Ferid Murad was a doctor and pharmacologist who won the 1998 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his research into how nitric oxide treats heart disease.
- Died: September 4, 2023 (Who else died on September 4?)
- Details of death: Died at his home in Menlo Park, California, at the age of 86.
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Ferid Murad’s legacy
Murad began studying nitroglycerin in the 1970s, a time when we knew the chemical could treat heart issues such as angina and hypertension – but we didn’t know why it worked. The toxic chemical is used to make dynamite, and its medicinal uses were discovered in the 19th century. But Murad’s research on nitroglycerin revealed the science behind its effectiveness. Nitric oxide, released by nitroglycerin, relaxes smooth muscle cells. This widens blood vessels and allows more blood to flow.
With this information, doctors and pharmacologists were able to use nitric oxide in more specific ways, such as improving breathing in premature infants. Murad’s work also led to the development of Viagra for treating erectile disfunction. In 1998, he shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with two other researchers who had worked on nitric oxide.
Murad pursued his theories while working as a professor and researcher at several universities, including Stanford University, the University of Texas, and George Washington University. He also worked at Abbott Laboratories for a time, and he founded the biotech company the Molecular Geriatrics Corporation.
Notable quote
“I was a bright kid, I had a pretty decent IQ I think, but I’m not brilliant and I made up for it with a lot of extra hard work… I think my whole life, worked 70, 80, 90, 100 hours a week. I still work 70, 80 hours a week… You do it if you enjoy it, it’s not painful to do it, it’s fun to do it. It’s fun to go to work and solve problems.” —from a 2007 interview for NobelPrize.org
Tributes to Ferid Murad
Full obituary: The Washington Post
