Helmut Sies, MD, PhD (hon), studied medicine at the universities of Tübingen, Munich, and Paris. He was the professor and chair of the Institute for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology I at Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Germany, where he is now professor emeritus. He is a member of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina and was the president of the North Rhine-Westphalian Academy of Sciences and Arts. He was named ‘Redox Pioneer’; was the president of the Society for Free Radical Research International (SFRRI). Helmut Sies introduced the concept of “Oxidative Stress in 1985, and was the first to reveal hydrogen peroxide as a normal constituent of aerobic cell metabolism. His research interests comprise redox biology, oxidants, antioxidants, micronutrients. Lester Packer received a PhD in Microbiology and Biochemistry in 1956 from Yale University. In 1961, he joined the University of California at Berkeley serving as Professor of Cell and Molecular Biology until 2000, and then was appointed Adjunct Professor, Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy at the University of Southern California. Dr Packer received numerous distinctions including three honorary doctoral degrees, several distinguished Professor appointments. He was awarded Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Merite (Knight of the French National Order of Merit) and later promoted to the rank of Officier. He served as President of the Society for Free Radical Research International (SFRRI), founder and Honorary President of the Oxygen Club of California. He has edited numerous books and published research; some of the most cited articles have become classics in the field of free radical biology: Dr Packer is a member of many professional societies and editorial boards. His research elucidated - the Antioxidant Network concept. Exogenous lipoic acid was discovered to be one of the most potent natural antioxidants and placed as the ultimate reductant or in the pecking order of the “Antioxidant Network regenerating vitamins C and E and stimulating glutathione synthesis, thereby improving the overall cellular antioxidant defense. The Antioxidant Network is a concept addressing the cell’s redox status. He established a world-wide network of research programs by supporting and co-organizing conferences on free radical research and redox biology in Asia, Europe, and America.
