ATLANTA – The inventor of a widely used drug to treat diabetic nerve pain is scheduled to speak Oct. 16 at Mercer University's College of Pharmacy during the October Drug Discovery Seminar Series.
Richard Silverman, Ph.D., inventor of the billion-dollar selling drug Lyrica by Pfizer, is scheduled to speak at 11 a.m. in the Duvall Building on the University's Cecil B. Day Campus. The event is free and open to the public. Lyrica is used to treat diabetic nerve pain, fibromyalgia, spinal cord injury nerve pain and pain after shingles. It is also used to treat partial onset seizures in adults with epilepsy who take one or more drugs for seizures.
“It is not often that University faculty and students are able to hear directly from a scientist of Dr. Silverman's caliber about medication design and the discovery of a billion-dollar drug,” said J. Phillip Bowen, Ph.D., professor of pharmaceutical sciences and director of the Center for Drug Design in Mercer's College of Pharmacy.
“We are fortunate to host Dr. Silverman as another speaker in our drug discovery series, and we look forward to an extraordinary lecture by a scientist who invented an FDA-approved drug that is helping people all over the world.”
Silverman, who received his Ph.D. degree in organic chemistry from Harvard University, is the John Evans Professor of Chemistry at Northwestern University. His research can be summarized as investigations of the molecular mechanisms of action, rational design and syntheses of potential medicinal agents. Silverman has published over 315 research articles, holds 48 domestic and foreign patents and has written four books.
The Center for Drug Design has developed the new Drug Discovery Seminar Series that brings scientists who are involved in medicinal chemistry and related fields of research to visit Mercer's College of Pharmacy each semester. The goal is to provide an opportunity for Mercer pharmacy students, faculty and staff to hear cutting-edge presentations by prominent scientists directly involved in various aspects of drug discovery.
About the College of Pharmacy
Founded in 1833, Mercer University is a dynamic and comprehensive center of undergraduate, graduate and professional education. The University enrolls more than 8,300 students in 12 schools and colleges – liberal arts, law, pharmacy, medicine, business, engineering, education, theology, music, nursing, health professions, and continuing and professional studies – on campuses in Macon, Atlanta and Savannah – and four regional academic centers across the state. The Mercer Health Sciences Center, launched July 1, 2012, includes the University's medical, nursing, health sciences and pharmacy schools. Mercer is affiliated with four teaching hospitals – Memorial University Medical Center in Savannah, the Medical Center of Central Georgia in Macon, and The Medical Center and St. Francis Hospital in Columbus. The University also has educational partnerships with Warner Robins Air Logistics Center in Warner Robins and Piedmont Healthcare in Atlanta. It operates an academic press and a performing arts center in Macon and an engineering research center in Warner Robins. Mercer is the only private university in Georgia to field an NCAA Division I athletic program. www.mercer.edu
About Mercer University
Founded in 1833, Mercer University is a dynamic and comprehensive center of undergraduate, graduate and professional education. The University enrolls more than 8,300 students in 12 schools and colleges – liberal arts, law, pharmacy, medicine, business, engineering, education, theology, music, nursing, health professions, and continuing and professional studies – on campuses in Macon, Atlanta and Savannah – and four regional academic centers across the state. The Mercer Health Sciences Center, launched July 1, 2012, includes the University's medical, nursing, health sciences and pharmacy schools. Mercer is affiliated with four teaching hospitals – Memorial University Medical Center in Savannah, the Medical Center of Central Georgia in Macon, and The Medical Center and St. Francis Hospital in Columbus. The University also has educational partnerships with Warner Robins Air Logistics Center in Warner Robins and Piedmont Healthcare in Atlanta. It operates an academic press and a performing arts center in Macon and an engineering research center in Warner Robins. Mercer is the only private university in Georgia to field an NCAA Division I athletic program. www.mercer.edu
