Louis Ignarro facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Louis Joseph Ignarro
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Ignarro in 2013
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| Born | May 31, 1941 Brooklyn, NY, U.S.
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| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Columbia University University of Minnesota |
| Known for | Nitric Oxide |
| Awards | Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (1998) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Pharmacology |
| Institutions | Tulane University School of Medicine UCLA School of Medicine King Saud University |
Louis Joseph Ignarro (born May 31, 1941) is an American pharmacologist. A pharmacologist is a scientist who studies how medicines and other chemicals affect living things.
He won the 1998 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. He shared this award with Robert F. Furchgott and Ferid Murad. They won for showing how nitric oxide acts as a signal in the body.
Today, he is a professor at the UCLA School of Medicine in Los Angeles. He joined UCLA in 1985. Before that, he taught at Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans for 12 years. Ignarro also worked as a scientist for a company called CIBA-GEIGY in New York.
He has written many science papers. In 1998, he received the Basic Research Prize from the American Heart Association. This award recognized his important work in heart science. That same year, he joined the National Academy of Sciences. The next year, he joined the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Ignarro started the Nitric Oxide Society. He also founded and edited a science magazine called Nitric Oxide Biology and Chemistry. He earned a bachelor's degree in pharmacy from Columbia University in 1962. In 1966, he got his Ph.D. in pharmacology from the University of Minnesota. He also completed a special research program at the National Institutes of Health in 1968.
Contents
About Louis Ignarro's Life
Louis J. Ignarro was born in 1941 in Brooklyn, New York. His parents came from Italy. His father was a carpenter from a town near Naples. Ignarro grew up in Long Beach, New York. This is a town near New York City. When he was 8 years old, he got his first chemistry set as a gift.
Ignarro is married to Dr. Sharon Ignarro, who is an anesthesiologist. They live in Beverly Hills, California. He loves cycling and has run 13 marathons. Ignarro has written several books for everyone to read. These books are about health and how increasing nitric oxide can help your body. He often gives talks about these topics.
Louis Ignarro's Science Journey
Ignarro went to Central Grade School and Long Beach High School. He was very interested in science. This led him to Columbia University. There, he studied chemistry and pharmacology. In 1962, he earned his pharmacy degree.
Then, Ignarro went to the University of Minnesota. He earned his Ph.D. in pharmacology there. His studies focused on chemistry, enzymes, and how the heart and blood vessels work. This led to him publishing several research papers. At the University of Minnesota, he studied with Paul Boyer, who later won a Nobel Prize.
Ignarro continued his work at the NIH. He worked with other scientists to learn how the body controls the heart and blood vessels. This research led to his most famous discovery. In 1968, Ignarro left the NIH to work for Geigy Pharmaceuticals. There, he helped create new medicines. He also continued his research into new areas of pharmacology. This included studying something called cyclic GMP. After Geigy joined with Ciba Pharmaceuticals, Ignarro decided to go back to teaching.
In 1973, Ignarro became a professor at Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans. He chose Tulane because it was a good place to keep studying cyclic GMP. While researching cyclic GMP, Ignarro read a paper by Ferid Murad. Murad's paper showed that nitric oxide could increase cyclic GMP levels. Ignarro then thought that nitric oxide might be the key to relaxing blood vessel muscles. This idea led to his deep research on nitric oxide.
Ignarro's research showed that nitric oxide helps relax blood vessels. It also stops blood platelets from clumping together. Both of these effects happen because of cyclic GMP.
He kept doing his research at Tulane. In 1984, he realized that nitric oxide had the same properties as something called endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF). Robert Furchgott had found EDRF three years earlier, but no one knew exactly what it was. Furchgott and Ignarro both came to similar ideas about nitric oxide being EDRF around the same time. However, Ignarro was the one who showed clear proof at science meetings in 1986. He proved that EDRF was indeed nitric oxide.
Since Ignarro and Furchgott's discovery, thousands of studies have been done. These studies have explored how nitric oxide works as the endothelium-derived relaxing factor.
In 1985, Ignarro moved to Los Angeles. He took a job at the UCLA School of Medicine. He still researches and teaches there today.
Working with Herbalife
Ignarro has worked as a consultant for Herbalife since 2003. He later joined the company's Scientific Advisory Board. He helped create nutritional supplements for heart health and sports performance. Ignarro first worked with Herbalife to develop a product called Niteworks. This supplement was made to help the body produce more nitric oxide. Ignarro supported this product and helped promote it. He has continued to work with Herbalife to develop other supplements. These include products with nutrients like Omega-3 fatty acid and CoQ10.
Ignarro appears in videos that promote Niteworks and other Herbalife products. He often speaks at Herbalife events. Since working with Herbalife, Ignarro has talked to many people around the world about nitric oxide and heart health.
A Famous Quote
In 2000, Ignarro spoke to the U.S. Congress. He said, "Only in America could the son of an uneducated carpenter receive the Nobel Prize in Medicine." This shows his pride in his background and his achievements.
Awards and Special Recognitions
Louis Ignarro has received many awards for his important work:
- Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association Foundation Research Award (1973)
- Merck Research Award (1974)
- U.S.P.H.S. Career Development Award (1975–1980)
- Lilly Research Award (1978)
- Tulane Medical School – Outstanding Teacher Award (1983)
- UCLA School of Medicine – Outstanding Teacher Award (1986)
- AMSA Golden Apple Award (for teaching) – UCLA School of Medicine (many times between 1987 and 1999)
- Roussel Uclaf Prize for Cell Communication and Signaling (1994) – Shared with Dr. Salvador Moncada and Dr. Robert Furchgott.
- CIBA Award for Hypertension Research (1995) – Shared with Dr. Salvador Moncada.
- Basic Research Prize of the American Heart Association (1998)
- Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (1998) – Shared with Robert Furchgott and Ferid Murad.
- Member of the National Academy of Sciences (1999)
- Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1999)
- Member of the Institute of Medicine (2011)
- Member of the American Philosophical Society (2007)
- Canadian Medal of Merit (2008)
- American Heart Association Distinguished Scientist (2008)
- Honorary doctorates from several universities, including Madrid, Lund, Gent, North Carolina, and Naples Federico II.
- Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement (2014)
Books by Louis Ignarro
- NO More Heart Disease: How Nitric Oxide Can Prevent – Even Reverse – Heart Disease and Strokes. (2005). ISBN: 0-312-33582-2.
- Nitric Oxide: Biology and Pathobiology. (2009). ISBN: 0-12-373866-0.
- Health Is Wealth: 10 Power Nutrients That Increase Your Odds Of Living To 100. (2009). ISBN: 0-9790229-1-6.
- Health Is Wealth: Performance Nutrition. (2011). ISBN: 978-1-61389-002-8.
- Dr. NO: The Discovery That Led to a Nobel Prize and .... (2022). ISBN: 1641120290.
See also
In Spanish: Louis Ignarro para niños
- Arginine
- Nitric Oxide
- Pharmacology
- Pharmacy
