Annual Borne Lecture Addresses Smoking Cessation Research

OXFORD, Miss – Peter Crooks, the George A. Digenis Professor in Drug Design and Discovery at the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy, will deliver the sixth annual Ronald F. Borne Distinguished Lecture in Medicinal Chemistry at 11 a.m. March 30 in the Thad Cochran Research Center.

His lecture on “Novel Neuronal Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Antagonists as Potential Smoking Cessation Agents” is free and open to the public.

Crooks received his doctorate from the University of Manchester, England. His research focuses on preclinical drug development, including drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics in animal models, dosage form development, drug delivery assessment using both conventional and nonconventional routes, and preformulation/formulation studies.

He is the founder or cofounder of six drug discovery companies and has extensive experience in overseeing the development of drug candidates from the early phases of discovery through the drug developmental process. Several drugs discovered in his laboratory are in various phases of clinical development.

“Dr. Peter Crooks is a distinguished and accomplished scientist working in the area of drug abuse,” said Stephen J. Cutler, chair of the medicinal chemistry department, which sponsors the lecture. “The department is very pleased to have him as the Borne Distinguished Lecturer.”

The lecture was established as a way of recognizing Borne’s contributions to the department. He has been a classroom favorite of students for many years and has been recognized on numerous occasions for his teaching excellence. He received the University’s Elsie M. Hood Teacher of the Year Award in 1972, the university’s 1996 Faculty Achievement Award and 1992 Mississippi Professor of the Year Award.

Borne served as chair of the department from 1979 to 1988, acting associate vice chancellor for research and acting dean of the Graduate School in 1985-86, interim associate vice chancellor for research in 1997-98 and as interim vice chancellor for research from 1998 to 2001. He retired from the university in 2004.

For more information on the lecture contact Candace Lowstuter at medchem@olemiss.edu or 915-7101.