American Chemical Society lauds Marnett’s contributions
Vanderbilt University's Lawrence Marnett, Ph.D., has been named to the second class of American Chemical Society Fellows in recognition of his “outstanding contributions” to chemistry and the ACS.
Marnett, the Mary Geddes Stahlman Professor of Cancer Research and professor of Biochemistry and Chemistry, is among 192 fellows named this year by the ACS, the world's largest scientific society.
F. Peter (Fred) Guengerich, Ph.D., interim chair of Biochemistry, Harry Pearson Broquist Professor of Biochemistry and director of the Vanderbilt Center in Molecular Toxicology, was named to the first class of fellows last year.
Lawrence Marnett, Ph.D.
“This is richly deserved recognition of Larry's accomplishments in chemistry,” said Michael Waterman, Ph.D., the Natalie Overall Warren Distinguished Professor and former chair of Biochemistry. “The research success of his laboratory is recognized throughout the world.
“Larry has been an essential leader in the development of our strength in chemistry in the Medical School,” Waterman continued, “as well in establishing the strong connection … with the Chemistry Department in the College of Arts and Science.”
A member of the Vanderbilt faculty since 1989, Marnett is director of the A.B. Hancock Jr. Memorial Laboratory for Cancer Research, and director of the Vanderbilt Institute of Chemical Biology (VICB).
Marnett's research portfolio includes the role of the cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) enzyme in cancer and inflammation. His group has used structure-based based approaches in conjunction with medicinal chemistry to design selective COX-2 inhibitors as potential anti-inflammatory, cancer preventive, and anti-angiogenic agents.
He is principal investigator of the Vanderbilt Molecular Target Discovery and Development Center, a cancer drug discovery program established last fall by a two-year, $4.7 million “Grand Opportunities” stimulus grant from the National Institutes of Health.
In 2005, Marnett received a MERIT (Method to Extend Research In Time) Award from the National Cancer Institute to support his research on DNA mutation and carcinogenesis.
Other awards include the Sigma Xi Research Award, the Stanley Cohen Prize at Vanderbilt University, and the first Founders Award of the ACS Division of Chemical Toxicology.
Marnett is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, author of more than 400 research publications and 14 patents, and editor-in-chief of the ACS journal, Chemical Research in Toxicology.
A complete list of this year's ACS Fellows was published in the Aug. 2 issue of Chemical & Engineering News (http://pubs.acs.org/cen/acsnews/88/8831acsnews4.html).
They will be recognized Aug. 23 during the society's national meeting in Boston. For more information, go to www.acs.org/fellows.