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Gunda Georg, Ph.D.
University Distinguished Professor
Department of Medicinal Chemistry
University of Kansas
Dr. Georg is the Director at the Center of Drug Discovery in the Higuchi Biosciences Center, Director at the Kansas Cancer Institute Experimental Therapeutics Program, and a University Distinguished Professor at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas. She received her Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry in 1980 from the Phillips Universitat Marburg in Germany.
Dr. Georg has published over 140 research articles and numerous patents. She currently serves on many editorial boards including; The Journal of Organic Chemistry, Medicinal Research Reviews, and Journal of the American Chemical Society. Dr. Georg has been the recipient of over $35 million dollars in grants since 1984. She currently has 4 grants funded by the National Institutes of Health. In 1997, she co-founded the company ProQuest, Inc.
Dr. Georg is a member in the American Chemical Society, American Association for the Advancement of Science, and International Society of Heterocyclic Chemistry.
About the lecture
"Drug Discovery in Academia: Opportunities and Challenges"
The history and contemporary approaches for drug discovery and development will be discussed. A case will be made that academic institutions should play a larger role in translating basic biomedical research, including pharmaceutical research, into clinical applications. This would require highly interdisciplinary research teams, an excellent research infrastructure, effective project management, and the support from faculty and academic administrators, the state and federal government, and the private sector. Strategies at the School of Pharmacy at the University of Kansas and in the state of Kansas will be described that have been applied and are planned towards achieving this goal.
The discovery and development of the anesthetic Aquavan will be used to showcase a successful example of academic drug discovery and development toward clinical trials. The discovery and initial development of Gamendazole, a lead compound for male contraception, will also be discussed. Professor Georg is a co-inventor of Aquavan and Gamendazole.
Quoted from the 2005-2006 Loyd E. Harris Lecture Series Announcement Brochure