Alejandro Zaffaroni
Alejandro Cesar Zaffaroni (born February 27, 1923 in Montevideo , Uruguay , † March 1, 2014 in Atherton , California ) was a Uruguayan-American biochemist , biotechnologist and entrepreneur. He is considered a pioneer of numerous new methods of drug delivery (such as: active ingredient transport), such as the inventor of the transdermal patch , for which he received a patent in 1971 . In total, Zaffaroni owned around 130 patents.
Live and act
Zaffaroni was the son of a banker. His mother died when he was 13, his father when he was 18. Zaffaroni holds a Bachelor of Medicine degree from the Universidad de la República in Montevideo . In 1945 he went to the University of Rochester on a scholarship from the Institute of International Education , where he received a Ph.D. in 1949 with a thesis on the synthesis, isolation and measurement of corticosteroids. in biochemistry. As a postdoctoral fellow , he worked for the National Institutes of Health before turning down several academic positions. He first worked for Syntex , a pharmaceutical company based in Mexico City , where he rose to managing director within five years and founded the subsidiary in Palo Alto . Here Zaffaroni became scientific director and was involved in the development of the birth control pill . In 1968 he left Syntex.
Zaffaroni founded numerous companies:
- Alza Corporation (1968) where he first developed thin films for the treatment of glaucoma and for contraception . In particular, novel systems for administering drugs have been developed, including transdermal patches for the treatment of nicotine addiction , angina pectoris , motion sickness and chronic pain . The patches were marketed by Ciba-Geigy . Another novel system was OROS ( oral osmotic system ). Alza was sold to Johnson & Johnson in 2001 for $ 12 billion .
- Affymetrix (1991); the company is best known for the commercial development of DNA chip technology (DNA microarrays), with which very large numbers of genetic tests can be carried out in a very short time and in a very small space.
- Alexza Pharmaceuticals (2000) ; developed procedure for the inhalation of medication (see inhaler ), for example for the treatment of schizophrenia ( loxapine ).
- Dnax, Affymax, Symyx Technologies, Maxygen, SurroMed, Perlegen Sciences
Zaffaroni was married to Lida Zaffaroni and the couple had two children. Alejandro Zaffaroni died of complications from dementia .
Awards (selection)
- 1973 member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
- 1978 member of the Institute of Medicine
- 1979 Chemical Pioneer Award from the American Institute of Chemists
- 1995 National Medal of Technology and Innovation
- 1997 member of the National Academy of Engineering
- 1998 Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
- 2004 Winthrop-Sears Medal from the Science History Institute
- 2005 Bower Award for Business Leadership from the Franklin Institute
- 2006 Biotechnology Heritage Award from the Science History Institute
- 2008 Woodrow Wilson Award for Public Service
- In 2012, inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame
The Lida and Alejandro Zaffaroni Breast Imaging Center at Stanford University is named after Zaffaroni and his wife, and they made substantial donations to build it. Stanford University also has a program named after the Zaffaroni couple to support students from Latin America .
literature
- Andrew Pollack: Alejandro Zaffaroni, Entrepreneur on Biotech Frontier, Dies at 91. In: The New York Times , March 6, 2014.
- Howie Rose: Alejandro Zaffaroni 1923-2014. In: National Academy of Engineering (ed.): Memorial Tributes: Volume 20. The National Academies Press, 2016. ISBN 978-0-309-43729-5 , pp. 376-380.
- Karen Sparks: Alejandro Zaffaroni. In: Encyclopædia Britannica . Retrieved August 11, 2018 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ US3598123A - Bandage for administering drugs. In: patents.google.com. August 10, 1971, accessed August 10, 2018 .
- ↑ Book of Members 1780 – present, Chapter Z. (PDF; 117 kB) In: American Academy of Arts and Sciences (amacad.org). Accessed August 10, 2018 (English).
- ^ American Institute of Chemists - Chemical Pioneer Award. In: theaic.org. Retrieved August 10, 2018 .
- ↑ 1995 Laureates - National Medal of Technology and Innovation. In: uspto.gov. April 26, 2016, accessed August 10, 2018 .
- ↑ Alejandro Zaffaroni. In: nationalmedals.org. Retrieved August 10, 2018 .
- ^ Winthrop-Sears Medal. In: sciencehistory.org. Science History Institute , accessed August 10, 2018 .
- ↑ Alejandro Zaffaroni. In: fi.edu. Franklin Institute , accessed August 10, 2018 .
- ^ Biotechnology Heritage Award. In: sciencehistory.org. Science History Institute , accessed August 10, 2018 .
- ↑ Previous Wilson Center Awardees. (PDF, 440 kB) In: wilsoncenter.org. Wilson Center , accessed August 10, 2018 .
- ↑ Alejandro Zaffaroni. In: invent.org. July 25, 2016, accessed August 10, 2018 .
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Zaffaroni, Alejandro |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Zaffaroni, Alejandro Cesar |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Uruguayan-American biochemist, biotechnologist and entrepreneur |
DATE OF BIRTH | February 27, 1923 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Montevideo , Uruguay |
DATE OF DEATH | March 1, 2014 |
Place of death | Atherton , California |