World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!
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Medicine
Belgium
2026
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Microbiology
Belgium
2026

D-Index & Metrics

Microbiology

D-Index
155
Citations
112082
World Ranking
22
National Ranking
1

Medicine

D-Index
157
Citations
118490
World Ranking
875
National Ranking
9

Research.com Recognitions

  • 2026 - Research.com Medicine in Belgium Leader Award
  • 2026 - Research.com Microbiology in Belgium Leader Award
  • 2025 - Research.com Medicine in Belgium Leader Award
  • 2025 - Research.com Microbiology in Belgium Leader Award
  • 2023 - Research.com Microbiology in Belgium Leader Award
  • 2022 - Research.com Microbiology in Belgium Leader Award
  • 2010 - Dr. Paul Janssen Award for Biomedical Research, Johnson & Johnson for his landmark discoveries in anti-HIV medications, including nucleotide analogues, and inventions or co-inventions of several approved drugs for anti-viral therapy.
  • 1994 - Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
  • 1989 - Member of Academia Europaea

Overview

Erik De Clercq is affiliated with the Rega Institute for Medical Research in Belgium. Their research primarily spans the fields of Medicine and Immunology and Microbiology, with a significant focus on infectious diseases and virology. The scientist's work is closely associated with the development and treatment of HIV/AIDS, alongside topics such as Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia detection and treatment, and hepatitis C virus research.

The main subjects of their research include:

  • HIV/AIDS drug development and treatment
  • HIV Research and Treatment
  • Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia detection and treatment
  • Click Chemistry and Applications
  • Biochemical and Molecular Research
  • Hepatitis C virus research
  • HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions

Erik De Clercq has contributed to numerous scientific articles, with recent papers including:

  • "Therapeutic options for the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV)", 2020, Nature Reviews Drug Discovery
  • "Therapeutic strategies for COVID-19: progress and lessons learned", 2023, Nature Reviews Drug Discovery
  • "Medicinal chemistry strategies for discovering antivirals effective against drug-resistant viruses", 2021, Chemical Society Reviews
  • "Clinical significance of chemokine receptor antagonists", 2020, Expert Opinion on Drug Metabolism & Toxicology
  • "Approved HIV reverse transcriptase inhibitors in the past decade", 2021, Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B

Collaborations with other researchers are a notable feature of their academic activity. Frequent coauthors include:

  • Christophe Pannecouque
  • Xinyong Liu
  • Dongwei Kang
  • Peng Zhan
  • Fen-Er Chen

Publications by Erik De Clercq have appeared repeatedly in several scientific journals, with the highest number of papers found in:

  • European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry
  • Journal of Medicinal Chemistry
  • Bioorganic Chemistry
  • Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B
  • Molecules

Their work has earned recognition through awards such as the Dr. Paul Janssen Award for Biomedical Research by Johnson & Johnson in 2010, which cites contributions to anti-HIV medications and antiviral drug development. They were elected as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in 1994 and became a Member of the Academia Europaea in 1989.

Best Publications

  • Rapid and automated tetrazolium-based colorimetric assay for the detection of anti-HIV compounds

    Rudi Pauwels;Jan Balzarini;Masanori Baba;Robert Snoeck

  • Approved Antiviral Drugs over the Past 50 Years

    Erik De Clercq;Guangdi Li;Guangdi Li

  • Therapeutic options for the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV).

    Guangdi Li;Erik De Clercq

  • Angiogenesis : regulators and clinical applications

    Sandra Liekens;Erik De Clercq;Johan Neyts

  • Potent and selective inhibition of HIV-1 replication in vitro by a novel series of TIBO derivatives

    Rudi Pauwels;Koen Andries;Jan Desmyter;Dominique Schols

  • A novel selective broad-spectrum anti-DNA virus agent.

    Erik De Clercq;Antonin Holý;Ivan Rosenberg;Takashi Sakuma

  • Toward improved anti-HIV chemotherapy: therapeutic strategies for intervention with HIV infections.

    Erik De Clercq

  • Antiviral agents active against influenza A viruses

    Erik De Clercq

  • HIV-1 integrase forms stable tetramers and associates with LEDGF/p75 protein in human cells

    Peter Cherepanov;Goedele Maertens;Paul Proost;Bart Devreese

  • Strategies in the design of antiviral drugs

    Erik De Clercq

  • Anti-HIV drugs: 25 compounds approved within 25 years after the discovery of HIV.

    Erik De Clercq

  • Inhibition of T-tropic HIV Strains by Selective Antagonization of the Chemokine Receptor CXCR4

    Dominique Schols;Sofie Struyf;Jo Van Damme;José A. Esté

  • Therapeutic strategies for COVID-19: progress and lessons learned

    Unknown

  • Antiviral activity of phosphonylmethoxyalkyl derivatives of purine and pyrimidines.

    Erik De Clercq;Takashi Sakuma;Masanori Baba;Rudi Pauwels

  • Update on Human Herpesvirus 6 Biology, Clinical Features, and Therapy

    Leen De Bolle;Lieve Naesens;Erik De Clercq

  • The bicyclam AMD3100 story

    Erik De Clercq

  • Chemokine receptor inhibition by AMD3100 is strictly confined to CXCR4.

    Sigrid Hatse;Katrien Princen;Gary Bridger;Erik De Clercq

  • LEDGF/p75 Is Essential for Nuclear and Chromosomal Targeting of HIV-1 Integrase in Human Cells

    Goedele Maertens;Peter Cherepanov;Willem Pluymers;Katrien Busschots

  • A novel lead for specific anti-HIV-1 agents: 1-[(2-hydroxyethoxy)methyl]-6-(phenylthio)thymine.

    Tadashi Miyasaka;Hiromichi Tanaka;Masanori Baba;Hiroyuki Hayakawa

  • Current lead natural products for the chemotherapy of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection

    Erik De Clercq

  • Both 2′,3′-dideoxythymidine and its 2′,3′-unsaturated derivative (2′,3′-dideoxythymidinene) are potent and selective inhibitors of human immunodeficiency virus replication in vitro

    Masanori Baba;Rudi Pauwels;Piet Herdewijn;Erik De Clercq

  • Tetrazolium-based colorimetric assay for the detection of HIV replication inhibitors: revisited 20 years later

    Christophe Pannecouque;Dirk Daelemans;Erik De Clercq

  • Synthesis, antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral activity evaluation of some new bis-Schiff bases of isatin and their derivatives.

    Aliasghar Jarrahpour;Dariush Khalili;Erik De Clercq;Chanaz Salmi

  • Synthesis and biological activity of 4-thiazolidinones, thiosemicarbazides derived from diflunisal hydrazide

    Güniz Küçükgüzel;Ayla Kocatepe;Erik De Clercq;Fikrettin Şahin;Fikrettin Şahin

  • Inhibitory effect of dextran sulfate and heparin on the replication of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in vitro.

    Masaihiko Ito;Masanori Baba;Akihiko Sato;Rudi Pauwels

  • Antiviral prodrugs – the development of successful prodrug strategies for antiviral chemotherapy

    Erik De Clercq;Hugh J Field

Frequent Co-Authors

Jan Balzarini
Jan Balzarini KU Leuven
Christophe Pannecouque
Christophe Pannecouque Rega Institute for Medical Research
Robert Snoeck
Robert Snoeck KU Leuven
Johan Neyts
Johan Neyts Rega Institute for Medical Research
Xinyong Liu
Xinyong Liu Shandong University
Peng Zhan
Peng Zhan Shandong University
Lieve Naesens
Lieve Naesens Rega Institute for Medical Research

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