Phil Skolnick, PhD, DSc ( hon ) (born February 26, 1947) is the best known neurologist and neuroscientist for his work on the psychopharmacology of depression and anxiety, as well on drug addiction. Author of more than 500 published papers, Skolnick's most notable accomplishments include explaining the role of the NMDA system in depression therapy, demonstrating the presence of endogenous benzodiazepine ligand receptors, and spearheading the National Institute on Drug Abuse partnerships to develop a naloxone spray device for the reversal of acute opioid overdoses. The Skolnick work also laid the foundation for the development of ketamine as a fast-acting antidepressant.
Video Phil Skolnick
Early life and education
Raised in Manhattan tenement, Skolnick attended Stuyvesant High School, one of New York City's most selective high schools. Graduating at the age of 16, he began studying at Long Island University in 1964. After graduating summa cum laude in 1968, he studied at the George Washington University medical school in Washington, D.C. received his PhD in pharmacology.
Maps Phil Skolnick
Careers
National Institutes of Health
Shortly after graduating from GWU in 1972, Skolnick was taken as a staff associate at what is now the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), where he was mentored by John Daly. In 1983, Skolnick became head of the NIDDK neurobiology laboratory, rising to the role of Head of NIDDK Neuroscience Laboratory in 1986. During his time at NIH, Skolnick trained over 75 postdocs.
Anxiety: barbiturate and benzodiazepine systems
In 1981, Skolnick and colleague Steven M. Paul characterized the mechanism of action of benzodiazepines, suggesting that they acted by modifying the efficacy of a major inhibitory neurotransmitter of the brain, GABA. The following year, Skolnick and Paul, among other collaborators, showed that mammalian brain tissue contains endogenous ligands from benzodiazepine receptors, some of the first evidence called endozepines.
In 1985, shortly after becoming the head of the NIDDK neurobiology lab section, Skolnick and colleagues published works that helped characterize the barbiturate mechanism of action, which acts as a positive allosteric modulator to the GABA receptor A - a mechanism of action they share with benzodiazepines. Then, inspired by the similarity between electroencephalographic signatures associated with hepatic coma and benzodiazepine-induced coma, Skolnick hypothesized that metabolic disorders of endogenous benzodiazepine ligand receptors may play a role in producing symptoms of hepatic encephalopathy. This hypothesis is borne out by experimental research, where it suggests that a benzodiazepine receptor antagonist may temporarily relieve some of the cognitive symptoms of fulminant liver failure.
NMDA system, depression, aminoglycosides
In the late 1980s, it was discovered that some types of stress induce behavioral profiles in animals that bear a strong resemblance to clinical depressive symptoms, and that the symptoms in this experimental model respond to antidepressants such as SSRIs. Effects such as depression appear, in part, through prolonged stimulation of the NMDA subtype of glutamate receptors. This led to Skolnick and colleagues finding in 1990 that inhibition of activity on NMDA receptors (NMDAr) could prevent the development of behaviors such as depression, suggesting NMDA receptor antagonists - such as ketamine - as a novel antidepressant therapy.
In 1996, Skolnick and one of his postdoctoral students, Anthony Basile, developed the hypothesis that the off-site activity of aminoglycoside antibiotics, which also have the potential to land on the NMDA receptor, may be responsible for the undesirable side effects of ototoxic drugs.. Skolnick and Basile prove this hypothesis by counteracting the effects of ototoxic aminoglycosides using NMDAr antagonists.
Eli Lilly & amp; Company
In 1997, 25 years after joining NIH, Skolnick was recruited by former collaborator Steven M. Paul to become a Lilly Fellow at Neuroscience at Eli Lilly & The company, where he works towards the development of new therapies for depression, applies the principles of rational drug design to synthesize and investigate new molecules.
DOV Pharmacy
In 2001, Skolnick left Lilly for New Jersey-based DOV Pharmaceutical, where he served as Chief Scientific Officer and Senior Vice President of Research. During his tenure at DOV, Skolnick oversaw the development and testing of new drugs, including the anti-anxiety candidate molecule DOV 51892 - an "anxioselective compound" designed to produce anxiety-reducing effects from typical anxiolytics, but without the side effects of sedatives is usually a hallmark of this medicine. In addition to his role as CSO and Senior Vice President of Research, Skolnick became president of DOV Pharmaceutical in 2007 before departing in 2009.
National Institute on Drug Abuse
After his tenure at DOV, Skolnick returned to NIH in 2010, this time as director of the National Institute of Drug and Consequence Drugs Division (DTMC), which mostly focuses on pharmacological therapy for addiction. Most notably, the Skolnick time at NIDA sees FDA approval and Narcan nose spray deployment, an easy-to-use reversal overdose opioid developed in partnership with Lightlake Therapeutics. Narcan nasal spray is intended for distribution to the general public, allowing friends or family of overdosed victims to counteract the effects of the drug immediately, without waiting for emergency response personnel to arrive. Many lives are lost because of the doubt of drug users to contact emergency services, a trend that Narcan's nose spray can help battle.
Opiant Pharmaceuticals
In early 2017, Skolnick retired from NIH to serve as Chief Scientific Officer of Opiant Pharmaceuticals, Inc. - Narcan nose spray manufacturer.
References
External links
- IBNS Bench-to-Side Bed Thursday Lecture: Phil Skolnick. June 28, 2013
Source of the article : Wikipedia
0 Comments