair of Biochemistry at the University of Utah. He received a BA degree in Chemistry from Carleton College, a PhD in Chemistry from MIT, and then did postdoctoral research with Sir Aaron Klug at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, UK. His research interests stem from the lab’s work on HIV assembly and replication, and include the biochemistry and cell biology of the endosomal sorting complexes required for transport (ESCRT) pathway, and the structure, functions, and inhibition of the HIV capsid. He is a recipient of the Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize for Biochemistry (with Emr) and the University of Utah Rosenblatt Prize for Excellence, and has been elected to membership in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2011) and the National Academy of Sciences (2024). Wes and his wife Nola have two adult children, Chris and Emily.

Join Us

Thursday, October 30th

2:00 pm to 5:30 pm

Joseph B. Martin Conference Center Harvard Medical School 
77 Avenue Louis Pasteur

Open to the Public. Seating is on a first come, first served basis.

Symposium Program

Each year the recipient(s) of the Warren Alpert Foundation Prize are recognized at a scientific symposium hosted by Harvard Medical School.

Details to Follow.

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The award is a great honor, and I really appreciate your recognition of my personal achievements and contribution of my team at the Institute of Biotechnology of Vilnius University. It is great a privilege to be among such outstanding current and former awardees of Warren Alpert Foundation. This prize makes my work even more enjoyable and challenging.
- Virginijus Siksnys

Virginijus Siksnys | 2016 Recipient

Dr. Virginijus Siksnys studied chemistry at Vilnius University and obtained his Ph.D. from Moscow State University before returning to Vilnius where he moved through different research ranks at the Institute of Applied Enzymology/Institute of Biotechnology. He holds the position of Professor of Vilnius University since 2002 and is Chief scientist/Department head at the Institute of Biotechnology of Vilnius University. He also serves as a Chairman of the Institute’s Board. He is a member of Lithuania Academy of Sciences and his work has been recognized with several awards including the Lithuania National Science Prize. Dr Siksnys has made a major and sustained contribution to the understanding of the structure and function of restriction enzymes. His current research on the CRISPR system for antiviral defense has had a major impact on the field. His studies of the Cas9 protein paved the way for development of novel tools for genome editing applications.

View Past Recipients