Derek Lowe (chemist)
Encyclopedia
Derek Lowe is a chemistry blogger and medicinal chemist working on preclinical drug discovery. Lowe (born in Harrisburg, Arkansas
) got his BA from Hendrix College
and his PhD in organic chemistry
from Duke University
, doing his doctoral research studying the organic synthesis
of natural products, before spending time in Germany
on a Humboldt Fellowship
on his post-doc.
Lowe was apparently the first person to blog from inside the drug industry, and appears be one of the first science bloggers. He maintains an online presence, commenting on drug discovery
and the pharmaceutical industry in his blog "In the Pipeline". "In the Pipeline" attracts a wide readership, getting approximately 15,000 to 20,000 page views on a typical weekday. He also regularly writes columns about organic
and medicinal chemistry
, detailing the trends and challenges of drug development
, in the Royal Society of Chemistry
periodical Chemistry World
. He serves on the editorial board of ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters
and on the advisory board of Chemical & Engineering News
Harrisburg, Arkansas
Harrisburg is a city in Poinsett County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 2,192 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Jonesboro, Arkansas Metropolitan Statistical Area...
) got his BA from Hendrix College
Hendrix College
Hendrix College is a private liberal arts college located in Conway, Arkansas. The student body averages around 1,400 and currently represents forty-three states and fourteen foreign countries. In US News and World Report's America's Best Colleges, Hendrix is ranked annually in the top tier of...
and his PhD in 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...
from Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
, doing his doctoral research studying the organic synthesis
Organic synthesis
Organic synthesis is a special branch of chemical synthesis and is concerned with the construction of organic compounds via organic reactions. Organic molecules can often contain a higher level of complexity compared to purely inorganic compounds, so the synthesis of organic compounds has...
of natural products, before spending time in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
on a Humboldt Fellowship
Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation is a foundation set-up by the government of the Federal Republic and funded by the German Foreign Office, the Ministry of Education and Research, the Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development and others for the promotion of international co-operation...
on his post-doc.
Lowe was apparently the first person to blog from inside the drug industry, and appears be one of the first science bloggers. He maintains an online presence, commenting on 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...
and the pharmaceutical industry in his blog "In the Pipeline". "In the Pipeline" attracts a wide readership, getting approximately 15,000 to 20,000 page views on a typical weekday. He also regularly writes columns about organic
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...
and 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...
, detailing the trends and challenges of drug development
Drug development
Drug development is a blanket term used to define the process of bringing a new drug to the market once a lead compound has been identified through the process of drug discovery...
, in the Royal Society of Chemistry
Royal Society of Chemistry
The 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...
periodical Chemistry World
Chemistry World
Chemistry World is a monthly chemistry news magazine published by the Royal Society of Chemistry. The magazine addresses current events in world of chemistry including research, international business news and government policy as it affects the chemical science community, plus the best product...
. He serves on the editorial board of 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....
and on the advisory board of Chemical & Engineering News
Chemical & Engineering News
Chemical & Engineering News is a weekly magazine published by the American Chemical Society, providing professional and technical information in the fields of chemistry and chemical engineering...
External links
- Lowe's "In the Pipeline" blog
- Lowe's Chemistry World columns
- Moving Away From Target-Based Discovery
- Drug discovery for the masses
- "No Refills" article from The Atlantic Monthly
- Molecular Modeling's $10 Million Comeback
- Interview at Natures The Sceptical Chymist
- Recent threat to sue Lowe for his comments on a small biotech company