Prof. Jonathan L. Vennerstrom, a medicinal chemist in UNMC’s College of Pharmacy, has significantly contributed to the global fight against malaria. Through his work with Medicines for Malaria Venture, he and his team created a new malaria drug approved for use in India in 2012, which has shown potential as a one-dose cure for malaria. That work was recognized with the prestigious 2019 American Chemical Society Award for Creative Invention. In addition, a panel of world health experts selected it in 2015 as one of 30 high-impact innovations that can save lives and transform global health within 15 years. Current projects include drug discovery for schistosomiasis, cytomegalovirus, and tuberculosis. He has more than 200 publications and several patents to his credit.
Prof. Apurba Dutta
(The University of Kansas, USA)
Prof. Apurba Dutta is a seasoned medicinal chemist at the University of Kansas. Prof. Dutta’s academic journey includes extensive experience in India and Germany, enriching his global perspective on drug discovery. Dutta received a doctoral degree from North-Eastern Hill University in India. He was an Alexander von Humboldt Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Konstanz, Germany, before serving as a scientist for several years at the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology in Hyderabad, India. At Kansas, he has received the Teaching Excellence Award from the Center for Teaching Excellence and served as a Senior Administrative Fellow.
His primary research expertise lies in medicinal and organic chemistry, which is used to develop anti-cancer and anti-infective agents. An important tool in his synthetic endeavours has been the utilization of readily available enantiopure amino acids as chiral building blocks towards a stereoselective synthesis of desired target compounds. Prof. Dutta was the principal investigator or co-investigator on 10 National Institutes of Health research grants and has over 80 peer-reviewed research publications, reviews, book chapters and patents. Currently serving as the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, School of Pharmacy at KU.