Carlos F. Barbas III

Carlos F. Barbas III, 49, a well-known organic and biological chemist, died on June 24 from a rare form of medullary thyroid cancer.

Barbas was the Janet & Keith Kellogg II Chair professor and member of the Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology at Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif.

He pioneered research that melded molecular biology, chemistry, and medicine. His work involving biologically crucial science, including asymmetric catalysis, zinc-finger technology, synthetic antibodies, and proteinlike DNA enzymes, has led to numerous potential drug and vaccine development avenues.

Barbas received a bachelor’s degree in chemistry at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Fla. He earned a Ph.D. in organic chemistry at Texas A&M University in 1989, working with Chi-Huey Wong, who is now a professor at Scripps.

Barbas then spent two years doing postdoctoral work, first at Pennsylvania State University with chemistry professor Stephen Benkovic and later at Scripps, where he worked with Richard Lerner, who became the president and chief executive officer of the institute.

In 1991, Barbas became a professor in the molecular biology department at Scripps, where he remained for the rest of his career. He was also the founder of CovX Pharmaceuticals and Zyngenia, and a cofounder of Prolifaron. He joined ACS in 1995.

Barbas is survived by his wife, Annica, and four children, Derek, Sabrina, Sixten, and Viggo.