Dr. David E. Nichols received his B.S. in Chemistry in 1969 from the University of Cincinnati, and the Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry in 1973 from University of Iowa. In 1974, after postdoctoral training in Pharmacology at Iowa with J.P. Long, he joined the faculty in Medicinal Chemistry at Purdue University. He became Professor of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacology in 1984.
Dr. Nichols has been an ad hoc member of numerous NIH, NIMH and NIDA vadvisory groups, and is currently serving on the NIMH Neuropharmacology and Neurochemistry Study Section. He has written more than 140 full-length papers, and has had a distinguished record of NIMH and NIDA extramural funding for his work on centrally-active drugs. He is a Fellow in the Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences and American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists.
Dr. Nichols' training encompasses both synthetic medicinal chemistry and pharmacology, and he has been actively involved in drug design for nearly twenty-five years. In addition to directing a medicinal chemistry group totaling eight people, he holds a joint appointment in Purdue's Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, and directs a small pharmacology group with expertise in behavioral pharmacology, radioligand binding, and in vivo microdialysis assays.
Dr. Nichols focuses on centrally-active drugs, including dopamine and serotonin agonists, as well as monoamine uptake inhibitors and releasing agents. He has successfully designed and used rigid monoamine analogs to define active conformations of neurotransmitter molecules. Many molecules designed in his laboratory may now find utility as probes of the functional topography of monoamine G protein-coupled receptors; as a result, these molecules are generating excitement as potential therapeutic agents for Parkinson's disease and certain dementias. Other research directions in Dr. Nichols' lab have given rise to promising lead compounds in other neurotransmitter systems.
In the area of dopamine research, Dr. Nichols was the first (in 1976) to identify correctly the dopaminergic pharmacophore of the ergolines. This idea became a backbone for work resulting in a 1982 receptor model that provided the foundation for the design and synthesis of dihydrexidine, the first high affinity bioavailable full dopamine DI agonist. Dihydrexidine is now entering clinical trials for Parkinson's disease. Discoveries of additional molecules with selective affinity for other dopamine receptor subtypes have followed, including a recent breakthrough--a novel class of dopamine DI-selective full- efficacy agonists.
Dr. Nichols works closely with Dr. Tropsha at the UNC School of Pharmacy.
Articles coauthored by Dr. Nichols and Dr. Mailman
