Faculty News & Notes
Winter 2008

Editor’s Note: Faculty Notes are offered to Interactions readers for two reasons: 1) to provide insight into the scope of teaching and research endeavors in which College of Pharmacy faculty are engaged; and 2) as a means for alumni and friends to keep up with the activities of College basic and clinical sciences faculty. The e-mail addresses of College faculty and alumni are appended at the end of each update to facilitate communication between Interactions readers and the individuals whose activities are cited.

The Michigan Pharmacy family suffered a loss with the passing of Dean Frank Ascione’s wife, Nancy Agard le Grand Ascione, on December 31, 2007, after a long illness. Dean Ascione appreciates all the good wishes and support he received from our alumni and friends.

Richard P. Bagozzi, PhD, professor of marketing at the Stephen M. Ross School of Business, and professor of clinical, social, and administrative sciences at the College of Pharmacy, was elected a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science (APS). APS is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of scientific psychology and considered one of the most prestigious associations for psychologists worldwide. Fellow status is awarded to APS members who have made sustained outstanding contributions to the science of psychology in the areas of research, teaching, service, and application. Candidates are considered after at least 10-15 years of postdoctoral contribution. Bagozzi’s basic research explores human emotions, decision making, social identity, and action. His work has been applied to the study of consumers, patients, doctors, salespersons, managers, and organizations. E-mail: bagozzi@umich.edu.

James K. Coward, PhD, professor of medicinal chemistry at the College of Pharmacy and professor of chemistry at the College of LSA, was a 2007 inductee into the American Chemical Society (ACS) Division of Medicinal Chemistry Hall of Fame. The ACS Division of Medicinal Chemistry Hall of Fame was established by the executive committee of the Division in 2006 to recognize sustained, overall outstanding contributions to medicinal chemistry through a combination of research, teaching, and service. In choosing Coward for its Hall of Fame, the ACS selection committee praised his research acumen in multiple areas of synthetic and mechanistic organic chemistry and mechanistic biochemistry, most specifically, his investigations into three different types of enzymes: folylpolyglutamate synthetase/γ-glutamyl hydrolase, glutathionylspermidine synthetase/amidase, and oligosaccharyltransferase.

ACS lauded Coward’s leadership on multiple ACS committees and leading professional journals, his role as program director of the Chemistry-Biology Interface Training Program (1995-2005) at U-M, his leadership as the first chair (1998-2004) of the College of Pharmacy’s newly created Department of Medicinal Chemistry, numerous NIH and NSF study sections and advisory panels, and many other professional service achievements, as well. Coward’s role as a teacher also figured prominently in his Hall of Fame selection. He has mentored 65 graduate students and postdoctoral associates, as well as nearly 70 undergraduate students. In 2004, Coward was made a Fellow, Chemistry Section, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). E-mail: jkcoward@umich.edu.

Vicki Ellingrod, PharmD, an associate professor in both the U-M College of Pharmacy’s Department of Clinical, Social, and Administrative Sciences and the School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, was elected a Fellow of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) and was inducted at the ACCP annual meeting in mid-October. ACCP fellowships are awarded to recognize continuous excellence in clinical pharmacy practice or research. Her research focuses on using genomic markers to identify patients at greatest risk for metabolic complications from antipsychotic use. Ellingrod also was elected to a two-year term on the College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists (CPNP) Board of Directors. Her term as CPNP secretary will begin July 2008. E-mail: vellingr@umich.edu.

The antiviral drug, maribavir, developed by Department of Medicinal Chemistry Professors Leroy B. Townsend, PhD, and John C. Drach, PhD, along with scientists from pharmaceutical companies, has entered Phase 3 testing at several sites across the nation. One of those sites is U-M Medical Center. Maribavir is now produced by ViroPharma, Inc. under the name Camvia™. The drug was designed and developed to prevent cytomegalovirus (CMV) infections in patients who undergo bone marrow and liver transplants.

About 45,000 patients in the U.S., and a similar number of patients in Europe, undergo bone marrow or solid organ transplants each year. All of these patients are at increased risk for CMV disease.

CMV is part of the herpes virus family, which also includes the viruses that cause chicken pox, mononucleosis, cold sores, and genital lesions. In most people with intact immune systems, CMV causes little or no apparent illness. However, in those with weakened immune systems, such as individuals who have received organ transplants, AIDS patients, and newborns, CMV can lead to serious complications or death.

While excited that maribavir has entered the final phase of pre-market testing, Drach acknowledges that “there’s still a ways to go before maribavir can be marketed.

“It’s amazing to see a compound that came from studies Leroy and I did for more than two decades finally reaching this point in human testing,” reflects Drach, a biochemist and virologist at the School of Dentistry and a professor of medicinal chemistry at the College of Pharmacy. “Equally exciting is that the drug has entered Phase 3 trials at U-M Medical Center.”

Albert B. Prescott Professor Emeritus of Medicinal Chemistry Townsend notes that the clinical use of maribavir is “an excellent illustration of how interdisciplinary research enhances the drug design and development process.

“Our initial discovery that a specific class of compounds possessed unique antiviral properties was followed by 10 more years of collaborative research in our U-M laboratories,” he states. “But we needed to involve others, including several pharmaceutical companies as collaborators, in order to move maribavir to Phase 3 testing.”

The Phase 3 studies involve two groups of patients. The first group includes approximately 600 patients who have received bone marrow transplants; the second, about 300 who received liver transplants. E-mail: ltownsen@umich.edu, jcdrach@umich.edu.

Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences Kyung-Dall Lee, PhD, has been appointed co-director of the Center for Molecular Drug Targeting (CMDT). Charles R. Walgreen Jr. Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences Gordon L. Amidon, PhD’71, is the other director. Located in the College of Pharmacy, CMDT pursues molecular and cellular approaches to drug design, drug targeting, and drug delivery through collaborative, multidisciplinary research. The Center was established in 2003. E-mail: kdlee@umich.edu.

Professor Emeritus of Social and Administrative Sciences (SAS) James W. Richards, BSPharm’55, has accepted a one-year appointment as interim director of the Center for Medication Use, Policy, and Economics (CMUPE). The previous director, Professor Emeritus of SAS Duane M. Kirking, PhD, retired last summer. Associate Research Scientist Nancy Lewis, PharmD’81, will continue as CMUPE’s associate director. E-mail: jwrich@umich.edu, njwlewis@umich.edu.

Professor of Pharmacy Lynda S. Welage, BSPharm’81, PharmD, has agreed to serve a second, three-year appointment as associate dean for academic affairs. E-mail: lswelage@umich.edu.

Ronald W. Woodard, PhD, chair and professor, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, has agreed to serve a second, three-year term as Med-Chem Department chair. In fall term 2007, Woodard was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). He joins a very select group of scientists, including current faculty members: Professors of Medicinal Chemistry James Coward, PhD, John Drach, PhD, Henry Mosberg, PhD, and John Topliss, PhD; Tom D. Rowe Collegiate Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry George L. Kenyon, PhD; and Dean Emeritus and Professor Emeritus of Pharmacognosy Ara G. Paul, PhD. The AAAS elects Fellows whose “efforts on the behalf of the advancement of science or its applications are scientifically or socially distinguished.” In bestowing Fellowship status on Woodard, AAAS cited his “notable contributions to the field of enzyme chemistry, particularly in the areas of carbohydrate biochemistry dealing with macromolecular structures such as lipopoylsaccharides.” E-mail: rww@umich.edu.