Pedro Cuatrecasas (born 27 September 1936) is an American

biochemist Biochemists are scientists who are trained in biochemistry. They study chemical processes and chemical transformations in living organisms. Biochemists study DNA, proteins and cell parts. The word "biochemist" is a portmanteau of "biological ch ...

and an Adjunct Professor of Pharmacology & Medicine at the

University of California San Diego The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego or colloquially, UCSD) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in San Diego, California. Established in 1960 near the pre-existing Scripps Insti ...

Birth and education

Pedro Cuatrecasas was born in 1936 in

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

. He completed his A.B. from Washington University in St. Louis in 1958. He completed his M.D. from

Washington University School of Medicine Washington University School of Medicine (WUSM) is the medical school of Washington University in St. Louis in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1891, the School of Medicine has 1,260 students, 604 of which are pursuing a medical degree with ...

in 1962.

Research

Pedro Cuatrecasas is known for the invention and development of affinity chromatography, a process utilized within the Aethlon HemopurifierTM. He was involved in the discovery, development and marketing registration of more than forty medicines. Some of those medicines include:

zidovudine Zidovudine (ZDV), also known as azidothymidine (AZT), is an antiretroviral medication used to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS. It is generally recommended for use in combination with other antiretrovirals. It may be used to prevent mother-to-child ...

(AZT, AIDS),

acyclovir Aciclovir (ACV), also known as acyclovir, is an antiviral medication. It is primarily used for the treatment of herpes simplex virus infections, chickenpox, and shingles. Other uses include prevention of cytomegalovirus infections following t ...

(Zovirax, anti-herpes),

permethrin Permethrin is a medication and an insecticide. As a medication, it is used to treat scabies and lice. It is applied to the skin as a cream or lotion. As an insecticide, it can be sprayed onto clothing or mosquito nets to kill the insects th ...

(Rid, head and body lice),

bupropion Bupropion, sold under the brand names Wellbutrin and Zyban among others, is an atypical antidepressant primarily used to treat major depressive disorder and to support smoking cessation. It is also popular as an add-on medication in the cas ...

(Wellbutrin, antidepressant),

colfosceril palmitate Colfosceril palmitate (trade name Exosurf) is a drug used as a pulmonary surfactant. It is a drug that is used in surfactant deficient conditions such as infant respiratory distress syndrome in newborns. See also *Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine ...

(Exosurf, infant acute respiratory distress),

remifentanil Remifentanil is a potent, short-acting synthetic opioid analgesic drug. It is given to patients during surgery to relieve pain and as an adjunct to an anaesthetic. Remifentanil is used for sedation as well as combined with other medications fo ...

(Ultiva, analgesic/anesthetic), sumatriptan (Imigran, migraine), salmeterol (Serement, asthma),

tacrine Tacrine is a centrally acting acetylcholinesterase inhibitor and indirect cholinergic agonist (parasympathomimetic). It was the first centrally acting cholinesterase inhibitor approved for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, and was marketed un ...

(Cognex, Alzheimers),

gabapentin Gabapentin, sold under the brand name Neurontin among others, is an anticonvulsant medication primarily used to treat partial seizures and neuropathic pain. It is a first-line medication for the treatment of neuropathic pain caused by diabeti ...

(Neurontin, epilepsy and neuropathic pain), troglitazone (Rezulin, diabetes), and

atorvastatin Atorvastatin is a statin medication used to prevent cardiovascular disease in those at high risk and to treat abnormal lipid levels. For the prevention of cardiovascular disease, statins are a first-line treatment. It is taken by mouth. Common ...

(Lipitor, cholesterol lowering). In 1987 Pedro Cuatrecasas won the

Wolf Prize in Medicine The Wolf Prize in Medicine is awarded annually by the Wolf Foundation in Israel. It is one of the six Wolf Prizes established by the Foundation and awarded since 1978; the others are in Agriculture, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics and Arts. The ...

in 1987 along with

Meir Wilchek Meir Wilchek (Hebrew: מאיר אשר וילצ'ק, born 17 October 1935) is an Israeli biochemist. He is a professor at the Weizmann Institute of Science. Early life and education Meir Wilchek was born in Warsaw, Poland, scion of a rabbinical fa ...

"for the invention and development of

affinity chromatography Affinity chromatography is a method of separating a biomolecule from a mixture, based on a highly specific macromolecular binding interaction between the biomolecule and another substance. The specific type of binding interaction depends on the ...

and its applications to biomedical sciences."The Wolf Prize in Medicine
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References

External links

CV of Pedro Cuatrecasas

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20110515142145/http://www.wolffund.org.il/full.asp?id=91 The Wolf Prize in Medicine in 1987 (detail) {{DEFAULTSORT:Cuatrecasas, Pedro 1936 births Spanish emigrants to the United States American biochemists Spanish biochemists Washington University School of Medicine alumni University of California, San Diego alumni Wolf Prize in Medicine laureates Living people Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences Members of the National Academy of Medicine Washington University in St. Louis alumni