Richard B. Silverman receives Gustavus John Esselen Award for Chemistry in the Public Interest

Richard B. Silverman, a professor of chemistry and molecular biosciences and inaugural Patrick G. Ryan/Aon Professor at Northwestern University, is the recipient of the Gustavus John Esselen Award for Chemistry in the Public Interest for his outstanding contributions to medicinal chemistry. Silverman’s contributions include the invention of Lyrica (pregabalin), the first US Food and Drug Administration–approved treatment for fibromyalgia, and his groundbreaking work relating to the treatment of neurodegenerative and neurological diseases. Lyrica has been marketed worldwide by Pfizer for the treatment of fibromyalgia, neuropathic pain, and refractory epilepsy and in Europe for generalized anxiety disorder. Silverman’s recent work has focused on enzyme inhibitors that treat epilepsies and addiction.

Silverman has published over 390 research articles, been named a coinventor on 130 issued domestic and foreign patents, and written five books. Silverman’s book The Organic Chemistry of Drug Design and Drug Action is used worldwide in academic and industrial institutions and has shaped the thinking of students and professionals in the pharmaceutical industry for 3 decades.

The Esselen Award honors outstanding achievement in scientific and technical work that contributes to the public well-being and has thereby communicated the positive values of the chemical profession. The award is presented annually by the Northeastern Section of the American Chemical Society and has honored such publicly renowned chemists as F. Sherwood Rowland and Mario J. Molina, Carl Djerassi, Kary B. Mullis, Jennifer A. Doudna, and Carolyn R. Bertozzi. The Esselen Award is given to honor the memory of G. J. Esselen, past chair of the Northeastern Section and founder of Esselen Research.

Silverman will receive the award on Friday, April 12, in a ceremony at the Harvard University Faculty Club, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, at 8:00 p.m. Silverman’s award lecture, “Inhibition of Protein Aggregation and the Development of AKV9 (Formerly NU-9) for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Other Neurodegenerative Diseases,” will follow the award presentation and is free and open to the public.

You can find more information about the award on the Northeastern Section’s website at nesacs.org.