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Psychiatrist wins Nobel Prize for chemistry
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Brian K. Kobilka, MD, of Stanford University, has been awarded the 2012 Nobel Prize in Chemistry that is shared with J. Lefkowitz of Duke University for revealing the communication system between G-protein coupled receptors and the human body.
In 2008, Kobilka was awarded the NIMH research grant to focus on using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to investigate the structures of G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) to enable the discovery of new and innovative drugs.
“Drugs that act on GPCRs could potentially impact many diseases including mental disorders, Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, diabetes, obesity and other illnesses,” said NIMH project officer for Kobilka’s grant, Michelle Freund, in a press release.
“We are honored that NIMH and many of our sister institutes at NIH helped support receptor research that will likely change the course of how we treat many illnesses, including many mental disorders,” stated NIMH Director, Thomas R. Insel.