Distinguished Biochemist Stephen Benkovic Stirs the Imagination

School of Pharmacy guest lecturer promises new drug targets from his work in cell enzyme interactions.

By Steve Berberich
September 26, 2011

On Sept. 19, renowned biochemist Stephen J. Benkovic, PhD, stirred the imagination of an auditorium full of University of Maryland School of Pharmacy faculty, staff, and students by promising “lots of new targets for drug discoveries,” from his research on the interaction of hundreds of enzymes that work together in living cells. Benkovic has been honored for his groundbreaking contributions to the biomedical sciences by receiving the prestigious 2011 National Academy of Sciences Award in Chemical Sciences and the 2010 National Medal of Science, the highest award in the nation for lifetime achievement in scientific research.

Benkovic presented the School’s annual Ellis S. Grollman Lecture, which is a showcase presentation of cutting edge pharmaceutical sciences.

“The theme of my lab in the past six years is biochemistry of the cell. In particular the enzymes,” he said. Benkovic said his laboratory in Pennsylvania State University’s Department of Chemistry has been focused on the interaction of the myriad enzymes in cells. “We wondered how do they interact? They might interact physically, but there is a lot of slop in that,” said Benkovic, indicating that the science of enzyme interactions requires cutting-edge interdisciplinary research, specifically the use of chemical approaches to solving biological problems.

Benkovic highlighted his recent studies on the pathway of enzymes required for purine biosynthesis in the cell. As purines are the building blocks of DNA and RNA, a greater understanding of the interactions of the enzymes leads to more precision that can be built into new medications that avoid interfering with untargeted enzymatic pathways.

Benkovic, elected as a member of the National Academy of Sciences in 1985, joined the Department of Chemistry at Penn State in 1965. He was later recognized as the Even Pugh Professor Chemistry and in 1988, as the holder of the Eberly Chair in Chemistry.

The lecture he delivered is named for Ellis S. Grollman, who received his pharmacy degree from the University of Maryland in 1926. Grollman practiced as a hospital pharmacist at Johns Hopkins and Sinai Hospitals in Baltimore and as a community pharmacist in Frederick, Ocean City, Gaithersburg, and Annapolis. He died in 1982, and his sister established the memorial lecture at the School the following year.