Bruce E. Maryanoff
Encyclopedia
Bruce Eliot Maryanoff is an American medicinal and organic chemist
.
degree in chemistry in 1969, and a Ph.D.
degree in organic chemistry in 1972, both from Drexel University
. From 1972 to 1974 Maryanoff was a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Chemistry at Princeton University
. He joined McNeil Laboratories
, Inc., a Johnson & Johnson
subsidiary, in 1974 and advanced on the scientific ladder in various Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical units to the highest scientific position in the company. Maryanoff retired from Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development, Spring House
, Pennsylvania
, in January 2010. He is now affiliated with The Scripps Research Institute
, La Jolla, California
, the Pennsylvania Drug Discovery Institute (PDDI), Doylestown, Pennsylvania
, and the Institute for Hepatitis and Virus Research (IHVR), Doylestown, Pennsylvania
, while also serving as Associate Editor for the journal ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters
. He is married to fellow chemist Dr. Cynthia A. Maryanoff
. As an avid collector of ceramic frogs, Maryanoff was awarded the Bucks County Collectibles Society's 2010 John P. Doyle Award for his collection.
Maryanoff has been active in the fields of medicinal chemistry
and organic chemistry
. He is a co-inventor of topiramate
, a unique sugar sulfamate drug, which has been marketed worldwide for the treatment of epilepsy
and migraine
, and has exceeded $2 billion in annual sales. Maryanoff is an internationally renowned expert in drug design
and drug discovery
, especially in the application of protein structure
-based drug design. His drug discovery work led to numerous new chemical entities (NCEs) entering preclinical development, 13 of which advanced into human clinical trials. He made seminal contributions to understanding the stereochemistry
and mechanism of the Wittig reaction
; adapted the cobalt-catalyzed alkyne trimerization to the synthesis of macrocycles; and devised novel peptides that undergo self-assembly
to mimic native collagen
structurally and functionally. Maryanoff is an author on 270 scientific publications, including several books (editor), book chapters, and review articles. He is an inventor on nearly 100 U.S. patents, issued or pending, has presented over 160 invited lectures worldwide, and mentored 11 postdoctoral associates. Maryanoff organized and edited a special memorial issue of the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry
to honor the memory of Dr. Paul Janssen
(2005) and has served on numerous editorial advisory boards for scientific journals and research grant review committees.
Chemist
A chemist is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties such as density and acidity. Chemists carefully describe the properties they study in terms of quantities, with detail on the level of molecules and their component atoms...
.
Background and contributions
Maryanoff received a B.S.Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree in chemistry in 1969, and a Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
degree in organic chemistry in 1972, both from Drexel University
Drexel University
Drexel University is a private research university with the main campus located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. It was founded in 1891 by Anthony J. Drexel, a noted financier and philanthropist. Drexel offers 70 full-time undergraduate programs and accelerated degrees...
. From 1972 to 1974 Maryanoff was a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Chemistry at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
. He joined McNeil Laboratories
McNeil Laboratories
McNeil Consumer Healthcare is a medicals products company belonging to the Johnson & Johnson healthcare products group.-History:The company was founded on March 16, 1879 by 23-year-old Robert McNeil, who paid $167 for a drugstore complete with fixtures, inventory and soda fountain, as a retail...
, Inc., a Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson is an American multinational pharmaceutical, medical devices and consumer packaged goods manufacturer founded in 1886. Its common stock is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the company is listed among the Fortune 500....
subsidiary, in 1974 and advanced on the scientific ladder in various Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical units to the highest scientific position in the company. Maryanoff retired from Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development, Spring House
Spring House, Pennsylvania
Spring House is a census-designated place in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,804 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Spring House is located at ....
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, in January 2010. He is now affiliated with The Scripps Research Institute
The Scripps Research Institute
The Scripps Research Institute is an American medical research facility that focuses on research in the basic biomedical sciences. Headquartered in La Jolla, California, with a sister facility in Jupiter, Florida, the institute is home to 3,000 scientists, technicians, graduate students, and...
, La Jolla, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, the Pennsylvania Drug Discovery Institute (PDDI), Doylestown, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, and the Institute for Hepatitis and Virus Research (IHVR), Doylestown, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, while also serving as Associate Editor for the journal ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters
ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters
ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters is a peer-reviewed academic journal in the field of medicinal chemistry. Founded in 2009, this online journal was published monthly by the American Chemical Society in 2010 and then bi-monthly in 2011....
. He is married to fellow chemist Dr. Cynthia A. Maryanoff
Cynthia A. Maryanoff
Cynthia Anne Maryanoff is an American organic and materials chemist.-Background and contributions:...
. As an avid collector of ceramic frogs, Maryanoff was awarded the Bucks County Collectibles Society's 2010 John P. Doyle Award for his collection.
Maryanoff has been active in the fields of medicinal chemistry
Medicinal chemistry
Medicinal chemistry and pharmaceutical chemistry are disciplines at the intersection of chemistry, especially synthetic organic chemistry, and pharmacology and various other biological specialties, where it is involved with design, chemical synthesis and development for market of pharmaceutical...
and organic chemistry
Organic chemistry
Organic chemistry is a subdiscipline within chemistry involving the scientific study of the structure, properties, composition, reactions, and preparation of carbon-based compounds, hydrocarbons, and their derivatives...
. He is a co-inventor of topiramate
Topiramate
Topiramate is an anticonvulsant drug. It was originally produced by Ortho-McNeil Neurologics and Noramco, Inc., both divisions of the Johnson & Johnson Corporation. This medication was discovered in 1979 by Bruce E. Maryanoff and Joseph F. Gardocki during their research work at McNeil...
, a unique sugar sulfamate drug, which has been marketed worldwide for the treatment of epilepsy
Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by seizures. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or hypersynchronous neuronal activity in the brain.About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and nearly two out of every three new cases...
and migraine
Migraine
Migraine is a chronic neurological disorder characterized by moderate to severe headaches, and nausea...
, and has exceeded $2 billion in annual sales. Maryanoff is an internationally renowned expert in drug design
Drug design
Drug design, also sometimes referred to as rational drug design or structure-based drug design, is the inventive process of finding new medications based on the knowledge of the biological target...
and drug discovery
Drug discovery
In the fields of medicine, biotechnology and pharmacology, drug discovery is the process by which drugs are discovered or designed.In the past most drugs have been discovered either by identifying the active ingredient from traditional remedies or by serendipitous discovery...
, especially in the application of protein structure
Protein structure
Proteins are an important class of biological macromolecules present in all organisms. Proteins are polymers of amino acids. Classified by their physical size, proteins are nanoparticles . Each protein polymer – also known as a polypeptide – consists of a sequence formed from 20 possible L-α-amino...
-based drug design. His drug discovery work led to numerous new chemical entities (NCEs) entering preclinical development, 13 of which advanced into human clinical trials. He made seminal contributions to understanding the stereochemistry
Stereochemistry
Stereochemistry, a subdiscipline of chemistry, involves the study of the relative spatial arrangement of atoms within molecules. An important branch of stereochemistry is the study of chiral molecules....
and mechanism of the Wittig reaction
Wittig reaction
The Wittig reaction is a chemical reaction of an aldehyde or ketone with a triphenyl phosphonium ylide to give an alkene and triphenylphosphine oxide....
; adapted the cobalt-catalyzed alkyne trimerization to the synthesis of macrocycles; and devised novel peptides that undergo self-assembly
Self-assembly
Self-assembly is a term used to describe processes in which a disordered system of pre-existing components forms an organized structure or pattern as a consequence of specific, local interactions among the components themselves, without external direction...
to mimic native collagen
Collagen
Collagen is a group of naturally occurring proteins found in animals, especially in the flesh and connective tissues of mammals. It is the main component of connective tissue, and is the most abundant protein in mammals, making up about 25% to 35% of the whole-body protein content...
structurally and functionally. Maryanoff is an author on 270 scientific publications, including several books (editor), book chapters, and review articles. He is an inventor on nearly 100 U.S. patents, issued or pending, has presented over 160 invited lectures worldwide, and mentored 11 postdoctoral associates. Maryanoff organized and edited a special memorial issue of the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry
Journal of Medicinal Chemistry
The Journal of Medicinal Chemistry , is a peer-reviewed scientific journal, published since 1959 by the American Chemical Society...
to honor the memory of Dr. Paul Janssen
Paul Janssen
Paul Adriaan Jan, Baron Janssen was the founder of Janssen Pharmaceutica, a pharmaceutical company with over 20,000 employees. In 2005 he finished as runner up, after Father Damien, in the poll for The Greatest Belgian organized by the regional Flemish television...
(2005) and has served on numerous editorial advisory boards for scientific journals and research grant review committees.
Awards and honors
- Johnson & Johnson's Philip B. Hofmann Research Scientist Award, 1978
- 23rd Achievement Award of the Philadelphia Section of the American Chemical SocietyAmerican Chemical SocietyThe American Chemical Society is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 161,000 members at all degree-levels and in all fields of chemistry, chemical...
(ACS), 1984 - Johnson & Johnson's Philip B. Hofmann Research Scientist Award, 1987
- Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of ScienceAmerican Association for the Advancement of ScienceThe American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
(AAAS), 1989 - Distinguished Chemistry Alumni Award from Drexel University, 1994
- Philadelphia Organic Chemists' Club (POCC) Award, 1995
- Johnson & Johnson's Johnson Medal for Research and Development, 1997
- Organic SynthesesOrganic SynthesesOrganic Syntheses is a scientific journal that since 1921 has provided the chemistry community with annual collections of detailed and checked procedures for the organic synthesis of organic compounds. The journal is peer reviewed...
Distinguished Lecture Award, Colorado State University, Department of Chemistry, 1998 - Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award for Service to the Profession, Drexel University, 1999
- American Chemical Society Heroes of Chemistry 2000 Award, 2000
- Fellow, Royal Society of ChemistryRoyal Society of ChemistryThe Royal Society of Chemistry is a learned society in the United Kingdom with the goal of "advancing the chemical sciences." It was formed in 1980 from the merger of the Chemical Society, the Royal Institute of Chemistry, the Faraday Society and the Society for Analytical Chemistry with a new...
(RSC), 2000 - American Chemical Society Award in Industrial Chemistry, 2003
- National Commission for Cooperative Education Co-op Hall of Fame, Class of 2002-2003.
- Drexel 100, 2003
- Wyeth Lecture Award, Temple University, School of Pharmacy, 2007
- ACS Division of Medicinal Chemistry Hall of Fame, 2008
- American Chemical Society Division of Medicinal Chemistry Edward E. Smissman Award, sponsored by Bristol-Myers Squibb, 2009
- Fellow, American Chemical SocietyAmerican Chemical SocietyThe American Chemical Society is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 161,000 members at all degree-levels and in all fields of chemistry, chemical...
, 2009 - Prix Paul Ehrlich, from Société de Chimie Thérapeutique (SCT), 2010