ATHENS, Ohio -- John Kopchick, Goll-Ohio Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology at Ohio University, will receive the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. M.D. Anderson, considered by some the top cancer hospital in the world, is one of the original three comprehensive cancer centers designated by the National Cancer Act of 1971.
Kopchick, who received a Ph.D. degree in virology and biomedical sciences from M.D. Anderson in 1980, was selected for his research contributions, specifically his work with growth hormone antagonist. He came to Ohio University in 1987 as senior scientist in the Edison Biotechnology Institute and The Goll-Ohio Eminent Scholar in Molecular and Cellular Biology.
In addition to his work at the Edison Biotechnology Institute, he is a professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences in the College of Osteopathic Medicine.
"All researchers strive to make significant discoveries," said Professor and Chair of Molecular Pathology Ralph B. Arlinghaus, who was a research adviser and mentor to Kopchick during his doctoral studies at M.D. Anderson. "Some of us succeed to some extent but very few have an impact on health care by developing a useful medicine to treat disease. John Kopchick is a member of that very elite group of researchers."
During the late 1980s, Kopchick and a team of researchers at Ohio University discovered protein antagonists that inhibit the activity of growth hormone in the body. Scientists with the Texas-based Sensus Drug Development Corporation, which was purchased last year by Pharmacia Upjohn, used the antagonists to develop a new class of drugs.
The first drug, Somavert, is designed to treat acromegaly, which affects about 40,000 people worldwide. The illness is characterized by abnormal growth of the hands, feet and bone and cartilage in the face and other parts of the body; and enlargement of the liver, spleen, kidneys and heart. Somavert is pending approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and will be approved for use in Europe next year.
The class of drugs also could be an effective weapon against other more common diseases, such as diabetic eye and kidney disease and some forms of cancer.
"I feel extremely honored and proud to be recognized by the physicians and scientists at the M.D. Anderson Hospital," Kopchick said. "My training there not only prepared me for my career in biomedical science but got me excited about research for human disorders."
Kopchick received a bachelor's degree in biology and a master's degree in biology and chemistry from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. In 1975, he enrolled in the University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and began a research project that helped establish the mechanism for synthesis and processing of both the viral reverse transciptase and integrase enzyme activities, important findings for scientists who study viruses that cause cancer.
Kopchick has published more than 170 scientific articles in the area of growth hormone, obesity and diabetes. Ten patents have been granted based on his work and more are pending. He has advised 20 doctoral, 12 master's and 75 undergraduate students, of which all but one has gone on to medical or graduate school. He serves on the editorial boards of the journals Endocrinology and Molecular Endocrinology.
