DAVID CUSHMAN
David Cushman (November 15, 1939 - August 14, 2000) was an American chemist
famous for his role in the invention of captopril, the first of the ACE
inhibitors used in the treatment of cardiovascular disease. With Miguel A.
Ondetti, he won the 1999 Lasker Award for: "developing an innovative approach to
drug design based on protein structure and using it to create the ACE inhibitors,
powerful oral agents for the treatment of high blood pressure, heart failure,
and diabetic kidney disease."
Dr. Cushman says captopril's significance from a basic research point of view is
that it was developed through pure chemical design. He credits Dr. John Vane
with suggesting angiotensin converting enzyme as a target for research at The
Squibb Institute. As Dr. Ondetti put it in an interview, "Capoten really was the
first example of rational drug design based on a hypothetical biological
mechanism."
David Cushman (November 15, 1939 - August 14, 2000) was an American chemist
famous for his role in the invention of captopril, the first of the ACE
inhibitors used in the treatment of cardiovascular disease. With Miguel A.
Ondetti, he won the 1999 Lasker Award for: "developing an innovative approach to
drug design based on protein structure and using it to create the ACE inhibitors,
powerful oral agents for the treatment of high blood pressure, heart failure,
and diabetic kidney disease."
Dr. Cushman says captopril's significance from a basic research point of view is
that it was developed through pure chemical design. He credits Dr. John Vane
with suggesting angiotensin converting enzyme as a target for research at The
Squibb Institute. As Dr. Ondetti put it in an interview, "Capoten really was the
first example of rational drug design based on a hypothetical biological
mechanism."