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Judah Folkman, MD, angiogenesis pioneer, dies at 74 years of age
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SAN FRANCISCO — Judah Folkman, MD, whose pioneering research into angiogenesis inhibitors that ultimately led to major innovations in the treatment of eye disorders involving abnormal blood vessel growth, died Jan. 14. He was 74 years of age.
In a press release announcing Dr. Folkman's passing, the American Academy of Ophthalmology applauded Dr. Folkman and his research team for identifying the first angiogenesis inhibitors in 1985, even "after enduring fellow scientists' indifference or scorn" for 2 decades.
As a result of Dr. Folkman's research, more than 40 compounds that influence angiogenesis are currently in human testing to fight a variety of cancers, cardiovascular diseases and eye diseases, including age-related macular degeneration, retinopathy of prematurity and diabetes-linked disorders.
Dr. Folkman gave the keynote lecture at the American Academy of Ophthalmology's annual meeting this past November in New Orleans. During his talk, Dr. Folkman emphasized that ophthalmology had been a fundamental part of his research into angiogenesis when he and his colleagues began performing experiments in rabbit eyes.
"Dr. Folkman's death is a loss to ophthalmology and to all of medicine," H. Dunbar Hoskins Jr., MD, executive vice president of the AAO, said in the release. "Because of his groundbreaking work, we have seen remarkable advances in helping patients with age-related macular degeneration save their vision and even regain some of their eyesight."