Salomon Zender Langer (b. 12 October 1936) is an Argentinian pharmacologist whose family had fled from Poland to Argentina in the early 1930s and were thus saved from the Holocaust during the Second World War.
Salomon Zender Langer (b. 12 October 1936) is an Argentinian pharmacologist whose family had fled from Poland to Argentina in the early 1930s and were thus saved from the Holocaust during the Second World War.
He was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina and graduated in 1960 from the School of Medicine of Buenos Aires University. Starting in 1963 with a Rockefeller Foundation Fellowship he joined the Department of Pharmacology at Harvard University until the end of 1966. His research was on the mechanisms involving denervation supersensitivity. [1] with Ullrich Trendelenburg [2] [3] with whom he became lifelong friends.
He spent two years (1967-1969) in Cambridge, England with de:Leslie Iversen [4] [5] and at the Institute of Animal Physiology with Marthe Vogt where he worked on norepinephrine(NE) uptake and the regulation of NE release elicited by nerve stimulation as well as the metabolic fate of the released neurotransmitter. [6] In 1969, Dr. Langer returned to Argentina where he was appointed Director of the Institute for Pharmacological Research.
The work started in Cambridge continued at the Institute in Buenos Aires during the years 1969-1976, leading to the discovery of the presynaptic inhibitory Alpha-adrenoceptors on noradrenergic nerve terminals and their role in the modulation of the NE release during nerve stimulation [7]
In 1974, Dr. Langer discovered the Alpha-2 adrenoceptors [8] and characterized the pharmacological differences between alpha 1-adrenoceptors and alpha 2-adrenoceptors, establishing that the latter corresponded to the presynaptic auto-receptors [9]
During the years 1975-1976, he provided the first extensive and rigorous evidence "in vitro" [10] [11] and "in vivo" of co-transmission (NE and ATP) in the cat's nicitating membrane. In the summer of 1976, Dr. Langer became Head of the Department of Pharmacology at the Wellcome Research Laboratories in Beckenham, Kent, UK and in 1976 he was appointed Director of Biology at fr:Sanofi-Synthélabo Research in Paris where he was later became the Research Director and Vice-President.
The research team directed by Dr. Langer discovered between the years 1979-1980 a specific, high-affinity binding site labeled with for 3H-imipramine [12] and later with 3H-paroxetine, [13] which is associated with the serotonin transporter in the brain and in blood platelets of various species, including man. 3H-paroxetine binding was subsequently used as a marker in the purification of the serotonin transporter for cloning and expression.
Throughout the 80's Dr. Langer continued his work on presynaptic autoreceptors regulating NE, DA and 5-HT release and reported the interactions in neurotransmission between the neuronal transporter and the corresponding autoreceptor.
During the 23 years at Synthelabo, Dr. Langer discovered and developed five compounds : diltiazem, a calcium antagonist (for coronary insufficiency); betaxolol, a beta-1 adrenoceptor selective antagonist for hypertension and also for local use in the treatment of glaucoma; zolpidem , a selective full agonist of the alpha-1 subunit of the benzodiazepine-GABA-A receptor (for insomnia) and mizolastine, a peripherally acting histamine H-1 receptor antagonist which also inhibits the formation of leukotriens(for allergic diseases).
In 2000, Dr. Langer moved to Israel where he continued research projects in drug discovery for major depression and Alzheimer's disease. In 2014, Dr. Langer founded the drug company Synaptic Pharma Ltd to develop Eliprodil, a noncompetitive antagonist of the ionotropic NMDA receptor for a rapid onset antidepressant action in severely drug-resistant depressed patients.
Langer was the first to describe pre-synaptic autoreceptors for DA, 5HT, ACh, GABA and glutamate. [14] [15] He was among the first to demonstrate co-transmission in the 1970s [16] and also played a pivotal role in developing the atypical antipsychotic, aripiprazole. [17]
Throughout his career Dr. Langer received many awards and prizes.
Dr. Langer is among the highly cited researchers in Pharmacology during the period of 1981-1999:ISI Highly cited. He is editor of several books and member of the editorial boards of several scientific journals. Dr. Langer has published more than 450 scientific articles and is holder of at least 21 patents in France, the United States and Japan.
In 1974, Dr. Langer was president of the Latin American Society of Pharmacology (ALF). From 1989 to 1992 he was president of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP) and from 1991 to 1998 he served as Vice-President of the International College of Neurophsychopharmacology (CINP) and was member of the Executive Committee of the World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry (WFSPB) from 1991 to 1997. For the period of 2002 to 2006, Dr. Langer was the Treasurer and member of the Executive Committee of IUPHAR and between 2006 and 2010 First Vice President of IUPHAR.
The adrenergic receptors or adrenoceptors are a class of G protein-coupled receptors that are targets of many catecholamines like norepinephrine (noradrenaline) and epinephrine (adrenaline) produced by the body, but also many medications like beta blockers, β2 agonists and α2 agonists, which are used to treat high blood pressure and asthma, for example.
Pindolol, sold under the brand name Visken among others, is a nonselective beta blocker which is used in the treatment of hypertension and angina pectoris. It is also an antagonist of the serotonin 5-HT1A receptor, preferentially blocking inhibitory 5-HT1A autoreceptors, and has been researched as an add-on therapy to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in the treatment of depression.
An autoreceptor is a type of receptor located in the membranes of presynaptic nerve cells. It serves as part of a negative feedback loop in signal transduction. It is only sensitive to the neurotransmitters or hormones released by the neuron on which the autoreceptor sits. Similarly, a heteroreceptor is sensitive to neurotransmitters and hormones that are not released by the cell on which it sits. A given receptor can act as either an autoreceptor or a heteroreceptor, depending upon the type of transmitter released by the cell on which it is embedded.
Bisoprolol, marketed under the tradename Zebeta among others, is a medication most commonly used for heart diseases. This specifically includes high blood pressure, chest pain from not enough blood flow to the heart, and heart failure. It is taken by mouth.
Edith Bülbring, FRS was a British scientist in the field of smooth muscle physiology, one of the first women accepted to the Royal Society as a fellow (FRS). She was Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Oxford (1967–71), later Emeritus Professor (1971–1990) and member of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford.
The alpha-2 (α2) adrenergic receptor is a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) associated with the Gi heterotrimeric G-protein. It consists of three highly homologous subtypes, including α2A-, α2B-, and α2C-adrenergic. Some species other than humans express a fourth α2D-adrenergic receptor as well. Catecholamines like norepinephrine (noradrenaline) and epinephrine (adrenaline) signal through the α2-adrenergic receptor in the central and peripheral nervous systems.
A sympatholytic drug is a medication that opposes the downstream effects of postganglionic nerve firing in effector organs innervated by the sympathetic nervous system (SNS). They are indicated for various functions; for example, they may be used as antihypertensives. They are also used to treat anxiety, such as generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder and PTSD.
Adrenaline, also known as epinephrine, is a hormone and medication. Adrenaline is normally produced by both the adrenal glands and a small number of neurons in the medulla oblongata, where it acts as a neurotransmitter involved in regulating visceral functions. It plays an important role in the fight-or-flight response by increasing blood flow to muscles, output of the heart, pupil dilation response and blood sugar level. It does this by binding to alpha and beta receptors. It is found in many animals and some single-celled organisms. Polish physiologist Napoleon Cybulski first isolated epinephrine in 1895.
Deoxyepinephrine, also known by the common names N-methyldopamine and epinine, is an organic compound and natural product that is structurally related to the important neurotransmitters dopamine and epinephrine. All three of these compounds also belong to the catecholamine family. The pharmacology of epinine largely resembles that of its "parent", dopamine. Epinine has been found in plants, insects and animals. It is also of significance as the active metabolic breakdown product of the prodrug ibopamine, which has been used to treat congestive heart failure.
α2-blockers are a subset of the alpha blocker class of drugs and are antagonists to the α2 adrenergic receptor. They are mainly used in research, finding limited clinical application in human medicine. Increases the noradrenaline release due to blockade of alpha-2 receptors.
Corynanthine, also known as rauhimbine, is an alkaloid found in the Rauvolfia and Pausinystalia genera of plants. It is one of the two diastereoisomers of yohimbine, the other being rauwolscine. It is also related to ajmalicine.
Roxindole (EMD-49,980) is a dopaminergic and serotonergic drug which was originally developed by Merck KGaA for the treatment of schizophrenia. In clinical trials its antipsychotic efficacy was only modest but it was unexpectedly found to produce potent and rapid antidepressant and anxiolytic effects. As a result, roxindole was further researched for the treatment of depression instead. It has also been investigated as a therapy for Parkinson's disease and prolactinoma.
Ullrich Georg Trendelenburg was a German pharmacologist.
Fluparoxan (GR50360A) (+/-)-(trans)-5-fluoro-2,3,3a,9a-tetrahydro-1H-[1,4]benzodioxino[2,3-c]pyrrole hydrochloride hemihydrate is a potent α2-adrenergic receptor antagonist with excellent α2/α1 selectivity, and is the only well-studied a2 antagonist in its structural family which does not antagonize any variant of the imidazoline receptor. It was shown to possess central α2-adrenoceptor antagonist activity after oral doses in man and was patented as an antidepressant by Glaxo in the early 1980s, but its development was discontinued when the compound failed to show a clear clinical advantage over existing therapies.
meta-Chlorophenylbiguanide (1-(3-Chlorophenylbiguanide, m-CPBG) is an allosteric agonist and modulator of the 5-HT3 receptor and an antagonist of the α2A-adrenergic receptor. It has anxiogenic, emetic and hypothermic effects in animal studies.
Raymond Perry Ahlquist was an American pharmacist and pharmacologist. He published seminal work in 1948 that divided adrenoceptors into α- and β-adrenoceptor subtypes. This discovery explained the activity of several existing drugs and also laid the ground work for new drugs including the widely prescribed beta blockers.
The catecholamines comprise the endogenous substances dopamine, noradrenaline (norepinephrine) and adrenaline (epinephrine) as well as numerous artificially synthesized compounds such as isoprenaline. Their investigation constitutes a prominent chapter in the history of physiology, biochemistry and pharmacology. Adrenaline was the first hormone extracted from its endocrine gland and obtained in pure form, before the word hormone was coined. It was also the first hormone the structure and biosynthesis of which were clarified. Apart from acetylcholine, adrenaline and noradrenaline were the first neurotransmitters to be discovered and the first intercellular biochemical signals to be found in intracellular vesicles. The β-adrenoceptor was the first G protein-coupled receptor the gene of which was cloned. Goal-directed catecholamine research began with the preparation by George Oliver and Edward Albert Sharpey-Schafer of a pharmacologically active extract from the adrenal glands.
Susan G. Amara is an American professor of neuroscience and is the Scientific Director of the National Institute of Mental Health. Dr. Amara is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She is a Past-President of the Society for Neuroscience. Dr. Amara has a B.S. in Biological Sciences from Stanford University and a Ph.D. in Physiology and Pharmacology from the University of California, San Diego.
Serafim Guimarães, full name Serafim Correia Pinto Guimarães, is a Portuguese physician and pharmacologist. With his colleague Walter Osswald he made the Department of Pharmacology, Medical Faculty of the University of Porto, a center of research on catecholamines and the sympathetic nervous system, especially their relation to blood vessels.
Crotoxin (CTX) is the main toxic compound in the snake venom of the South American rattlesnake, Crotalus durissus terrificus. Crotoxin is a heterodimeric beta-neurotoxin, composed of an acidic, non-toxic and non-enzymatic subunit (CA), and a basic, weakly toxic, phospholipase A2 protein (CB). This neurotoxin causes paralysis by both pre- and postsynaptic blocking of acetylcholine signalling.