Robert F. Furchgott, Nobel laureate (1916-2009)--a personal reflection

Abstract

Robert F. Furchgott, pharmacologist and joint winner of the Nobel Prize for Medicine or Physiology (1998) died on the 12th of May 2009 aged 92. By unlocking the astonishingly diverse biological actions of nitric oxide, Furchgott leaves behind a rich legacy that has both revolutionized our understanding of human physiology and stimulated new and exciting opportunities for drug development in a wide range of pathological conditions. In this article, William Martin, who worked with Furchgott for 2 years (1983-1985), following the exciting discovery of endothelium-derived relaxing factor/nitric oxide, pays tribute to his close friend and colleague.

Figures

From left to right, the author of this article, William Martin, 1982 Nobel Laureate John Vane and Bob Furchgott, on the occasion of Furchgott's receipt of the 1998 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine.