B. Frank Gupton, Ph.D., the Floyd D. Gottwald Jr. Chair and chair of the Department of Chemical and Life Science Engineering, and D. Tyler McQuade, Ph.D., professor of chemical engineering, will receive the 2018 American Chemical Society (ACS) Award for Affordable Green Chemistry.

They were cited for their “outstanding success” in developing a sustainable and efficient synthesis of nevirapine, resulting in reduced costs and improved access to HIV/AIDS treatment. Gupton is founder of the Medicines for All Institute, which seeks to increase access to lifesaving medications for HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and other diseases around the world.

“We took a process that was generating about 60 kilos of waste per kilogram of product and we cut that to four,” Gupton said, adding that the new environmentally friendly process was implemented within six months by the Clinton Health Access Initiative.

McQuade, former acting director of the Defense Science Office at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), is a partner in the institute. In addition to making the process greener, McQuade said, “We transformed the process so it’s more affordable. We’re excited that there are going to be more people in the world with access to these medications.”

Gupton and McQuade will be honored at an awards ceremony on March 20, 2018, at the ACS National Meeting in New Orleans, La.