UMN researcher and inventor Robert (Bob) Vince received the 2022 Lawrence C. and Delores M. Weaver Medal, which recognizes sustained and distinguished support of the College of Pharmacy and its students and/or acknowledges outstanding contributions to pharmacy education, practice, research, or community outreach.
Tech Comm staff Karen Ohlfest, Rebecca Gerber, Doug Franz, Kenny Karanja, and Rick Huebsch attended the Weaver Medal Reception to support Vince, a renowned inventor of new drug molecules and technologies. One of his most significant discoveries was the carbovir compound, which serves as the basis for Ziagen, a drug that dramatically improved the quality of life for thousands of AIDS patients around the world.
Vince uses royalties from Ziagen to reinvest into UMN research and drug development at the Center for Drug Design, which currently supports nine professors and associate professors, 14 research scientists and associates, and 12 postdocs and students.
“Dr. Vince ensures that everyone from the Center for Drug Design understands how important intellectual property is to the eventual translation of research and encourages everyone to work closely with Tech Comm,” said Rebecca Gerber, associate director of Tech Comm. “Vince is committed to not only continually generating ideas that could benefit society but also patiently putting in the years of hard work it takes to translate those ideas into products that have been or hopefully will be brought to the marketplace.”