1998
Ferid Murad – Biographical
Biographical
My father, Jabir Murat Ejupi, was born in Albania in 1892 and was the oldest of four children. His mother died when he was 13 years old. He and his family were shepherds and he subsequently ran away from home to sell candy in the Balkan countries as a teenager for several years. Although he…
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The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1998
The Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, has awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for 1998 to Robert F Furchgott, Louis J Ignarro and Ferid Murad for their discoveries concerning “the nitric oxide as a signalling molecule in the cardiovascular system”. Robert F Furchgott, born 1916 Dept. of Pharmacology,…
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Nitroglycerine, a 100 year old explosive and heart medicine
In atherosclerosis, plaques reduce blood flow in the arteries. This decreases oxygen supply to the heart muscle causing chest pain (angina pectoris) and sometimes even myocardial infarction. Treatment with nitroglycerine provides NO, dilates the vessels, and increases blood flow. Thanks to this year’s Nobel Laureates we now understand how nitroglycerine, an important heart medicine, works.…
morePress release
Press release
Press release NOBELFÖRSAMLINGEN KAROLINSKA INSTITUTET THE NOBEL ASSEMBLY AT KAROLINSKA INSTITUTET October 12, 1998 has today decided to award the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for 1998 jointly to Robert F. Furchgott, Louis J. Ignarro and Ferid Murad for their discoveries concerning “nitric oxide as a signalling molecule in the cardiovascular system”. Nitric oxide…
moreFurchgott’s sandwich
Robert F Furchgott showed that acetylcholine-induced relaxation of blood vessels was dependent on the endothelium. His “sandwich” experiment set the stage for future scientific development. He used two different pieces of the aorta; one had the endothelial layer intact, in the other it had been removed.
moreMurad’s enzyme activation
Ferid Murad knew that nitroglycerine caused relaxation of smooth muscle cells. The enzyme, guanylyl cyclase, was activated and increased cyclic GMP, causing relaxation of the muscle. Did nitroglycerin act via release of nitric oxide, NO? He bubbled NO-gas through tissue containing the enzyme; cyclic GMP increased! A new mode of drug action had been discovered!…
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