UCSF Scientist Wins Highest Honor in Pharmaceutical Science.SAN FRANCISCO--(BW HealthWire)--Dec. 7, 1999-- A UCSF UCSF University of California at San Francisco scientist has been selected to receive the highest national award in pharmaceutical science. The American Pharmaceutical Association (APhA) has named Leslie Z. Benet, PhD, professor of biopharmaceutical sciences and pharmaceutical chemistry at UCSF, recipient of its Takeru Higuchi Research Prize for the year 2000. A member of the prestigious National Institute of Medicine, Benet was honored by the APhA for major advances in studies of drug response in patients. Benet examines the interaction between drugs, and between drugs and food. His research has been central to improving the selection and administration of medicines and better targeting of drugs to specific patient populations. Much of his work has focused on immunosuppressive agents Immunosuppressive agents are a class of drugs which act to suppress the normal activity of the immune system. They are frequently used to prevent rejection of organs after organ transplant and also in the treatment of autoimmune disorders. used for transplant patients. Benet was particularly cited for clarifying how the state of disease affects the way the body handles a drug (pharmacokinetics pharmacokinetics /phar·ma·co·ki·net·ics/ (fahr?mah-ko-ki-net´iks) the action of drugs in the body over a period of time, including the processes of absorption, distribution, localization in tissues, biotransformation, and excretion. ), and how this in turn affects the drug's action and safety in the patient (pharmacodynamics pharmacodynamics /phar·ma·co·dy·nam·ics/ (-di-nam´iks) the study of the biochemical and physiological effects of drugs and the mechanisms of their actions, including the correlation of their actions and effects with their chemical ). He was also recognized for developing methods to select the correct drug dosage for particular patients. For the past six years, Benet has served as the first pharmaceutical scientist on the Science Board of the Food and Drug Administration. In 1987 he was elected to the National Institutes of Medicine, one of only nine pharmaceutical scientists so honored. He has strong ties with pharmaceutical scientists worldwide, particularly with those in Japan and Germany. He is chair of the Organizing Committee for the Millennial World Congress of Pharmaceutical Sciences for the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP FIP feline infectious peritonitis. ). He received his BS in pharmacy and MS in pharmaceutical chemistry from the University of Michigan (body, education) University of Michigan - A large cosmopolitan university in the Midwest USA. Over 50000 students are enrolled at the University of Michigan's three campuses. The students come from 50 states and over 100 foreign countries. , and his PhD in pharmaceutical chemistry from UCSF. The American Pharmaceutical Association, with 53,000 pharmacists This is a list of notable pharmacists.
Editors: A digital photo of Dr. Benet can be accessed at: http://pubaffr.ucsf.edu/imagedb/imsearch.php3?keywords=benet |
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