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Dr. Kinghorn Receives the 2010
Norman R. Farnsworth
American Society of Pharmacognosy
Research Achievement Award

The College of Pharmacy is pleased to announce that Professor A. Douglas Kinghorn, the Jack L. Beal Professor and Chair in the Division of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy has been selected as the recipient of the 2010 Norman R. Farnsworth ASP Research Achievement Award. This award from the American Society of Pharmacognosy (ASP) is given on a competitive basis to recognize lifetime research contributions on natural products. This award has been given since 1985, and in 2005 was named after Dr. Norman R. Farnsworth, of the University of Illinois at Chicago, a Founding Member and the second President of the ASP.

Dr. Kinghorn shown with Drs. David J. Newman (Natural Products Branch, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD) and Norman R Farnsworth (University of Illinois at Chicago) at the 2007 OSU College of Pharmacy Research Day

The report of the ASP selection committee states as follows:

"Professor Kinghorn (referred to affectionately as Doug by his friends and colleagues) has a remarkable record of achievement in many of the areas of pharmacognosy. He is recognized as a world authority on plant constituents with ability to affect the taste receptors, particularly those detecting sweetness and bitterness, an area of increasing importance, given the rise in the incidence of type II diabetes throughout the world. His group have discovered several novel phytochemical sweeteners including herandulcin, a sesquiterpene 1000 times sweeter than sucrose, and the abrusosides A-E which are highly selective for the sweetness receptors with no apparent affinity for the bitterness receptor."

The 2009 Kinghorn research group shown with Dr. Carcache de Blanco

"Dr. Kinghorn's research group have also made a major contribution to the discovery of anticancer and cancer preventive compounds. In the latter class they have isolated more than 100 compounds showing activity in appropriate in vitro assays with more than 50 of these being novel. In the former class Doug has led an NCDDG embracing groups at UIC (now OSU), RTI and Bristol Myers Squibb which has been funded for more than 15 years and discovered a large number of compounds with anticancer activity. An important discovery here has been the pervilleines A-F, compounds which inhibit the action of P-glycoprotein. Thus the pervilleines are able to impart activity to vinblastine against the multi-drug resistant cell lines KB-VI and CEMlVLB100."

"Doug's indirect contributions to research in the science of pharmacognosy have been such as make his direct research achievements all the more remarkable. For the last 15 years Doug has been Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Natural Products, a vocation which could have completely consumed a lesser scientist. Under his guidance the journal has grown in size and academic standing in recent years. The journal is a monthly publication that since 1996 has been co-published by the American Chemical Society and the American Society of Pharmacognosy."

"Professor Kinghorn's formal education was in the United Kingdom with a B.Pharm. from Bradford University in 1969 and an M.Sc. in Forensic Science at Strathclyde in 1970. He took his Ph.D. in Pharmacognosy at University of London in 1975 and a D.Sc. in Pharmacy in 1990. He did postdoctoral training at Ole Miss 1975-76 and at UIC 1976-77 where he was appointed an Assistant Professor in 1977, Associate Professor in 1981 and Professor in 1986."

"Doug has authored or co-authored more than 300 original scientific articles and more than 30 reviews, 57 book chapters, and has edited 4 books. It is not surprising that he is highly cited and was listed as one of the 112 most cited authors in Agricultural Sciences by lSI. He has delivered more than 200 talks at various universities and international congresses throughout the world."

"Professor Kinghorn's impressive, long, and continuing contributions to pharmacognosy research are such that we are proud to present him as the Norman R. Farnsworth ASP Research Achievement Awardee for 2010."

Dr. Kinghorn will present an award lecture on his research at the 51st Annual Meeting of ASP in Tampa/St. Petersburg, Florida in July 2010. The American Society of Pharmacognosy (ASP) was founded in 1959 to promote the growth and development of pharmacognosy, to provide the opportunity for association in this science and related sciences, to provide opportunities for presentation of research achievements, and to promote the publication of meritorious research. ASP is organized and operated exclusively for scientific purposes and its activities are conducted on a non-profit basis. The ASP sponsors an Annual Meeting that features symposium topics of current interest to members and supports an Awards and Grants program through the ASP Foundation. Membership of the Society exceeds 1,000 and is open to scientists of all nations with an interest in pharmacognosy and natural products chemistry.

"Pharmacognosy" includes the study of the physical, chemical, biochemical and biological properties of drugs, drug substances, or potential drugs or drug substances of natural origin as well as the search for new drugs from natural sources. Research problems in pharmacognosy include studies in the areas of phytochemistry, microbial chemistry, biosynthesis, biotransformation, chemotaxonomy, and other biological and chemical sciences.

Dr. Kinghorn first joined the American Society of Pharmacognosy in 1977 and has served as Member of the Executive Committee (1985-1988), Vice President (1989-1990), and President (1990-1991) of ASP, as well as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Natural Products (1994-present). He has previously been honored by ASP by being named both a Fellow (2007) and an Honorary Member (2008). The Journal of Natural Products, then known as Lloydia, became the scientific journal of ASP in 1961. The Journal of Natural Products began to be published by its present title in 1979, and has appeared monthly since 1992.

For more information about Dr. Kinghorn's research please visit his faculty profile web page which includes a list of his recent publications.

 

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