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t h ePharmacologist
A Publication by The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
Vol. 57 • Number 1 • March 2015
Inside:ASPET Annual Meeting at EB 2015
2015 Election Results
2015 Award Winners
How Paul Janssen’s Drugs Saved the Chinese Terracotta Warriors
Message from the President
New in 2015
2015 Election Results
2015 Award Winners
We Are ASPET
Meeting News
Feature Article: How Paul Janssen’s Drugs Saved the Chinese Terracotta Warriors
Science Policy
Education News
Journal News
Members in the News
Membership News
Division News
Chapter News
Meetings and Congresses
Contents...3456
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The Pharmacologist is published and distributed by the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics.
The Pharmacologist • March 2015
THE PHARMACOLOGIST PRODUCTION TEAMPrateeksha NagarSuzie Thompson Rich DodenhoffJudith A. Siuciak, PhD
COUNCIL
President Annette E. Fleckenstein, PhD
President-Elect Kenneth E. Thummel, PhD
Past President Richard R. Neubig, MD, PhD
Secretary/Treasurer Paul A. Insel, MD
Secretary/Treasurer-Elect Dennis C. Marshall, PhD
Past Secretary/Treasurer Sandra P. Welch, PhD
Councilors Charles P. France, PhD
John D. Schuetz, PhD
Margaret E. Gnegy, PhD
Chair, Board of Publications Trustees Mary E. Vore, PhD
Chair, Program Committee Scott Waldman, MD, PhD
FASEB Board Representative Brian M. Cox, PhD
Executive Officer Judith A. Siuciak, PhD
The Pharmacologist (ISSN 0031-7004) is published quarterly in March, June, September, and December by the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, 9650 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20814-3995. Annual subscription rates: $20.00 for ASPET members; $45.00 for U.S. nonmembers and institutions; $70.00 for nonmembers and institutions outside the U.S. Single copy: $20.00. Copyright © 2015 by the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics Inc. All rights reserved. Periodicals postage paid at Bethesda, MD. GST number for Canadian subscribers: BN:13489 2330 RT.
ASPET assumes no responsibility for the statements and opinions advanced by contributors to The Pharmacologist.
Postmaster: Send address changes to: The Pharmacologist, ASPET 9650 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20814-3995.
3
March 2015 • The Pharmacologist
Message from
The PresidentMy Fellow Pharmacologists:
We are fast approaching the ASPET Annual Meeting at Experimental Biology 2015, which will be held
in Boston from March 28–April 1. As pharmacologists, we are energized by exploring new discoveries and
transforming these into therapies. To foster this mission, I encourage you to join us at Experimental Biology
2015 (EB 2015).
ASPET has planned an exciting program for our portion of EB 2015, including lectures from renowned
scientists Jeffrey Benovic, Andre Terzic, Scott Waldman, Pieter Dorrestein, Namandjé Bumpus, and William
Catterall. The program will not only include a wide variety of scientific symposia, but also education and
career development sessions, a student and postdoctoral best abstract competition, and numerous mixers
and networking events. The single EB 2015 registration fee gains you access to the programs of all six
participating societies, as well as over thirty guest societies.
I strongly recommend members to connect with ASPET staff in Booth 1154. Our enthusiastic team looks
forward to meeting you and learning how to better serve the needs of the Society.
Earlier this year, ASPET had the pleasure of announcing our 2015 Scientific Achievement Award winners.
These awards are given to recognize accomplishments and contributions in specific areas of pharmacology
or to the discipline in general. This year’s winners will be presented with their awards on Saturday, March 28,
2015 at 6:00 pm at the Business Meeting and Awards Ceremony at the Boston Convention and Exhibition
Center in Room 107AB. The inaugural presentations of the David Lehr Research Award and the Reynold
Spector Award in Clinical Pharmacology will also be held at the awards ceremony, so please remember to
join us!
Since 2009, ASPET members attending EB have given a day of volunteer service in local communities
including New Orleans, Pasadena, San Diego, and Washington, DC. This year, ASPET’s Division for Behavioral
Pharmacology is again sponsoring a volunteer opportunity involving Cradles to Crayons, an organization that
provides children from birth through age twelve living in homeless or low-income situations with the essential
items they need to thrive at home, at school, and at play. I hope you can all find time in your schedule to
volunteer for this highly worthwhile event!
I highly recommend that early career scientists join us and get involved in activities such as the Annual
Division Meetings. These meetings present an important opportunity to have a voice in the future activities
and directions of the division, introduce yourselves to the division leadership, and volunteer to get involved.
I’m looking forward to seeing you in Boston!
Annette E. Fleckenstein
http://www.aspet.org/eb2015/http://www.aspet.org/eb2015/http://www.aspet.org/eb2015/http://www.cradlestocrayons.org/boston
4
The Pharmacologist • March 2015
New in 2015Gearing Up for an Exciting 2015
It’s been a whole year since the launch of The Pharmacologist’s new look
and we’ve accomplished a lot this past year, but get ready for an even more
exciting 2015! As we move into the second year of publishing your re-vamped
ASPET membership magazine, we’ve honed our articles and content to provide
only the most interesting and important information for our members. Each issue
provides you with upcoming deadlines, new initiatives and programs, and up-to-
date information from our membership, journals, science policy, education, and
meetings departments.
By now, you should be familiar with our feature stories in The Pharmacologist.
These articles, by science writer Dr. Rebecca J. Anderson, focus on science
stories with historical significance. This March issue features a story about the
2,200 year old Chinese Terracotta Warriors – one of China’s most famous cultural
treasures – that began to face an increasingly serious mold problem and how Dr.
Paul Janssen, a prestigious scientist and the founder of Janssen Pharmaceutical
of Belgium, was able to save the ancient relics from the threat of decay. You won’t
want to miss this article as well as the other feature stories due for publication later
this year: “Blue bloods: How the lowly horseshoe crab is essential to injectable
drug manufacturing;” “The ’sleepy’ sickness, Oliver Sacks, and the early days of
L-DOPA;” and “Methotrexate, Sydney Farber, and the Jimmy Fund: The birth of
modern cancer chemotherapy.”
We are debuting a new e-flip reader format for The Pharmacologist with this
issue. In addition to a downloadable PDF format, we are providing an easy-to-
read, user-friendly, e-flip format. Readers can flip through the pages of the issue
– similar to flipping through a magazine – on a laptop, smartphone, or tablet;
zoom in to read your favorite articles; crop articles for easy printing; and much
more. We’d love to hear your feedback on this format for the online version of The
Pharmacologist and whether you think it is useful and easy to read. Please email
us your thoughts and ideas at pnagar@aspet.org.
The March issue also features profiles of ASPET’s 2015 scientific award winners.
Read about their research efforts and why they were chosen for our prestigious
awards this year. Also important for this issue, you’ll find ASPET’s annual meeting
program broken out by day, division meetings and activities, activities of interest for
students and postdocs, social events, business meetings, and ancillary functions.
Make your plans for EB this year using this highly informative programming section.
In education news, students and young scientists will benefit from reading an
article that focusses on how to make the most out of their EB experience. The
article, contributed by our postdoctoral representative Uyen Chu, and members
of the Mentoring and Career Development Committee, offers informative tips and
techniques to prepare for the conference, present your research, attend various
talks and events, and follow up with professional contacts after the meeting.
We hope you enjoy this issue and all there is to come in 2015!
mailto:pnagar%40aspet.org?subject=
5
March 2015 • The Pharmacologist
2015 Election ResultsThe 2015 ASPET election closed on January 15, 2015 with a promising turnout. Over 18% of our regular,
postdoctoral, and retired members participated in the election to vote for the Society’s new leadership.
The newly elected president-elect, secretary/treasurer-elect, and councilor will begin their terms on July 1,
2015. Congratulations to newly elected Council members Dr. David R. Sibley, Dr. Charles France, and
Dr. Wayne Backes.
David R. Sibley, PhDChief, Section on Molecular Neuropharmacology, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health
President-Elect Secretary/Treasurer-Elect Councilor
Charles France, PhD Professor, Departments of Pharmacology & Psychiatry, University of Texas Health Science Center
Wayne Backes, PhDAssociate Dean for Research & Professor, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center
6
The Pharmacologist • March 2015
2015 Award Winners
ASPET presents several major awards on either an annual or a biennial basis. These awards are given
to recognize accomplishments either in specific areas of pharmacology or contributions to the discipline in
general. We are pleased to announce our 2015 Scientific Achievement Award winners. ASPET will present
these awards on Saturday, March 28, 2015 at 6:00 pm at the Business Meeting and Awards Ceremony at the
ASPET Annual Meeting during Experimental Biology 2015 at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center in
Room 107AB.
Pieter Dorrestein, PhDUniversity of California, San Diego, CA
Pieter Dorrestein, PhD,
an associate professor at
the University of California,
San Diego, director of the
Therapeutic Discovery Mass
Spectrometry Center, and
a co-director of the Institute for Metabolomics
Medicine in the Skaggs School of Pharmacy &
Pharmaceutical Sciences, is the 2015 recipient of
the John J. Abel Award in Pharmacology.
Dr. Dorrestein was trained by Tadgh Begley
in the chemical biology of enzymes involved in
vitamin biosynthesis and by Neil Kelleher and
Christopher Walsh, who were co-sponsors of his
NRSA postdoctoral fellowship, in top and middle
down mass spectrometry on proteins that made
small molecules of therapeutic value. Since his
arrival at UCSD in 2006, Dr. Dorrestein has been
pioneering the development of mass spectrometry
methods to study the chemical ecological crosstalk
between populations of organisms for agricultural,
diagnostic, and therapeutic applications.
In general, Dr. Dorrestein thinks about the
application of the tools his lab develops and
new functions of molecules that they discover.
In the academic branch of his lab, he works on
understanding the functional roles of specialized
molecules and applies this information toward
disease intervention such as the evaluation of
newly discovered molecules as anti-infective
strategies. Many of his tools and methodologies
are also impacting industry. For example, his
molecular networking tool is being used by
industry to discover new pharmacologically
related molecules. Molecular networking has led
to the first crowd-sourced and social molecular
analysis infrastructure at gnps.ucsd.edu, which
is used by thousands of researchers from over
60 countries. His team and industry have jointly
developed and implemented an assay that
monitors the inflammatory status and potential
of patients and how they respond to therapies
using just a small amount of blood. This is being
evaluated as a way to stratify patients in clinical
trials. Similarly, he has a joint project with industry
that aims to answer the question of how healthy
commensal bacteria alter the immune system.
John Jacob Abel Award in PharmacologyThe John J. Abel Award in Pharmacology, named after the founder of ASPET, was
established in 1946 to stimulate fundamental research in pharmacology and experimental
therapeutics by young investigators. The award is presented annually.
http://gnps.ucsd.edu/ProteoSAFe/static/gnps-splash.jsp
7
March 2015 • The Pharmacologist
Dr. Dorrestein has published over 140 articles
and is the recipient of several awards, including
the Beckman Foundation Young Investigators
Award, The National Institutes of Health
Exceptional and Unconventional Research Award
(EUREKA), the Lilly Award in Analytical Chemistry,
the Hearst Foundation Award, the Pharmaceutical
Research and Manufacturers of America Award,
and the Matt Suffness Award. He was named
a V-Foundation Scholar. In addition, he is a
technological and research advisor/consultant for
INDICASET, Janssen, Agraquest, Bayer, CUBIST,
and Sirenas Marine Discovery.
Dr. Dorrestein will deliver the John J. Abel
Lecture on Monday, March 30, 2015 from 8:30
am–9:20 am in Room 107AB of the Boston
Convention & Exhibition Center.
Julius Axelrod Award in PharmacologyThe Julius Axelrod Award in Pharmacology was established in 1991 to honor the
memory of the eminent American pharmacologist who shaped the fields of neuroscience,
drug metabolism, and biochemistry and who served as a mentor for numerous eminent
pharmacologists around the world. This award is presented for significant contributions to
understanding the biochemical mechanisms underlying the pharmacological actions of drugs
and for contributions to mentoring other pharmacologists. ASPET assumed responsibility of the Julius
Axelrod Award in Pharmacology from the Catecholamine Club in 2007. The award is presented annually.
Jean Rossier, MD, PhD Hôpital Sainte Anne, Paris, France
Dr. Jean Rossier has been
named the recipient of the
2015 Julius Axelrod Award in
Pharmacology. From 1994 to
2012, Dr. Rossier was professor
and chairman of the Department
of Biology at ESPCI Paris Tech, a famous graduate
school where Pierre and Marie Curie discovered
radioactivity. Since 2012, he has worked at Hôpital
Sainte Anne in Paris on translational research on
imaging the brain in action.
Dr. Rossier has made several major discoveries
in neuropharmacology including his work on
neuropeptides with Bloom, Guillemin, and
Udenfriend of multiple opioïd peptides delineating
several distinct neuronal systems involved in
pain and reward. Turning his interests on GABAA
receptors, he made the seminal observation that
several inverse agonists facilitate performance
in learning and memory tasks. This has led to
the present development by the pharmaceutical
industry of specific inverse agonists that are
candidates for promnesic drugs. His most widely
technical contribution in neuroscience is the
invention of single-cell RT-PCR after patch-
clamp. This unexpected marriage of molecular
biology and physiology led to several discoveries.
With single-cell RT-PCR, he has deciphered
the molecular organization of various synaptic
receptors. These key molecules are located at the
contacts between neurons. He is now using RT-
PCR and a multidisciplinary approach combining
electrophysiology, pharmacology, and imaging to
characterize the diversity of neocortical interneurons
and their roles in local blood flow control. This recent
discovery of the role played by interneurons in
controlling cerebral blood flow has shed light on the
physiological mechanisms involved in functional NMR
brain imaging, a technique widely used in the study
of human brain function.
Dr. Rossier will present the Axelrod Lecture at the
2016 ASPET Annual Meeting during Experimental
Biology in San Diego, California, April 2–6, 2016.
The 2015 Axelrod Lecture will be given by last
year’s recipient, Jeffrey L. Benovic of Thomas Jefferson
University, who will deliver a lecture titled “Arresting
Developments in Receptor Signaling” on Sunday,
March 29, 2015 from 2:00 pm–2:50 pm in Room 107AB
at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center.
8
The Pharmacologist • March 2015
Pharmacia-ASPET Award for Experimental Therapeutics
The Pharmacia ASPET Award in Experimental Therapeutics recognizes and
stimulates outstanding research in pharmacology and experimental therapeutics, basic
laboratory, or clinical research that has had, or potentially will have, a major impact on the
pharmacological treatment of disease. This award was originally established in 1969 as the
ASPET Award for Experimental Therapeutics, but was renamed in 2002, when supported in
perpetuity by an endowment from Pharmacia (now Pfizer). The award is presented annually.
Robert R. Ruffolo Career Achievement Award in Pharmacology
The Robert R. Ruffolo Career Achievement Award in Pharmacology was established in 2011
in recognition of the contributions made to drug discovery and development by Dr. Ruffolo.
The award recognizes the scientific achievements of scientists who are at the height of their
careers (typically mid- to late-career) and who have made significant contributions to any area of
pharmacology. The award is presented annually.
Heidi Hamm, PhDVanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
Dr. Heidi E. Hamm has
been named the recipient of
the 2015 Robert R. Ruffolo
Career Achievement Award
in Pharmacology. Dr. Hamm
is the Aileen M. Lange and Annie Mary Lyle chair
in Cardiovascular Research and professor of
Pharmacology at the Vanderbilt University Medical
Center. She served as the chair of the Department of
Pharmacology at Vanderbilt from 2000–2013 where
she oversaw an increase in the size of the department,
as well as a quintupling of its funding from the
National Institutes of Health (NIH) during her tenure.
L. Jackson Roberts, PhDVanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN
Dr. L. Jackson Roberts has
been named the recipient of
the 2015 Pharmacia-ASPET
Award for Experimental
Therapeutics. Dr. Roberts
is a professor of Pharmacology and Medicine
at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in
Nashville, Tennessee. He received his bachelor’s
degree from Cornell College in Mt. Vernon, Iowa,
and his MD degree from the University of Iowa. He
did an internal medicine residency at Washington
University in St. Louis, moved to Vanderbilt
University where he did a postdoctoral fellowship
in clinical pharmacology, and then joined the
Vanderbilt faculty in 1977.
His initial research focus at Vanderbilt was on
prostaglandins. However, his discovery, along with
Jason Morrow, that prostaglandin-like compounds
(isoprostanes) could be formed by a non-enzymatic
free radical mechanism in 1990 led him to change his
area of research to the field of free radical biology
and medicine. His research emphasis is largely
translational in nature, taking basic discoveries
related to lipid peroxidation and oxidative stress/
injury in the laboratory and exploring their role in the
pathogenesis of human disease.
9
March 2015 • The Pharmacologist
Her research focuses on the structure and function
of GTP binding proteins and the molecular mechanisms
of signal transduction. Her laboratory has been at
the forefront of developing our understanding of G
protein coupled signal transduction for many years.
Early studies in Dr. Hamm’s lab concentrated on visual
signaling; she defined sites of rhodopsin interaction
with transducin using synthetic peptides from Gα and went on to characterize G protein effector interactions
in the same way. She then collaborated with Paul
Sigler to determine the three-dimensional structures
of heterotrimeric G protein αβγ subunits in their active and inactive conformations and in complex with the
Gα subunit. She has extensively used peptides and minigenes, encoding small peptides or domains of
signaling proteins to define protein-protein interaction
and Gα and βγ dependent signaling pathways in cells. Minigenes that turn off one G protein pathway at a time
in transfected cells showed that receptors that couple
to multiple G proteins drive cell-specific responses
via non-redundant interactions of multiple G protein
pathways. Thus she has pioneered studies of functions
of G protein subunits within the context of integrated
physiological systems and is applying mathematical
modeling approaches to understand these networks of
G protein signaling pathways.
Dr. Hamm has organized a number of meetings
including Keystone, the Federation of American
Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB), American
Society for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology (ASBMB),
and the Gordon Conference on Cyclic Nucleotides
and Protein Phosphorylation. She was president of
the ASBMB from 2006–2008. Dr. Hamm has served
on the NIH Visual Sciences C study section, the NIH
Reviewers Reserve, the Board of Scientific Counselors,
NHLBI, and the NIH Peer Review Advisory Committee;
she currently sits on the CSR Advisory Committee. She
is on the Board of Directors of the Keystone Symposia
on Molecular and Cellular Biology. She has served
on the editorial boards of The Journal of Biological
Chemistry, Biochemistry, Molecular Pharmacology,
and Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science.
She is currently a member of the editorial board of
The Journal Chemical Biology & Drug Design. She
holds the Earl W. Sutherland, Jr. Endowed Chair of
Pharmacology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Doo-Sup Choi, PhDMayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN
Dr. Doo-Sup Choi has been
named the recipient of the first
David Lehr Research Award.
Dr. Choi is professor of
Pharmacology and Psychiatry
at the Mayo Clinic College
of Medicine. He serves as the director of the
Samuel C. Johnson Genomics of Addiction
Program at Mayo Clinic. He received his bachelor’s
and master’s degrees in biochemistry at Yonsei
University in Korea. He went on to receive a
PhD in cellular and molecular biology at the
Université L. Pasteur, IGBMC in Strasbourg, France.
His postdoctoral fellowship in neurobiology of
addiction was completed in the Department of
Biopharmaceutical Sciences at the University of
California, San Francisco.
He is a member of the Neurotoxicology and
Alcohol Study Section of the National Institutes
of Health (2012–2016). He is on the editorial
board of Addiction Genetics, Journal of Addictive
Behaviors Therapy & Rehabilitation, Journal of
Medical Research and Practice, and PLOS ONE. He
David Lehr Research AwardThe David Lehr Research Award is intended to extend funding for preclinical or
clinical research directed toward improving human health. This award is made possible
by an endowment to ASPET in 2014 from Mrs. Lisa Lehr in honor of her husband, the late
Dr. David Lehr, former chair of the Department of Pharmacology for New York Medical
College. The award is presented biennially.
10
The Pharmacologist • March 2015
Reynold Spector Award in Clinical PharmacologyThe Reynold Spector Award in Clinical Pharmacology was established in 2014 by ASPET
in recognition of Dr. Spector’s dedication and contributions to clinical pharmacology. The
award recognizes excellence in research and/or teaching in clinical pharmacology. It is made
possible by an endowment to ASPET from Dr. Reynold and Mrs. Michiko Spector. The award is
presented biennially.
Scott A. Waldman, MD, PhD, FCP, FAHAThomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA
Scott A. Waldman has been
named the first recipient of
the Reynold Spector Award in
Clinical Pharmacology.
Dr. Waldman obtained his
PhD from Thomas Jefferson University and his MD
from Stanford University. He was a postdoctoral fellow
at the University of Virginia and Stanford University in
the Division of Clinical Pharmacology in the laboratory
of Ferid Murad, MD, PhD (Nobel 1998).
He currently holds the endowed chair as
Samuel MV Hamilton Professor of Medicine
and is director of the Delaware Valley Institute
for Clinical and Translational Research, director
of the Gastrointestinal Cancer Program of the
Kimmel Cancer Center, director of the Institute
for Individualized Medicine, and chairman of the
Department of Pharmacology and Experimental
Therapeutics of Thomas Jefferson University.
Dr. Waldman also directs the MD-PhD Program,
the National Institutes of Health (NIH) sponsored
Postdoctoral Training Program in Clinical
Pharmacology, and the Training Program in Human
Investigation (former NIH K30 Program) at Jefferson.
He is a past member of the American Board of Clinical
Pharmacology, a past Regent of the American College
of Clinical Pharmacology (ACCP), a past-president of
ASCPT, and chair of the Scientific Program Committee
and a council member of ASPET. He is a Fellow of the
ACCP (FCP) and American Heart Association (FAHA).
He is the editor-in-chief for Clinical Pharmacology
and Therapeutics and Biomarkers in Medicine, the
deputy editor-in-chief for Clinical and Translational
Science, and co-editor for Waldman and Terzic’s
Pharmacology and Therapeutics: Principles to
Practice. Dr. Waldman’s research interests focus on
clinical pharmacology and translational medicine in the
context of gastrointestinal malignancies and obesity.
Dr. Waldman will present the Spector Lecture
titled “Bench-to-Bedside Translation in Clinical
Pharmacology: From Knowledge Generation to
Healthcare Delivery” on Tuesday, March 31 from 8:30
am–9:20 am in Room 107C of the Boston Convention
& Exhibition Center.
received a Young Investigator Travel Award from
the International Behavioural and Neural Genetics
Society (IBANGS) in 2009 and the Outstanding
Young Investigator Award from IBANGS in 2005.
Dr. Choi has extensive experience in
molecular and neuropharmacology of alcohol
use disorders (AUD) and psychiatric disorders.
He has published more than 70 peer-reviewed
articles including many high impact papers in
journals such as Nature Neuroscience, Journal of
Clinical Investigation, Molecular Psychiatry, PNAS,
Biological Psychiatry, Development, Journal of
Neuroscience, and Neuropsychopharmacology.
He will use the award to research adenosine-
mediated glutamate signaling in neuro-glial
interaction and alcoholism. The purpose will be
to study molecular mechanisms of adenosine-
regulated glutamate signaling, which is an essential
component of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC)-
striatal circuit and ethanol seeking behaviors.
11
March 2015 • The Pharmacologist
Torald Sollmann Award in PharmacologyThe Torald Sollmann Award in Pharmacology was established in 1960 to
commemorate the pioneering work of Dr. Torald Sollmann in the fields of pharmacological
investigation and education. This award is presented biennially in odd-numbered years
for significant contributions over many years to the advancement and extension of
knowledge in the field of pharmacology.
James E. Barrett, PhDDrexel University, Philadelphia, PA
Dr. James E. Barrett has
been named the recipient
of the 2015 Torald Sollmann
Award in Pharmacology.
Dr. Barrett is professor and
chair of the Department of
Pharmacology and Physiology and founding director
of the Drug Discovery and Development Program
at Drexel University College of Medicine and of the
Clinical and Translational Research Institute, Drexel
University. He received his PhD from Pennsylvania
State University followed by postdoctoral training
in neuropsychopharmacology at the Worcester
Foundation for Experimental Biology.
He has served on the faculty at the University
of Maryland and at the Uniformed Services
University of the Health Sciences where he was
a Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry,
Pharmacology, and Medical Psychology. Dr. Barrett
joined Wyeth as vice president of Neuroscience
Discovery Research following the merger with
Lederle Laboratories where he had been director
of Central Nervous System Research. Prior to
his current position at Drexel University College
of Medicine, he was senior vice president, chief
scientific officer, and president of research at
Adolor Corporation, a company focused on pain
pharmaceuticals. He moved to Adolor after serving
as president of research and development at
Memory Pharmaceuticals, a biopharmaceutical
company dedicated to the development of drugs
for the treatment of debilitating central nervous
system disorders.
He has published more than 275 scientific
articles, books, and abstracts in the areas of
neuropharmacology, neurobiology, behavioral
pharmacology, translational research, and
neuroscience and serves on several editorial
boards. He has served as president of the
Behavioral Pharmacology Society and of ASPET.
He served as the chair of the ASPET Board of
Publication Trustees and has served on the
Board of Directors for the Federation of American
Societies for Experimental Biology, where he was
a member of the Science Policy Committee and
the Public Affairs Committee as well as chair of
the Breakthrough Series in Science and Horizons
in Bioscience series. Dr. Barrett recently became
series editor for the Handbook of Experimental
Pharmacology. He has received the Solvay-Duphar
Award for Research on Affective Disorders, the
George B. Koelle Award from the Mid-Atlantic
Pharmacology Society for contributions to teaching
and research, and, most recently, the P.B. Dews
Lifetime Achievement Award for Research in
Behavioral Pharmacology. Dr. Barrett is currently a
member of the External Scientific Advisory Board,
Preclinical Autism Consortium for Therapeutics.
He is also the president of the Association of
Medical School Pharmacology Chairs and was
recently elected to the Executive Committee
of the International Union of Basic and Clinical
Pharmacology. His current research emphasis is in
the area of pain, its comorbid pathologies, and on
basic mechanisms and new therapeutics.
12
The Pharmacologist • March 2015
Division for Drug Metabolism Early Career Achievement Award
The ASPET Division for Drug Metabolism Early Career Achievement Award was established to recognize
excellent original research by early career investigators in the area of drug metabolism and disposition and is
presented biennially.
Namandjé N. Bumpus, PhDThe Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
Dr. Namandjé N.
Bumpus has been named
the recipient of the
2015 Division for Drug
Metabolism Early Career
Achievement.
Dr. Bumpus received a PhD in pharmacology
from the University of Michigan and performed
thesis research in the laboratory of Dr. Paul F.
Hollenberg where she investigated the effect of
a naturally occurring cytochrome P450 (CYP)
2B6 mutation on the ability of the enzyme to
become inactivated by known inactivators of the
wild-type enzyme.
As a postdoctoral fellow with Dr. Eric F.
Johnson at The Scripps Research Institute,
Dr. Bumpus studied the regulation of CYP4A
and CYP4F genes in mice. She is currently
an assistant professor in the Department of
Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences and
the Department of Medicine – Division on
Clinical Pharmacology at The Johns Hopkins
University School of Medicine. Her research
program is focused on defining the contribution
of drug metabolism to the pharmacology and
toxicology of drugs used to treat and prevent HIV
infection. She serves on the Drug Metabolism
and Disposition editorial board and is a regular
member of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Xenobiotic and Nutrient Disposition and Action
Study Section.
Dr. Bumpus will present the Drug Metabolism
Early Career Achievement Award Lecture on
Monday, March 30 from 2:00 pm–2:50 pm
in Room 109A at the Boston Convention &
Exhibition Center. The award will be presented to
her at that time.
13
March 2015 • The Pharmacologist
We Are ASPET
Have you wondered what types of science professionals make up our Society? Take this word search
puzzle to find out! Word search puzzles are fun and easy to play. Just look for the words hidden in the
puzzle. You can find them up, down, diagonally, forward, or backward. And remember – a letter can be part
of two or more words.
Neuroscientist
Pharmacologist
Toxicologist
Behavioral Pharmacologist
Biochemist
Biomedical Scientist
Chemical Biologist
Life Scientist
Medicinal Chemist
Molecular Biologist
Neuropharmacologist
Pharmaceutical Scientist
PharmD
Pharmacist
Physiologist
Psychologist
Educator
Nobel Laureate
Professor
Researcher
Government Worker
Student
Solved puzzle is on page 14
V T K L X I M Z P V B C X I F X B M E Z G Q M Y
W Q D F N L T C H E M I C A L B I O L O G I S T
W G W F U A S I A Q H H P X P D Q D D E Z S S N
V O T E O Y I H R Q P D T G W C W B H T L I X R
E V Z T K B G L M T X X J Z K X B T V X G P B O
B E H A V I O R A L P H A R M A C O L O G I S T
Y R C E R O L M C T S P I R X T P K L D O H N A
O N I R G C O H E N S X S Q O H C O O M J E Q C
H M S U C H I B U D F I I Y A S C K E F U Y T U
U E G A D E B E T P I N T R C I S D E R M N N D
L N Y L Z M R X I A H C M N X H I E O W E O D E
R T Q L S I A Q C S G A I O E C O S F D A Q B P
H W G E J S L K A W C M T N A I C L U O T E Y I
I O L B M T U D L I Z H S L A I C T O J R O C B
J R A O Q S C N S F H G S S E L S S P G O P S Y
H K T N P D E T C L E C Q N K Y C H E I I X E Z
S E E L J J L G I D I N T I G A T H E F I S D O
S R D M I Y O X E E E I P H A R M D E N I Z T D
N P S J S P M H N I S M X Y C D A H Y M Y L Z T
Y J R X C E N T T T R P H Y S I O L O G I S T U
F P L D S O I E I B X L J D B V E S C T M S O I
F B H Z S S I I S R E H C R A E S E R O E S T H
R Z B J T J J O T S I G O L O C A M R A H P U L
T S I G O L O C A M R A H P O R U E N G U R H V
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The Pharmacologist • March 2015
We Are ASPET, puzzle from page 13
P T C H E M I C A L B I O L O G I S T G S A S O E I R I R V T B G M G B O B E H A V I O R A L P H A R M A C O L O G I S T R E O L M C T P R P L O N A N R C O E S S O H O M E C M U H I U D I Y A S C E U T U E A E B T I T R C I S D R N D N L M R I C M N X H I E O E E T L I A C A I O E C O S F D W E S L A C T N A I C L U O O B T U L I L A I C T O R R O S C S S E L S S G P K N E T C C N C E I E L I I T H F S R O E E I P H A R M D E I T M N S M L T T T P H Y S I O L O G I S T I I S S S R E H C R A E S E R T T T S I G O L O C A M R A H P T S I G O L O C A M R A H P O R U E N
Answers:
15
March 2015 • The Pharmacologist
Meeting News
Business Meeting and Opening Events
Saturday, March 28, 2015
Meeting/Event Room Time
ASPET Business Meeting and Awards Presentation 107AB 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
ASPET Opening and Awards Reception SW Pre-Function Area 7:30 PM – 9:30 PM
Pharmacology Programming
Saturday, March 28, 2015
Session Room Time
Speed Networking for Careers Beyond the Academic Bench
Chairs: J.E. Clark and P. McGonigle106 9:30 AM – 12:00 PM
2015 Teaching Institute:
Training Students for Teaching Careers
Chairs: K. Karpa and K. Hardy
108 12:00 PM – 2:30 PM
Graduate Student-Postdoctoral Colloquium: How to Get Started
Chairs: A.T. Hanna-Mitchell and H. Gottlieb 109AB 2:45 PM – 5:15 PM
■ Lectures ■ Divisional Programming
Schedule subject to change. Check the EB 2015 program book and mobile app for final schedule.
All locations at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center (BCEC) unless otherwise noted.
16
The Pharmacologist • March 2015
■ Lectures ■ Divisional Programming
Session Room Time
ASPET Presidential Symposium:
Navigating the Future of Biomedical Research
Chair: A.E. Fleckenstein
107AB 9:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Bile Acids and Liver Disease in Pregnant Women and Neonates
Chairs: L.M. Aleksunes and G.L. Guo106 9:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Emerging Regenerative Therapies in Pulmonary Disease
Chairs: Y. Liu and J. Rehman109A 9:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Emerging Roles of Trace Amine Associated Receptor 1 (TAAR1) in Drug
Abuse and Mental Disorders
Chairs: J. Li and G.M. Miller
108 9:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Ion Channel Drug Discovery – Advancements and Current Challenges
Chairs: S.V. Kharade and M.F. Jarvis107C 9:30 AM – 12:00 PM
The Role of Protein-Protein and Protein-Membrane Interactions on
P450 Function
Chairs: W.L. Backes and J.P. Jones
109B 9:30 AM – 12:00 PM
ASPET Poster Presentations Exhibit Hall 12:30 PM – 2:30 PM
Julius Axelrod Award In Pharmacology Lecture:
Arresting Developments in Receptor Signaling
Lecturer: J.L. Benovic
107AB 2:00 PM – 2:50 PM
Julius Axelrod Symposium: The Ins and Outs of G Protein-Coupled
Receptor Signaling
Chair: J.L. Benovic
107AB 3:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Division for Pharmacology Education Programming:
Active Learning: What’s Up with That Flipping Classroom
Chair: J.L. Szarek
Westin-Grand Ballroom D
3:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Elucidating the Molecular Underpinnings of Behavior Using
Pharmacological Knock-In Mouse Models
Chair: R.D. Blakely
108 3:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Interindividual Variability in CYP-Mediated Drug Metabolism
Chairs: H. Jeong and T.S. Tracy109B 3:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Nanotoxicology: Small Particles, Big Concern
Chairs: J.S. Fedan and D.W. Porter106 3:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Vascular Stiffness, A Novel Therapeutic Approach for Hypertension
Chair: S.F. Vatner109A 3:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Sunday, March 29, 2015
17
March 2015 • The Pharmacologist
■ Lectures ■ Divisional Programming
Monday, March 30, 2015
Session Room Time
John J. Abel Award in Pharmacology Lecture:
Creating the Facebook for Molecular Analysis
Lecturer: P.C. Dorrestein
107AB 8:30 AM – 9:20 AM
Membrane Transporters at the Interface of Drug Interactions, Biomarker
Monitoring, and Toxicity
Chairs: L.M. Aleksunes and Y. Lai
109A 9:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Monoamines and Neurotrophins in Inflammatory Bowel Disease/
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Chairs: H.I. Akbarali and S. Szabo
109B 9:30 AM – 12:00 PM
New Therapies for an Old Problem: The NINDS-Sponsored
Anticonvulsant Screening Program
Chairs: J.H. Kehne and K.S. Wilcox
107C 9:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Pharmacology of Neuronal Regeneration and Repair
Chairs: J.S. Marchant and B. Grill106 9:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Protein Trafficking and Drug Development
Chair: P.M. Conn108 9:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Psychomotor Stimulant Addiction: Lessons from Methamphetamine
Chairs: R.I. Desai and M.A. Nader107AB 9:30 AM – 12:00 PM
ASPET Poster Presentations Exhibit Hall 12:30 PM – 2:30 PM
Division for Drug Metabolism Early Career Achievement Award Lecture:
Drug Metabolism Considerations in HIV Treatment and Prevention
Lecturer: N.N. Bumpus
109A 2:00 PM – 2:50 PM
Division for Drug Discovery and Development Symposium:
Drug Development in Academic Centers
Chairs: R.J. Leadley and R.W. Caldwell
107C 3:00 PM – 5:30 PM
New Roles of Mitochondria in Vascular Function
Chairs: D.W. Busija and P. Katakam109B 3:00 PM – 5:30 PM
ASPET Journal Symposium: Reproducibility in the Pharmacological
Sciences: Moving the Discussion Forward
Chair: D.R. Abernethy
107AB 3:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Division for Drug Metabolism James Gillette Award and Platform Session:
Biotransformation and Drug Transport
Chairs: E.E. Scott and L.C. Wienkers
109A 3:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Division for Molecular Pharmacology Postdoctoral Scientist
Award Finalists
Keynote: J.L Benovic
108 3:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Division for Neuropharmacology Postdoctoral Scientist Award Finalists
Keynote: B. Kieffer106 3:00 PM – 5:30 PM
18
The Pharmacologist • March 2015
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Session Room Time
Reynold Spector Award in Clinical Pharmacology Lecture:
Bench-to-Bedside Translation in Clinical Pharmacology: From Knowledge
Generation to Healthcare Delivery
Lecturer: S.A. Waldman
107C 8:30 AM – 9:20 AM
“Can We Talk?” Strategies for Collaborative Pharmacology Education
A.L. Gorman, J.S. Reuben and J.L. SzarekWestin-Grand
Ballroom C9:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Biased GPCR Signaling in Drug Development: From Theory to Physiology
Chairs: S. Rajagopal and A. Christopoulos106 9:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Cardiac Fibroblasts: Fair-Weather Friends in Myocardial Fibrosis and Repair
Chairs: P.A. Insel and U. Meade107AB 9:30 AM – 12:00 PM
New Technologies to Measure Mitochondrial Changes
Chairs: C.C. Beeson and B.S. Cummings108 9:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Novel Therapeutic Targets and Preclinical Models of Post-Traumatic Stress DisorderChairs: C.K. Jones and M. Nedelcovych
109B 9:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Systems Pharmacology: Enhancing Translational Research by Network and Pharmacodynamic ModelingChairs: D.E. Mager and D.R. Abernethy
109A 9:30 AM – 12:00 PM
The Human Microbiome: Systems Pharmacology Insights and the Potential for New Drug DiscoveryChairs: R. Corriden and C. LaRock
107C 9:30 AM – 12:00 PM
ASPET Poster Presentations Exhibit Hall 12:30 PM – 2:30 PM
Division for Cardiovascular Pharmacology Trainee Showcase
Chairs: L.E. See Hoe and J.M Schilling107AB 2:30 PM – 4:30 PM
Division for Behavioral Pharmacology Symposium: Sigma Receptors In Health and DiseaseChair: H. Khoshbouei
109A 3:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Presynaptic Autoreceptors and Improved Treatments of Major
Psychiatric Disorders
Chair: S.Z. Langer
109B 3:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Structural and Dynamic Basis of Receptor-Ligand Interactions
Chairs: E. Ortlund and S.F. Traynelis106 3:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Division for Toxicology Symposium: Pharmacogenetics and Drug Toxicity
Chair: G.O. Rankin108 3:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Division for Translational and Clinical Pharmacology Young Investigator Awards Platform SessionChair: M.A. Holinstat
107C 3:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Benedict R. Lucchesi Distinguished Lectureship in Cardiac Pharmacology: Regenerative Therapy for the Failing HeartLecturer: A. Terzic
107AB 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM
■ Lectures ■ Divisional Programming Note: As of January 2015, the Division for Integrative Systems, Traslational and Clinical Pharmacology (ISTCP) changed its name to the Division for Translational and Clinical Pharmacology (TCP).
19
March 2015 • The Pharmacologist
■ Lectures ■ Divisional Programming
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
Session Room Time
Norman Weiner Lecture: Structural Basis for Function and Pharmacology of
Voltage-Gated Sodium and Calcium Channels
Lecturer: W.A. Catterall
107AB 8:30 AM – 9:20 AM
Structural Basis for Ion Channel Pharmacology
Chair: W.A. Catterall107AB 9:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Common Pathways and Mechanisms of Chronic Pain and Opioid Addiction
Chair: S.L. Ingram106 9:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Crossing the Line: Exploring the Borders between Physiological Redox
Signaling and Oxidative Stress
Chairs: T. Michel and M. Haigis
109A 9:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Moving Beyond Traditional Stimulants: Emerging Characteristics and
Therapeutic Applications of Atypical Reuptake Inhibitors
Chairs: L.P. Carter and B.E. Blough
107C 9:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Natural Products: Bioactive Molecules from Nature
Chairs: B.T. Green, B.E. Blough and M.A. Holinstat108 9:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Transporter-Mediated Drug Interactions: Clinical Significance
and Predictions
Chairs: M.J. Zamek-Gliszczynski and C. Lee
109B 9:30 AM – 12:00 PM
ASPET Poster PresentationsExhibit
Hall12:30 PM – 2:30 PM
ASPET Booth #1154Visit the ASPET booth in the Experimental Biology exhibit hall! Items for sale at “Shop ASPET” include scarves, ties, plush donkeys, and much more. Plus, pick up some free giveaways!
20
The Pharmacologist • March 2015
All Division Meetings and ActivitiesSchedule subject to change. Check the EB 2015 program book and mobile app for final schedule.
Friday, March 27, 2015
Division Meeting / Event Room Time
ASPET Council of Division Chairs (By invitation only)Westin- Revere
1:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Sunday, March 29, 2015
Division Meeting / Event Room Time
Division for Cardiovascular Pharmacology
Executive Committee Meeting (By invitation only)Westin- Adams
12:30 PM – 2:30 PM
Division for Drug Metabolism
Executive Committee Meeting (By invitation only)Westin-Executive
Boardroom 12:30 PM – 2:30 PM
Division for Drug Discovery and Development
Executive Committee Meeting (By invitation only)Westin-Bulfinch 12:30 PM – 2:30 PM
Division for Pharmacology Education Programming:
Active Learning: What’s Up with That Flipping Classroom
Chair: J.L. Szarek
Westin-Grand Ballroom D
3:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Monday, March 30, 2015
Division Meeting / Event Room Time
Division for Behavioral Pharmacology
Executive Committee Meeting (By invitation only)Westin- Adams
7:30 AM – 9:30 AM
Division for Neuropharmacology
Executive Committee Meeting (By invitation only)Westin- Bulfinch
7:30 AM – 9:30 AM
Division for Pharmacology Education
Executive Committee Meeting (By invitation only)Westin-Executive
Boardroom7:30 AM – 9:30 AM
Division for Translational and Clinical Pharmacology Executive
Committee Meeting (By invitation only)Westin- Adams
12:30 PM – 2:30 PM
Division for Molecular Pharmacology
Executive Committee Meeting (By invitation only)Westin- Douglas
12:30 PM – 2:30 PM
Division for Toxicology
Executive Committee Meeting (By invitation only)Westin-Frost Boardroom
12:30 PM – 2:30 PM
Division for Drug Discovery and Development Symposium:
Drug Development in Academic Centers
Chairs: R.J. Leadley and R.W. Caldwell
107C 3:00 PM – 5:30 PM
21
March 2015 • The Pharmacologist
Division for Drug Metabolism James Gillette Award and Platform
Session: Biotransformation and Drug Transport109A 3:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Division for Molecular Pharmacology Postdoctoral Scientist Award
Finalists
Keynote: J.L Benovic
108 3:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Division for Neuropharmacology Postdoctoral Scientist Award Finalists
Keynote: B. Kieffer106 3:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Division for Neuropharmacology Annual Meeting
(Open to all division members)106 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM
Division for Drug Discovery and Development
Annual Meeting (Open to all division members)107C 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM
Division for Molecular Pharmacology
Annual Meeting (Open to all division members)108 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM
Division for Drug Metabolism
Annual Meeting (Open to all division members)109A 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM
Division for Pharmacology Education
Annual Meeting (Open to all division members)109B 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM
Divisions for Behavioral Pharmacology and Neuropharmacology
Joint MixerWestin-Lewis
Room6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Divisions for Drug Discovery and Development; Translational and
Clinical Pharmacology; and Pharmacology Education Joint MixerWestin-Carlton
Room6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Division for Molecular Pharmacology MixerWestin-
Burroughs Room6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Division Meeting / Event Room Time
ASPET Division for Cancer Pharmacology Discussion
(By invitation only)Westin- Bulfinch
12:00 PM – 1:30 PM
Division for Translational and Clinical Pharmacology:
Meet the Experts Lunch: Benchside-to-Bedside Research
(By invitation only)
Westin- Douglas
12:30 PM – 2:30 PM
Division Communications Officer’s Meeting
(By invitation only)
Westin- Executive
Boardroom12:30 PM – 2:30 PM
Division for Cardiovascular Pharmacology Trainee Showcase 107AB 2:30 PM – 4:30 PM
22
The Pharmacologist • March 2015
Division for Behavioral Pharmacology Symposium:
Sigma Receptors In Health and Disease
Chair: H. Khoshbouei
109A 3:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Division for Toxicology Symposium:
Pharmacogenetics and Drug Toxicity
Chair: G.O. Rankin
108 3:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Division for Translational and Clinical Pharmacology
Young Investigator Awards Platform Session107C 3:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Division for Cardiovascular Pharmacology
Annual Meeting (Open to all division members)107AB 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM
Division for Translational and Clinical Pharmacology
Annual Meeting (Open to all division members)107C 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM
Division for Toxicology
Annual Meeting
(Open to all division members)
108 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM
Division for Behavioral Pharmacology
Annual Meeting (Open to all division members)109A 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM
Division for Cardiovascular Pharmacology MixerWestin-
Commonwealth Ballroom B
6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Divisions for Drug Metabolism and Toxicology Joint MixerWestin-
Commonwealth Ballroom A
6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Activities of Interest for Students and PostdocsSchedule subject to change. Check the EB 2015 program book and mobile app for final schedule.
Friday, March 27, 2015
Session / Event Location Time
Give a Day of Service to Boston at EB 2015 Cradles to Crayons 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Saturday, March 28, 2015
Session / Event Room Time
Speed Networking for Careers Beyond the Academic Bench
Chairs: J.E. Clark and P. McGonigle106 9:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Graduate Student-Postdoctoral Colloquium: How to Get Started
Chairs: A.T. Hanna-Mitchell and H. Gottlieb 109AB 2:45 PM – 5:15 PM
23
March 2015 • The Pharmacologist
Sunday, March 29, 2015
Session / Event Room Time
ASPET Diversity Mentoring Breakfast (By invitation only)
Keynote: J.S. ReubenWestin-Faneuil
Room 7:30 AM – 9:30 AM
Division for Pharmacology Education Programming:
Active Learning: What’s Up with That Flipping Classroom
Chair: J.L. Szarek
Westin-Grand Ballroom D
3:00 PM – 5:30 PM
ASPET Student/Postdoc Best Abstract CompetitionWestin-Galleria
Room6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
ASPET Student & Postdoc MixerWestin-Harbor
Ballroom III8:30 PM – 11:00 PM
Monday, March 30, 2015
Session / Event Room Time
Division for Drug Metabolism James Gillette Award and
Platform Session109A 3:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Division for Molecular Pharmacology Postdoctoral Scientists
Award Finalists
Keynote: J.L Benovic
108 3:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Division for Neuropharmacology Postdoctoral Scientist
Award Finalists
Keynote: B. Kieffer
106 3:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Divisions for Behavioral Pharmacology and Neuropharmacology
Joint MixerWestin-Lewis
Room6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Divisions for Drug Discovery and Development;
Translational and Clinical Pharmacology; and Pharmacology
Education Joint Mixer
Westin-Carlton Room
6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Division for Molecular Pharmacology MixerWestin-Burroughs
Room6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Young Experimental Scientists Y.E.S. Mixer Westin-Galleria 9:00 PM – 11:30 PM
Don’t forget to attend your Division’s Annual Meeting!
24
The Pharmacologist • March 2015
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Session / Event Room Time
ASPET Networking Walk
Weather permittingWestin-Alcott
Room7:00 AM – 9:00 AM
“Can We Talk?” Strategies for Collaborative Pharmacology Education
Chairs: A. Laurel Gorman, Jayne S. Reuben, and John L. SzarekWestin-Grand
Ballroom C9:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Division for Cardiovascular Pharmacology Trainee Showcase 107AB 2:30 PM – 4:30 PM
Division for Translational and Clinical Pharmacology:
Young Investigator Awards Platform Session107C 3:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Division for Cardiovascular Pharmacology MixerWestin-
Commonwealth Ballroom B
6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Divisions for Drug Metabolism and Toxicology Joint MixerWestin-
Commonwealth Ballroom A
6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Social EventsSchedule subject to change. Check the EB 2015 program book and mobile app for final schedule.
Friday, March 27, 2015
Event Location Time
Give a Day of Service to Boston at EB 2015 Cradles to Crayons 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Saturday, March 28, 2015
Event Room Time
ASPET Opening and Awards Reception SW Pre-Function Area 7:30 PM – 9:30 PM
Sunday, March 29, 2015
Event Room Time
ASPET Diversity Mentoring Breakfast (By invitation only)
Keynote: J.S. ReubenWestin-Faneuil
Room7:30 AM – 9:30 AM
ASPET Student/Postdoc Best Abstract Competition Westin-Galleria 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Board of Publications Trustees Joint Editorial Boards
Dinner (By invitation only)Westin-Commonwealth
Ballroom B/C7:30 PM – 11:00 PM
ASPET Student & Postdoc MixerWestin-Harbor
Ballroom III8:30 PM – 11:00 PM
25
March 2015 • The Pharmacologist
Monday, March 30, 2015
Event Room Time
ASPET Past Presidents’ Dinner
(By invitation only)Westin-Faneuil
Room6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Divisions for Behavioral Pharmacology and Neuropharmacology
Joint MixerWestin-Lewis
Room6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Divisions for Drug Discovery and Development; Translational and
Clinical Pharmacology; and Pharmacology Education Joint MixerWestin-Carlton
Room6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Division for Molecular Pharmacology MixerWestin-Burroughs
Room6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Young Experimental Scientists Y.E.S. Mixer Westin-Galleria 9:00 PM – 11:30 PM
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Event Room Time
ASPET Networking Walk
Weather permittingWestin – Meet at the
Concierge Desk in Lobby7:00 AM – 9:00 AM
Division for Cardiovascular Pharmacology MixerWestin-Commonwealth
Ballroom B6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Divisions for Drug Metabolism and Toxicology Joint MixerWestin-Commonwealth
Ballroom A6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
ASPET MeetingsSchedule subject to change. Check the EB 2015 program book and mobile app for final schedule.
Friday, March 27, 2015
ASPET Meeting Room Time
ASPET Council Meeting (By invitation only)Westin-Douglas
Room12:00 PM – 6:00 PM
ASPET Council of Division Chairs (By invitation only) Westin-Revere 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Saturday, March 28, 2015
ASPET Meeting Room Time
ASPET Business Meeting and Awards Presentation 107AB 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
26
The Pharmacologist • March 2015
Sunday, March 29, 2015
ASPET Meeting Room Time
The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
Associate Editors Meeting
(By invitation only)
Westin-Douglas Room
7:30 AM – 9:30 AM
ASPET Board of Publications Trustees Meeting
(By invitation only)Westin-Douglas
Room12:30 PM – 2:30 PM
Monday, March 30, 2015
ASPET Meeting Room Time
Molecular Pharmacology Editorial Board Meeting
(By invitation only)Westin-Douglas
Room7:30 AM – 9:30 AM
ASPET/BPS Pharmacology Research & Perspectives
Editorial Board Meeting (By invitation only)Westin-Executive
Boardroom11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Pharmacological Reviews Editorial Board Meeting
(By invitation only)Westin- Bulfinch
12:30 PM – 2:30 PM
Mentoring and Career Development Committee Meeting
(By invitation only) Westin-Executive
Boardroom12:30 PM – 2:30 PM
Did You Know?In 2014 ASPET awarded…• Over $35,000 in support of ASPET Scientific Achievement and
Best Abstract Awards
• Over $180,000 in support of ASPET symposium speakers at
EB 2014
• Over $200,000 in individual and institutional summer
undergraduate fellowships
• Over $230,000 in travel awards for members to attend EB 2014
and IUPHAR WCP 2014 meetings
In total ASPET gave back over $640,000 to support our members who have advanced the field of pharmacology.
To learn about all our membership benefits, visit:
www.aspet.org/membership/benefits/
http://www.aspet.org/membership/benefits/
27
March 2015 • The Pharmacologist
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
ASPET Meeting Room Time
Drug Metabolism and Disposition Editorial Board Meeting
(By invitation only)Westin-Douglas
Room7:30 AM – 9:30 AM
ASPET Nominating Committee Meeting
(By invitation only)Westin-Frost 7:30 AM – 9:30 AM
ASPET Science Policy Committee Meeting
(By invitation only)Westin-Bulfinch 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM
ASPET/BPS Pharmacology Research & Perspectives
Management Committee Meeting (By invitation only)Westin-Executive
Boardroom3:00 PM – 5:00 PM
ASPET Program Committee Meeting
(By invitation only)Westin-Adams 7:30 PM – 10:30 PM
Ancillary Functions at EB 2015
AMSPC Reception Westin-Hale RoomSunday, March 29
6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Catecholamine Club Dinner Private Event – See
invitation for locationTuesday, March 31
7:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Michigan State University Pharmacology and
Toxicology ReceptionWestin-Commonwealth
Ballroom CTuesday, March 31
6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
PhRMA Foundation ReceptionPrivate Event – See
invitation for locationMonday, March 30 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
University of Michigan Department of Pharmacology and
Department of Biological Chemistry Social HourWestin-Marina
Ballroom IISaturday, March 289:00 PM – 11:30 PM
ASPET Guest Societies Participating at EB 2015
Behavioral Pharmacology Society (BPS) Separate registration
required. See BPS confirmation for location
Friday, March 27 – Saturday, March 28
Global GI Club Business and
Scientific MeetingWestin-Faneuil Room
Sunday, March 29
5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Follow ASPET’s Official Meeting BloggersKatieSci: sicknessisfascinating.blogspot.com
Elizabeth Sandquist: everydaybiochemistry.wordpress.com Don’t forget to also follow ASPET’s tweets and Facebook posts. Use #expbio and #ASPET.
http://sicknessisfascinating.blogspot.comhttp://everydaybiochemistry.wordpress.com
The Pharmacologist • March 2015
28
The Chinese Terracotta Army, dating from approximately the late third century BCE, was discovered on March 29, 1974 to the east of Xi’an in Shaanxi Province, China.Photo: Shutterstock
How Paul Janssen’s Drugs Saved the
Rebecca J. Anderson
28
29
Chinese museum officials gazed with dismay
at their priceless army of ancient statues. For 22
centuries, the terracotta warriors had been protected
and preserved in the soil of China’s Yellow River
valley (1). Now, less than 20 years after these
old soldiers emerged from their subterranean
fortress, many of them had become infected and
were suffering from a mysterious rash (2). Local
archeologists suspected the warriors’ moldy rash was
due to fungi, but they lacked specialized laboratory
equipment and had only limited expertise to diagnose
and treat the ailment.
The detective who stepped forward to solve this
mystery and thwart an archeological catastrophe
was an unlikely hero: a businessman, physician,
and scientist who made and sold drugs. And most
unlikely of all, he was Belgian.
Next to Hercule Poirot, Paul Janssen was
probably the most famous Belgian of the 20th
century, and the two compatriots had much in
common. Poirot and Janssen both regularly
exercised their little grey cells, saw clues that others
missed, and pragmatically followed the trail of
evidence. They traveled widely, often downplayed
their own expertise in deference to colleagues, and
chalked up a consistent record of success.
But there was one big difference. Whereas Hercule
Poirot existed only in the fertile imagination of Agatha
Christie, Paul Janssen was real. A little boy who grew
up in war-torn Belgium, Paul had many interests, but
his journey leading to the ancient Chinese warriors
was anything but direct.
A Pharmaceutical HeritagePaul Janssen was raised in a family whose
business was drugs. His father, Constant Janssen,
had given up a successful medical practice in
1938 to devote full time to developing his own
pharmaceutical business in the small Belgian
town of Turnhout (2-4). Constant was the Belgian
distributor of medicinal products from the Hungarian
company, Richter. The product line consisted mainly
of tonics, stimulants, vitamin preparations, and
organic extracts.
German occupation of Belgium during World War
II and the murder of Gedeon Richter (the Hungarian
company’s owner) by the Nazis forced Constant to
increase production of his own products under the
Janssen label (3). These included repackaging and
distributing generic penicillin and sulfonamides, which
were increasingly in demand after the war. Paul’s
mother, Margriet Fleerakers, served as office manager
and also supervised the production line, including
quality control (3).
Paul finished high school in 1943. To avoid forced
labor in the German factories, he secretly enrolled
in college (at the age of 16) with the help of his
uncle, Emiel Janssen (3). The 12 Jesuit teachers
at the Faculté Notre-Dame de la Paix in Namur,
Belgium, offered intensive courses in physics,
biology, philosophy, and chemistry to a handful of
students, including Paul, without the knowledge
of the German occupiers (2, 3). Paul received his
Bachelor of Natural Sciences degree in 1945 and
began studying medicine at Catholic University in
Leuven, Belgium (2-4). His medical studies and a
visit to the Dutch pharmaceutical company Organon
strengthened his interest in drug research and
introduced him to the concept of structure-activity
relationships (2).
Around the Janssen dinner table, the drug
business was a frequent topic of conversation. Paul
was impressed by the European pharmaceutical
giants Roche and Organon and urged his reluctant
father to innovate and modernize the family’s
Richter-Janssen product line (2). To gain a better
understanding of world-class pharmaceutical
research, Paul took a six-month leave during his
second year of medical school and visited medicinal
chemistry and pharmacology laboratories in the
United States (2-4). He covered his expenses, in part,
by playing competitive chess in “pick-up” matches as
he traveled across the country (3).
Paul first visited Harry Gold, the well-known
pharmacologist at Cornell Medical School, and then
Edwin Cohn at Harvard. He also attended lectures
March 2015 • The Pharmacologist
The detective who stepped forward
to solve this mystery and thwart an
archeological catastrophe was an
unlikely hero: a businessman, physician,
and scientist who made and sold drugs.
30
The Pharmacologist • March 2015The Pharmacologist • March 2015
30
by Carl Pfeiffer, a well-known pharmacologist at
the University of Chicago, and took a summer
biochemistry course at the California Institute of
Technology in Pasadena (2, 3). He rounded out the
summer by visiting Searle, Upjohn, and Lederle to
observe commercial pharmacology research and
returned to Belgium in time to take his academic
examinations, which he passed with honors (3).
Paul completed his clinical training at Ghent
University and received his MD in 1951, graduating
magna cum laude (3). He also stayed engaged with
his family’s business. One Sunday afternoon in
1951, he used his knowledge of pharmacology and
pharmaceutics to concoct his first drug product.
Using a popular German analgesic as a reference,
he combined acetaminophen, aspirin, and caffeine
to create Perdolan. His father marketed the product,
which became the most widely used analgesic
in Belgium (2).
Paul fulfilled his compulsory military service
at a base near Cologne, where the Belgian army
formed part of the post-war allied forces (2-4). His
duties as an army physician were light, and he
continued his studies at the University of Cologne’s
Pharmacological Institute, where he synthesized his
first molecules: simple chemical reactions to produce
amines (2). From 1951 to 1954, he gained additional
medical training in Paris, Vienna, and Heidelberg,
made a number of trips to Oxford, London, and
Stockholm, and visited the United States for the
second time (3).
After his military service, Paul became a part-
time research assistant at the Pharmacological and
Therapeutic Institute in Ghent under the supervision
of Nobel Laureate Prof. Corneille Heymans. In 1956,
Paul was awarded his teaching certificate and a PhD
in chemical pharmacology from the University of
Ghent, defending a thesis on the pharmacology of
propylamines (2-4).
Joining the Family Business, With a TwistInstead of pursuing an academic career, Paul
wanted to establish an independent research facility
dedicated to developing new drugs (3, 4). Constant
Janssen was not interested in research himself, but
he wisely did not discourage his son’s ambitions. In
1953, he gave Paul 50,000 Belgian francs ($1000) in
start-up funds, and Paul set up a laboratory on the
third floor of the Richter-Janssen company’s building
in Turnhout. Paul was 27 years old.
As Paul later recalled, he started his research
“with a small group of researchers and an equally
small budget, to make new compounds that could be
synthesized and purified with simple methods and
equipment and which could be pharmacologically
tested at minimal expense” (5). His goal from the
beginning was to make his research self-sustaining:
to quickly produce medically important compounds
on which he could secure patents, license them to
large drug companies, and use the income to recruit
new associates and expand the scope of his research
(2, 3). “Things had to succeed. I did what I thought
had to be done: finding something that could be
patented. And things had to be simple, otherwise they
would get too big and take too long, and become too
expensive…It was all very primitive, but…from day one,
we lived off our income” (2).
30
Dr. Paul Janssen in his lab.
Ph
oto
: Co
pyr
igh
t Ja
nss
en
Ph
arm
ace
utic
a (2
015
)
March 2015 • The Pharmacologist
For pharmacological assessment that was beyond
their simple in vitro and in vivo assays, Paul and his
team sent their compounds to David K. de Jongh, a
physician in Amsterdam who, like Paul, had studied
with Prof. Heymans at Ghent. To distinguish those
compounds from the compounds generated in his
own laboratory, De Jongh assigned Paul’s compounds
an R number (for Richter) (2, 3). The Janssen company
subsequently adopted this nomenclature, Paul later
explaining that the R stood for research (5).
Paul’s small laboratory initially investigated
treatments for painful muscle spasms. The fifth
compound he synthesized was ambucetamide (R5),
which relaxed uterine smooth muscle. His father’s
company combined R5 with Perdolan and in 1955
marketed the combination product as Neomeritine for
menstrual pain (2, 3).
Success Comes Rapidly In 1954, the laboratory produced isopropamide
(R79), a long-acting anticholinergic drug that
inhibited stomach and intestinal smooth muscle
spasms and blocked gastric secretion. Following his
business plan, Paul licensed the drug to Smith, Kline,
and French (now GlaxoSmithKline). The royalties
enabled Paul to expand his laboratory and carry out
more research.
Paul noted with interest the popular opiate drug
meperidine, a synthetic morphine analog that was
prescribed for moderate pain and for diarrhea (3).
After synthesizing and testing several hundred
meperidine analogs, Paul’s team noted a lack of
correlation between the compounds’ analgesic and
constipating properties (5). In 1956, his chemists
succeeded in synthesizing diphenoxylate (R1132), a
potent antidiarrheal compound that had low abuse
potential, and Paul sought a licensing partner.
G. D. Searle & Company was initially hesitant to
license the product. Despite the recommendation of I.
C. Winter, Searle’s highly respected medical director,
the company’s business leaders were skeptical. Paul
was a young, unknown doctor from a small European
country (2). During the negotiations, a cousin of Jack
Searle, the company’s vice president and general
manager, coincidently suffered a bout of severe
diarrhea. Dr. Winter administered diphenoxylate, and
Jack’s cousin made a speedy recovery. Searle (now
part of Pfizer) soon licensed the Belgian “wonder
drug” and marketed it in the US as Lomotil®. In the
1960s, Lomotil was included in the drug supplies that
accompanied the Apollo astronauts to the moon (2, 3).
By 1957, Paul had assembled a staff of 70
coworkers, and they had outgrown the lab space
in his father’s Turnhout factory. They moved to new
laboratory quarters in Beerse, Belgium, a campus
that could accommodate long-term expansion.
The following year, Paul’s research laboratories
merged with his father’s company to form Janssen
Pharmaceutica, and Paul became president and
director of research (3, 4). He was 32 years old.
Velvet Glove, Steely FistPaul built the company’s research reputation
by tapping the strengths of his people (2, 3). He
had both a natural authority and a deep respect
for his coworkers – scientists, lab technicians, and
administrative staff alike. He kept the organizational
structure flat, directly stimulating, encouraging, and
nurturing each person’s creativity and innovative
skills. Under his guidance, the younger scientists
grew into well-known experts in the pharmacological
treatment of a wide variety of diseases. Everyone
called him Dr. Paul (2).
A journalist for the industry publication Scrip
Magazine (reporting in a 1985 article) described the
Janssen organization as a collective of equals. “If
a researcher wants to do something new, then all
he or she needs to do is send a note to Dr. Janssen
describing his or her intentions and motivations. Paul
Janssen nearly always agrees. And if he doesn’t, he
just talks to the researcher directly to discuss things
further” (2).
During his daily walkabouts, Dr. Paul engaged
in lively discussions of chemistry, pharmacology,
and clinical medicine. He wanted to know what the
researchers were doing, the details of their results
– good and bad – and their strategies for solving
problems (2). Everywhere he went and of everyone
he met, he asked the same question, “Anything new?”
31
...he could sense opportunity
where others might see only a failed
experiment.
The Pharmacologist • March 2015
32
He had an insatiable curiosity, but whether intentional
or not, this simple question prompted extraordinary
responses. His researchers knew they would be
asked every day and stretched for fresh ideas – or at
least thought hard about what they were doing. Dr.
Paul’s simple question constantly reminded them that
research was all about finding something new (2).
Dr. Paul had an uncanny ability to amalgamate
in his head all the fragments of chemistry,
pharmacology, and clinical results spewing from his
laboratories, and he could sense opportunity where
others might see only a failed experiment. As director
of research, he personally set the direction of each
research project. Those projects always started with
two things: a carefully reasoned concept – often
inspired by unexpected laboratory observations –
and a compound whose chemical structure served as
a reference for targeted synthesis.
Cyclists and PsychosisDr. Paul’s observations and inspiration were not
limited to the laboratory (6). One day while walking
along a street in Belgium, his scientific curiosity
was piqued by a group of competitive cyclists.
Racing cyclists at that time often used high doses
of amphetamine to gain a competitive advantage.
However, with chronic amphetamine use, the cyclists
developed taut facial expressions that progressed to
grimaces. They also exhibited agitated behavior that
resembled the signs and symptoms of patients with
paranoid schizophrenia (2, 4).
The similarity between the cyclists’ behaviors
and clinical psychosis led Dr. Paul to speculate that
an amphetamine antagonist might be useful to
treat psychotic symptoms (2). His battery of simple
laboratory tests included an assessment of drug-
induced changes in animal behavior associated with
tranquilizers (such as catatonia and sedation).
After the success of Lomotil, the Janssen
chemists sought even greater separation between
the neurological and constipating effects of opiates.
They synthesized a series of meperidine analogs
with larger and larger chemical substituents.
“However,” Paul admitted, “we pushed our luck too
far” (5). Mice injected with these bulky molecules
exhibited less of the typical opiate-like behavior
(e.g., morphine-induced excitement, mydriasis, and
insensitivity to pain). Instead, the mice appeared
tranquilized; they became progressively calm,
sedated, and slightly catatonic.
Up to this time, reserpine, chlorpromazine,
and their analogs were the only compounds that
produced “tranquilizing” effects in Janssen’s
pharmacological screening tests (5). The bulky
meperidine analogs were an anomaly: compounds
with tranquilizing properties but chemically unrelated
to either reserpine or chlorpromazine. Dr. Paul
directed his researchers to pursue this interesting
series of compounds further. After synthesizing 438
analogs, the Janssen chemists produced R1625 in
1958. Better known as haloperidol, R1625 was devoid
of morphine-like properties and was several times
more potent than chlorpromazine as a tranquilizer. It
was also faster and longer acting and had almost no
antiadrenergic or other autonomic effects associated
with chlorpromazine (5). Haloperidol was the most
active neuroleptic yet discovered and became the
prototype for a new class of psychoactive agents,
the butyrophenones.
Janssen Pharmaceutica subsequently introduced
10 butyrophenone neuroleptics (including droperidol,
R4749, and spiperone, R5147) for human or veterinary
use (3, 5). Through further modifications of the
chemical structure, the Janssen chemists also
produced the long-acting neuroleptic, pimozide
(R6238) (2, 4).
Despite the side-tracked research prompted by
the butyrophenones, Dr. Paul continued his search for
analgesics that were more potent than meperidine.
Meperidine is hydrophilic and does not easily cross
the blood–brain barrier. The Janssen chemists
increased the lipophilicity of the molecule, and
after a series of additional chemical modifications,
they synthesized fentanyl (R4263) in 1960. It was
100 times more potent than morphine. Because of
its rapid onset, short half-life, and minimal effect in
32
Dr. Paul was skilled at recognizing
core chemical structures that were
biologically active and exploiting them
to create a wide variety of therapeutic
products.
March 2015 • The Pharmacologist
depressing the heart, fentanyl was widely used by
anesthesiologists (2, 3).
At the other end of the meperidine spectrum, the
Janssen chemists produced loperamide (R18553),
which was devoid of analgesic activity because it
does not cross the blood–brain barrier. Screening
assays showed that loperamide was highly effective
in inhibiting gut motility. Marketed as an antidiarrheal
drug, loperamide (Imodium®) became one of
Janssen’s most well-known products (2, 6).
Janssen Pharmaceutica continued to grow: 377
employees and affiliated companies in Germany,
Holland, the Belgian Congo, Jordan, and Egypt. But
the corporate headquarters in Beerse, Belgium,
needed support for the company’s growing global
operations. Paul explained, “A drug that doesn’t
make it in America will never become an international
blockbuster” (3). In 1961, Janssen joined forces with
US-based Johnson & Johnson in a mutually beneficial
merger. For J&J, the consumer products company
best known for Band-Aids and baby shampoo now
included medical research and pharmaceutical
products. For Paul, the merger was a sort of insurance
policy (2). Janssen Pharmaceutica expanded its global
reach and acquired financial security but retained its
company identity.
Worms, Bugs, and Mold In 1960, the Belgian Congo gained its
independence, and many Belgian expatriates were
forced to return to Belgium by the leaders of the
new country, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of
the Congo). Many of the expatriates were scientists:
pharmacologists, neurologists, veterinarians, and
other specialists with extensive knowledge about
parasites, fungi, and protozoa (2). Dr. Paul recruited
more than two dozen of them, the first in a long line
of distinguished scientists who came out of Africa
and developed Janssen Pharmaceutica’s expertise in
tropical medicine (2, 3).
Dr. Paul’s new parasitology team concentrated
on finding broad-spectrum anthelmintics because
various species of worms affect about half of the
world’s population (2). Newly synthesized compounds
were assessed in a simple animal model using
chickens, which by nature are often infected with
worms. After four years of optimizing the structure-
activity of various compounds and their metabolites,
the Janssen chemists produced levamisole (R12564),
which was considered a major breakthrough in
parasitology (2, 6).
Similarly, the expatriate microbiologists developed
a huge library of fungi and fungal spores to screen
compounds for anti-mycotic activity, leading to the
discovery of miconazole (R14889) in 1967 (2, 6).
Miconazole was effective against a broad spectrum
of fungi, molds, and some bacterial strains, including
Candida albicans, which is responsible for vaginal
yeast infections.
Dr. Paul was skilled at recognizing core chemical
structures that were biologically active and exploiting
them to create a wide variety of therapeutic products.
Lomotil, Imodium, and fentanyl were all generated
from the phenylpiperidine backbone of meperidine.
Similarly, levamisole and miconazole both contain
an imidazole ring, which became another workhorse
of Janssen chemistry. Further modifications of the
imidazole series produced mebendazole (R17635)
in 1968, another anthelmintic with broad-spectrum
activity against roundworm, hookworm, and
whipworm (2, 6).
The Janssen research initiatives to eradicate
fungal, parasitic, and bacterial infections in patients
evolved to include products that could also be used in
veterinary medicine and for plant protection. In 1969,
the Janssen chemists produced imazalil (R23979),
another imidazole analog. It proved to be effective
against a number of molds and fungi and was
developed as an agrochemical product to prevent
fungal decay in grain crops, fruits, and vegetables and
to treat mildew on roses (2).
The success of these efforts led to construction
of a greenhouse on Janssen’s Beerse campus in
1972 to do in vivo research on fruit trees, wheat,
and sugar beets and to facilitate development of
antifungal products to protect them. The following
year – the 20th anniversary of Dr. Paul’s laboratory
– Plant Protection was established as a separate
division within the Janssen research organization.
33
Ketoconazole (R41400) was the first
orally active antifungal drug, a major
breakthrough
The Pharmacologist • March 2015
34
Dr. Paul’s staff had grown to 1,246 people, of whom
389 were researchers. They had synthesized
27,975 compounds, held 50 patents, had launched
37 commercial drugs, and were in the midst of
developing 17 more drugs (2).
In 1976, the Janssen chemists synthesized another
analog of miconazole with broad activity against
fungi and yeasts. Ketoconazole (R41400) was the first
orally active antifungal drug, a major breakthrough
(2, 6). It was widely prescribed to AIDS and cancer
chemotherapy patients who suffered from systemic
fungal infections.
In 1979, the Plant Protection division developed
propiconazole (R49362), an analog of imazalil, as an
agricultural product. Propiconazole is absorbed by
plants and protects them from the inside out – a more
efficient antifungal delivery than topical spraying. The
product is widely used to protect turf grasses, fruit
and nut trees, and grain
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