College of Pharmacy Attracts World Leader in Medicinal Chemistry

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (Feb. 21, 2006)--Gunda Georg, Ph.D., a world-renowned researcher in drug discovery and development, will join the faculty of the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy as head of the Department of Medicinal Chemistry. She will begin work at the college in early fall 2006 and will be the Robert Vince Chair in Medicinal Chemistry and hold a McKnight Presidential Chair in Medicinal Chemistry.

The National of Institutes of Health identified Georg as one of the top 5 percent of researchers receiving funding through the NIH during the last 25 years. She is highly regarded for her research on discovering and developing potential drugs to treat cancer and developing male contraceptive agents.

“Georg’s hiring establishes drug discovery and development as a major focus at the University,” said Marilyn K. Speedie, Ph.D., dean of the College of Pharmacy.

She will bring a team of more than 20 graduate students and postdoctoral research associates with her to the college.

Georg is a University Distinguished Professor at the University of Kansas in Lawrence and serves as the director for the Center for Drug Discovery at Higuchi Biosciences Center and as director of the Kansas Masonic Cancer Research Institute Experimental Therapeutics Program.

“Bringing Gunda Georg to Minnesota is a true achievement for the University and advances its ability to promote discovery of new drugs and therapies in cancer.  We’re very excited by her ability to establish partnerships across the fields of pharmacy, chemistry, medicine, and cancer research as it represents strong potential for the future of this institution,” said Frank B. Cerra, senior vice president for health sciences.

“I’m very honored that I was selected to head the department and to receive the very prestigious chairs,” Georg said.

Yusuf Abul-Hajj, Ph.D., stepped down as department head in fall 2005. Rodney Johnson, Ph.D., serves as interim department head.

Since 2000, Georg has received numerous multi-million dollar grants, including several from the National Institutes of Health. She recently received a $7.8 million NIH grant to discover male contraceptives, and that grant is expected to be transferred to the University.

Her research also focuses on analyzing chemical compounds to find drugs potentially useful in cancer treatment. She uses computer modeling to find new drugs to treat diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer’s. She is a co-inventor of an anesthetic for colonoscopy that is in phase three clinical trials by MGI Pharma, based in Minnesota.

Georg’s goals for the Department of Medicinal Chemistry include establishing the department as the premier medicinal and experimental therapeutics program in the country, increasing the number of faculty, graduate students, and postdoctoral residents, and increasing external funding within the department.

She will work closely with the director of the Cancer Center, the cancer experimental therapeutics group, and others in the Medical School to identify strengths and opportunities for collaboration.

“I am looking very much forward to challenges and opportunities ahead and working with administration, faculty, and students to achieve the goals that I have articulated for the department,” Georg said.

She holds a Ph.D. in medicinal chemistry from Philipps Universität Marburg (Philipps University), Germany. She completed postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Ottawa, Canada, and Philipps Universität Marburg Institut für Pharmazeuitische Chemie (University Marburg Institute for Pharmaceutical Chemistry), Germany.

Georg is a member of numerous professional organizations, including the American Chemical Society, American Association for Advancement of Science, the American Association for Cancer Research, and the Association for Women in Science. She has served on and with several professional organizations, including the National Institutes of Health Medicinal Chemistry study section, the Institute for Allergy and Infectious Disease Study Section, the National Cancer Institute Site Visit Teams, the American Cancer Society, the Institute for the Study of Aging, and the National Science Foundation.

She has served on the editorial board for Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, which is housed in the College of Pharmacy, Medicinal Research Reviews, Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry, Journal of Organic Chemistry, and Combinatorial Chemistry and High Throughput Screening. Georg received the Sato Memorial International Award of the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan in 2000. She was the George Lesher Lecturer in Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry at Rensslear Polytechnic Institute and received the 1998 University of Kansas Excellence in Teaching Award. In 1992, she was named to the University of Kansas Women’s Hall of Fame.          

The College of Pharmacy, the only school of pharmacy in Minnesota, offers its program on the Twin Cities and Duluth campuses. Founded in 1892, the College of Pharmacy educates pharmacists and scientists and engages in research and practice to improve the health of the people of Minnesota and society. The college is part of the Academic Health Center, which is home to the University of Minnesota’s six health professional schools and colleges as well as several health-related centers and institutes.

Contact: Rebecca Lentz, College of Pharmacy, 612.624.7654
Sara E. Buss, Academic Health Center, 612.624.2449