biochemical pharmacology
Dr. Arnold D. Welch, a former member of the Yale faculty who made significant contributions in the areas of biochemical pharmacology, cancer and viral chemotherapy, and drug development, died at his home in San Diego, California, in September at the age of 94.
At Yale, where he taught from 1953 to 1967, Dr. Welch played a major role in the establishment of the Department of Pharmacology at the School of Medicine and of the discipline of biochemical pharmacology as a new area in the field.
A number of important research advances took place in the department during Dr. Welch's tenure as chair, including the first synthesis of 5-iodo-2'-deoxyriboside, an agent that was the first antiviral drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration for ocular herpetic infections, proving that antiviral drugs could be developed.
Also under his tenure, studies were conducted in the pharmacology department on the molecular mechanism of action of a variety of anticancer agents.
Dr. Welch was noted for being an enthusiastic participant in all facets of life in the department. He attended every lecture presented by its faculty, and insisted that the entire faculty attend these sessions. Many of the individuals associated with the department during his tenure and beyond became leaders in science, with a large number becoming chairs of pharmacology departments and research directors in pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Two of these former members -- John Vane and Paul Greengard -- received the Nobel Prize.
At Yale, Dr. Welch also served as the first regional editor for the American continent of the international scientific journal Biochemical Pharma-cology.
Born in New Hampshire on Nov. 7, 1908, Arnold Welch earned B.S. and M.S. degrees from the University of Florida, and obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Toronto. His research there led to the discovery that the structure of acetylcholine could be modified to produce quaternary phosphorous and arsenic analogs with retention of activity. It was there that he began to emphasize the need to understand the molecular basis of drug action, a direction not then pursued by pharmacologists .
Mr. Welch joined the faculty of the University of Washington in 1935 and obtained his M.D. degree there in 1939. The following year he was hired to head a new department of pharmacology at the pharmaceutical company Sharpe and Dohme, where he later served as assistant director of research. From 1944 until he came to Yale, he was chair of the pharmacology department at Western Reserve University, where he began new research related to folic acid, vitamin B12, intrinsic factor and pyrimidine nucleoside analogs. He spent a sabbatical year from 1952 to 1953 working with Dr. Hugh Blaschko at Oxford University, where he opened up another new field of pharmacological investigation by his discovery that catecholamines were held within particles, which contained concentrations of ATP and ascorbate. He also discovered that DOPA and dopamine were metabolized to noradrenaline and adrenaline within these particles.
After retiring from Yale, Dr. Welch was president of the Squibb Institute for Medical Research, where he guided research that resulted in the development of CAPTOPRIL, the first of many ACE inhibitors, which revolutionized cardiovascular medicine. He retired from Squibb in 1975 and then organized a new Division of Biochemical and Clinical Pharmacology at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
Eight years later, at the age of 75, Dr. Welch became the coordinator of the National Cooperative Discovery Groups of the National Cancer Institute.
Dr. Welch was honored with the prestigious Torald Sollmann Award in Pharmacology from the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics and an honorary degree from the University of Florida.
T H I S
W E E K ' SS T O R I E S
Designer Lee wins National Medal of Arts
Keil wins NIH MERIT Award
A new kind of coffee break: Dining Halls to serve only . . .
Geochemist Karl Turekian named to Sterling Professorship
Accounting expert Rick Antle appointed Beinecke Professor
In Focus: Yale Cancer Center
Service provides information about cancer and its treatment
'Jeopardy!' tests contestants' knowledge of drama alumni
Roof of Yale Field to undergo repairs
SCHOOL OF NURSING NEWSCenter promotes study of health disparities
Program will prepare nurses to investigate . . .
YSN hosting ENRS conference
Melkus honored for diabetes research
Ament wins fellowship to study health care policy
A fair to remember
Scholar discusses 'worldliness' of DuBois' views on racial divide
Center for the Study of Globalization to host talks . . .
'Bitter Bierce' looks at life and times of author of 'The Devil's Dictionary'
Undergraduate group staging Handel's opera . . .
Yale Rep symposium to look at international theatrical collaborations
Advances in treatment of mental illness is topic of . . .
Event focuses on legal scholarship of Owen Fiss
Chapel sponsoring conference on issues in the Catholic Church
Event to explore neurotransmitter's role in cognitive disorders
Yale projects featured in AIA exhibit
OBITUARIESHeart surgeon Dr. William Glenn, creator of early pacemaker
Former dean Judith Brandenburg, launched women's studies
Dr. Arnold Welch, pioneer in biochemical pharmacology
Memorial service for Georges May
Campus Notes
Bulletin Home|Visiting on Campus|Calendar of Events|In the News
Bulletin Board|Yale Scoreboard|Classified Ads|Search Archives|Deadlines
Bulletin Staff|Public Affairs Home|News Releases|
E-Mail Us|Yale Home Page