Marnett Takes First Founders' Award

Lawrence J. Marnett, director of the Vanderbilt Institute of Chemical Biology and Mary Geddes Stahlman Professor of Cancer Research at Vanderbilt University, will receive the inaugural Founders' Award from the ACS Division of Chemical Toxicology during the fall ACS national meeting in Philadelphia.

The award will be given annually to a member of the division whose scientific activities have emphasized innovative research in the general field of chemical toxicology. The division established the award to honor the vision and contributions of individuals who worked to get the division started in the mid-1990s.

Marnett's research focuses on the role of the enzyme cyclooxygenase-2 in cancer and inflammation, as well as on the contribution of normal metabolism to the generation of DNA damage and mutation. His group has used structure-based approaches in conjunction with medicinal chemistry to design selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors as potential anti-inflammatory, cancer-preventive, and antiangiogenic agents.

In addition to his research responsibilities, Marnett is also a professor of chemistry and biochemistry and editor of the ACS journal Chemical Research in Toxicology.