Launch of the AXA – University of Strasbourg Chair on Supramolecular Chemistry, in the presence of Henri de Castries, AXA Group Chairman and CEO. The Chair Holder's objective will be to strengthen fundamental research in the field and to develop the applications of supramolecular chemistry to find new solutions for treating ageing-related illnesses The AXA Research Fund is awarding €2.25 million euros to the University of Strasbourg to create an endowed Chair on Supramolecular Chemistry, held by Prof. Luisa De Cola. The work carried out within this Chair will follow on from the supramolecular chemistry research began by Professor Jean-Marie Lehn, Nobel Prize Laureate for Chemistry in 1987, within France's only network of excellence for chemistry: the International Centre for Frontier Research in Chemistry. The AXA-University of Strasbourg Chair first objective will be to further strengthen fundamental research into supramolecular chemistry. This branch of chemistry is based on the study of molecular bricks which, brought together under controlled conditions, self-assemble to give more complex structures. There are numerous applications, particularly for new materials, in medicine, green chemistry or even IT storage systems.This chair will develop the applications of supramolecular chemistry for medical sciences and will more specifically help find new solutions for treating ageing-related illnesses. Following an introduction by Bernard Meunier, President of the Fondation pour la Recherche en Chimie, Alain Beretz, President of the University of Strasbourg and Henri de Castries, AXA Group Chairman & CEO, Luisa De Cola will present the Chair and start a round table dedicated to Longevity issues. Speakers for the round table will be Jean-Marie Lehn,Nobel Prize Laureate for Chemistry in 1987, Luisa de Cola (AXA Chair Holder), Véronique Weill, Chief Operating Officer AXA Group, Prof Abdul Barakat (AXA Chair in Ecole Polytechnique) and Prof. Pascal Hintermeyer, specialized in sociology and head of the « Cultures et sociétés en Europe » lab (UMR 7236, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS).