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Dr. Jerome P. Horwitz is a globally renowned American scientist; his affiliations included the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, the Wayne State University School of Medicine and the Michigan Cancer Foundation.

Background

Dr. Horwitz is a Detroit native and 1937 graduate of Central High School.^[1]

Horwitz earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemistry from the University of Detroit; his doctorate in chemistry came from the University of Michigan. Dr. Jerome P. Horwitz completed his post-doctoral training at Northwestern University and the University of Michigan.^[2]

Clinical breakthroughs

In 1964, while conducting research for the Karmanos Institute, Dr. Horwitz synthesized a compound that was to become known as Zidovudine (AZT) - an antiviral drug used to treat HIV patients; Zidovudine was initially developed as a treatment for cancer.^[3] Horwitz was also first to synthesize d4T and ddC - two other reverse transcriptase inhibitors used in the treatment of HIV patients.

After synthesizing AZT, Dr. Horwitz went on to create many successful treatments for cancer and other diseases. At the time of his most recent findings, Horwitz was working for the Michigan Cancer Foundation with a federal grant from the National Institutes of Health; he retired in 2005.

Of further note

• Dr. Horwitz was featured in the documentary film I am alive today - History of an AIDS drug.^[4]
• Horwitz was referenced in the Captain Underpants series(the school(Jerome Horwitz Elementary School)was named after him).

Sources

• FDA press release on AZT
• Karmanos Cancer Institute formerly Michigan Cancer Foundation

References

1. ^ http://www.michjewishhistory.org/pdfs/vol45.pdf
2. ^ http://www.med.wayne.edu/news_media/scribe/PDF/05%20Summer%20Scribe.pdf
3. ^ http://www.karmanos.org/view_news.asp?id=85
4. ^ http://www.detourshenry.eu/en/azt.html