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Richard B. Silverman, a distinguished chemist and the Patrick G. Ryan/Aon Professor at Northwestern University, will be a featured speaker at the 2025 ASBMB Annual Meeting, presenting his research in enzyme inhibition and drug discovery. Best known for inventing pregabalin, or Lyrica, Silverman has dedicated his research to designing small molecules to treat central nervous system, or CNS, disorders, including epilepsy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease as well as cancer.

Richard Silverman

At ASBMB 2025, he will discuss his new work on the mechanistic drug design of small molecules to treat epilepsy, neuropathic pain and hepatocellular carcinoma.

Silverman earned his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1974 after a two-year interruption to serve in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, for which he received a . Following his doctoral studies, he conducted postdoctoral research at Brandeis University under , focusing on enzyme inactivation.

In 1976, joined Northwestern University, where he was a professor of chemistry, molecular biosciences and pharmacology. His research centers on designing and developing enzyme inhibitors for CNS disorders and cancer to develop new therapeutics.

His most notable discovery, , or Lyrica, is widely used to treat fibromyalgia, neuropathic pain, seizures and anxiety. Pregabalin works by targeting a calcium channel receptor within the CNS and decreasing neuronal excitability. Silverman a part of the royalties from Lyrica to Northwestern University to support and promote collaborative and interdisciplinary research in molecular diagnostics and therapeutics.

With more than 400 research publications, nearly 150 patents and multiple international awards, Silverman’s contributions to organic chemistry and drug design have been recognized worldwide. His books on and are widely used in academia and industry.

Silverman has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Inventors, the Medicinal Chemistry Hall of Fame and the Royal Society of Chemistry and has won many awards including, the Perkin Medal, the Arthur C. Cope Senior Scholar Award, the Tetrahedron Prize for Creativity in Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry, the Centenary Prize and the Abeles and Jencks Award for Chemistry of Biological Processes. He is a fellow of the American Chemical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

At ASBMB 2025, Silverman will present his latest research on the rational design and mechanisms of small molecules that target two enzymes: gamma-aminobutyric acid aminotransferase, as a treatment for epilepsy and neuropathic pain, and ornithine aminotransferase to treat hepatocellular carcinoma.

Pregabalin targets calcium gated ion channels in the central nervous system and reduces excitatory neurotransmitter release. This image shows a glutamate, an excitatory neurotransmitter, being transported by synaptic vesicles for release. This process is controlled by calcium gated ion channels.