Duane D. Miller Selected to Receive
2008 Division of Medicinal Chemistry Award

Duane D. Miller, Harriett S. Van Vleet Professor of Medicinal Chemistry, and associate dean at the College of Pharmacy at the University of Tennessee at Memphis has been selected as the 2008 Division of Medicinal Chemistry award winner. Dr. Miller received a B.S. in Pharmacy from the University of Kansas, and a Ph.D. in medicinal chemistry at the University of Washington, where he was an NIH fellow. He began his career at The Ohio State University where he served as chair of the Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy for 10 years, and was appointed as a Kimberly professor. In 1992, he moved to the University of Tennessee at Memphis as the Van Vleet Professor of Medicinal Chemistry, and in 2001 was appointed associate dean for research and graduate programs in the College of Pharmacy.

The Division of Medicinal Chemistry Award is conferred biannually to a scientist or team of scientists with a substantial record of contributions to the field of medicinal chemistry in research, mentorship and service to the discipline. Awardees cannot have previously received recognition from the American Chemical Society for their accomplishments. Professor Miller was recognized for his many research contributions to medicinal chemistry in the stereochemistry of several different drug-receptor interactions, and more recently selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs). As a part of a collaboration with Dr. Jim Dalton and GTx Inc., SARM compounds developed in his laboratory have advanced into clinical development for a variety of applications. His research program has been continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health since 1970. He has published over 250 papers, is listed as an inventor on at least 13 patents, and has presented over 80 invited lectures. Professor Miller has been recognized at both Ohio State and the University of Tennessee for his teaching skills at the graduate and undergraduate levels, and has mentored 23 Ph.D. students and 33 postdoctoral fellows. Dr. Miller’s service contributions include a variety of roles within the Division of Medicinal Chemistry, the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, and the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists. He has also been an active and consistent contributor to both universities in service roles.

Professor Miller will receive the award at the 2008 National Medicinal Chemistry Symposium at the University of Pittsburgh June 15-19.

Kevin Duffy Selected to Receive
2008 David W. Robertson Memorial Award

Kevin Duffy of GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals has been selected as the 2008 David W. Robertson Memorial Award winner. This award, conferred by the Division of Medicinal Chemistry of the American Chemical Society, and sponsored by the Pfizer Endowed Fund, recognizes scientists under the age of 40 who have made seminal contributions to the discovery of novel therapeutic agents, or who have made substantial contributions and discoveries in medicinal chemistry. Dr. Duffy is currently a group manager at GlaxoSmithKline, where he has spent his career after earning his Ph.D. in organic chemistry at the University of Edinburgh and postdoctoral studies at Harvard University.
Dr. Duffy was recognized for his key contributions which resulted in the discovery and development of eltrombopag (Promacta®), a novel, orally active small molecule thrombopoietin (TPO) mimetic whose NDA was recently filed for approval with the FDA for the treatment of chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. In clinical studies, eltrombopag has been shown to stimulate cells in the bone marrow to produce blood platelets. There are currently no truly effective agents for this disorder. When this program was initiated, there were no small molecule mimics of the pharmacological actions of a protein. Kevin’s keen insight allowed he and his colleagues to replace undesirable features of a lead identified by high throughput screening with more drug-like fragments, and further optimized the properties of an advanced lead to improve potency and pharmacokinetic characteristics that ultimately resulted in eltrombopag. In addition, research Dr. Duffy has led and contributed to resulted in selection of seven development candidates in the past six years, including antiviral (HCV polymerase inhibitors), oncology (kinesin inhibitors), and supportive care indications. Many of these agents represent novel, first in class agents that if efficacious in humans, will be major advances in the treatment of these diseases. Kevin has maintained an active publications record and has reported on aspects of his research in peer-reviewed journals and at major, national symposia.

Dr. Duffy will receive his award, which includes a $1000 honorarium and plaque, at the fall national meeting of the American Chemical Society at a symposium organized by the Division of Medicinal Chemistry.

Arun Ghosh Selected to Receive
2008 Robert M. Scarborough Memorial Award

Arun Ghosh, professor of chemistry and medicinal chemistry at Purdue University has been selected as the recipient of the 2008 Robert M. Scarborough Memorial Award. This award, endowed by Portola Pharmaceuticals, and conferred by the Division of Medicinal Chemistry of the American Chemical Society recognizes scientists under the age of 50 at the time of nomination. The awardee must have documented success in the discovery of pharmaceutical entities and/or a substantial body of significant research contributions in medicinal chemistry. Candidates should have a significant record of productivity as measured by the number and quality of scientific publications and issued patents. Nominees are expected to have demonstrated creativity and insight in medicinal chemistry and/or biology and employ pragmatic, empirical problem solving skills. Professor Ghosh earned his Ph.D. degree in organic chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh and completed postdoctoral studies at Harvard University. He began his academic career at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where he rose to the rank of professor. In 2005, he moved to his current position at Purdue University.

Professor Ghosh was cited for his contributions to structure-based design of HIV protease inhibitors, where he introduced a natural product derivative as a key feature of darunavir (Prestiza®), a compound recently approved in 2006 for treatment of HIV infection resistant to first generation protease inhibitors. This modification contributed to the ability of the compound to treat HIV-1 that has developed resistance to other protease inhibitors. More recently, Dr. Ghosh has made seminal contributions to the structure-based design of CTS-21166, a compound in clinical development for the treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease that inhibits an enzyme responsible for the biosynthesis of a key molecule thought to be associated with the neurodegeneration seen in the disease. His research group was the first to accomplish the total synthesis of laulimalide, a structurally novel natural product that has shown potent anticancer activity. He continues to investigate the structure-based design of non-peptide and peptidomimetic ligands that interact with a variety of enzymes. In 12 years of independent research, Dr. Ghosh has authored over 150 papers, and is listed as a co inventor on 18 patents and patent applications.

Dr. Ghosh will receive the award, which includes a $4000 honorarium and a plaque, at the fall 2008 national meeting of the American Chemical Society at a symposium organized by the Division of Medicinal Chemistry.