Professor wins Nobel Prize in medicine

Tuesday, October 13, 1998

Professor wins Nobel Prize in medicine

MEDICINE: Fifth UCLA award laureate establishes research
reputation of medical school

By Kathryn Combs and Michael Weiner

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

Louis Ignarro, a UCLA professor in the department of molecular
and medical pharmacology, was awarded the Nobel Prize for medicine
yesterday, one of three U.S. scientists chosen for the honor.

Ignarro, 57, was recognized for his discoveries regarding nitric
oxide, a substance used in treating cardiovascular disease,
impotence, shock and possibly cancer.

"He’s a great scientist and a great teacher," said Gerald Levey,
dean of the School of Medicine. "In some ways, it’s not too
surprising that a great teacher and a great scientist go hand in
hand."

Also honored were Robert Furchgott, at the State University of
New York; and Ferid Murad, at the University of Texas Medical
School for their work with nitric oxide. The three will split the
$978,000 prize.

"Now, finally this discovery can be put to use in treatment of
numerous pathologies," Ignarro said from Naples, Italy, where he is
participating in a lecture.

While Ignarro is the fifth UCLA professor to receive the Nobel
Prize, he is the first from the UCLA School of Medicine.

This is the second year in a row that a UCLA professor has
received a Nobel Prize. Last year, chemistry professor Paul D.
Boyer received the award for chemistry.

"(Ignarro’s) brilliant work, conducted on this campus, is
enabling further discoveries that will save and enhance countless
lives," said Chancellor Albert Carnesale.

Nitric oxide, not be confused with nitrous oxide – laughing gas
– is a substance responsible for the transmission of signals from
one part of the body to another. In essence, it relaxes blood
vessels, allowing them to widen.

Formed when nitrogen burns, nitric oxide is an unstable molecule
also found in car exhaust, and is toxic in high doses.

"It’s a friend and a foe," said Russ Byrns, a research associate
in Ignarro’s lab.

"It can do very good things and very bad things," he added.

Levey emphasized the importance of the award.

"Now that we have a Nobel laureate, it establishes our research
program with a special degree of credibility,"Levey said.

"This is very special for any school of medicine (and) it is
particularly special for ours because we are a research-based
institution," he added.

Ignarro’s research, while applicable in many fields, led to the
development of the anti-impotence drug Viagra.

"All the basic research on Viagra was started in this lab," said
Anjay Rastogi, one of Ignarro’s research associates.

"(But) that’s only one of the very narrow implications," Levey
added.

Nitric oxide is also used in the treatment of disorders of the
nervous, immune and circulatory systems.

Ignarro is one of 33 Nobel laureates in the history of the
University of California.

Earning his B.A. in Pharmacy from Columbia University in 1962
and his Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of Minnesota in
1966, Ignarro came to UCLA in 1985 where he became a professor.
Since, he has received 10 golden apple awards, in recognition of
his teaching abilities.

"The work of Professor Ignarro and his colleagues has opened
fields of inquiry that have important implications for improving
health and saving lives around the world," said UC President
Richard Atkinson.

With reports from the Associated Press. UCLA Public
Information

Louis Ignarro, professor of pharmacology, was named as one of
three Nobel Prize Laureates in the field of medicine.

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