Emily Scott Wins Prestigious Brodie Award in Drug Metabolism and Disposition

Media Contact: Lindsay Groth, Executive Director of Marketing and Communications, [email protected]

[Ann Arbor, Michigan] — Emily Scott, PhD, the F. F. Blicke Collegiate Professor at the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy, was awarded the B. B. Brodie Award in Drug Metabolism and Disposition from the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET). The award is among the highest honors in the field of drug metabolism. 

Presented every two years since 1978, the Award recognizes a track record of outstanding original research contributions in drug metabolism – chemical transformation into another form – and disposition, or removal from the body.

The award nomination specifically cited six of Scott’s publications reporting significant discoveries that expanded our understanding of the structure of cytochrome P450s, the class of enzymes that oxidize drugs for excretion. Findings from her work with these drug-metabolizing enzymes has carried over to her study of other types of P450s that perform other critical functions in the body. These go awry in diseases like diabetes or cancer, so they are targets for drug therapies. For example, her work on the structure of CYP17A1, an enzyme thought to play a role in causing cancer, revealed how a potential prostate cancer drug, abiraterone acetate (Zytiga), binds to and inhibits CYP17A1. This drug is now a cornerstone treatment for advanced prostate cancer, benefiting hundreds of thousands of men.

“We are thrilled that Professor Scott has won this well-deserved recognition,” said Dean Vicki Ellingrod. “Her patient and prolific exploration of the structures of these vital enzymes have profoundly shaped subsequent research in the field.”

“I am deeply honored to receive this award,” Scott said, recognizing the contributions of mentors who trained her, the hard work of many students, and the research community that both challenged and supported her work. “Scientific progress is fundamentally a shared endeavor, and I am grateful to be part of a wonderful P450 community that values collaboration, rigor, and curiosity. I look forward to continuing this work toward developing new drugs for important human diseases.”

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The University of Michigan College of Pharmacy has been leading at pharmacy’s edge for 150 years. The first and oldest pharmacy school at a state university, the College — currently ranked #2 in the nation — has and continues to shape education in the field. Its faculty are internationally recognized and are innovators in drug discovery, development and delivery, precision pharmacotherapy, outcomes research, and clinical practice. More than 5,000 alumni are enhancing patient care and outcomes from the bench to the bedside, in boardrooms and communities, government agencies, and within healthcare companies.