Biosketch

J. Andrew McCammon is a Distinguished Research Professor of Chemistry and of Pharmacology at UCSD. He has invented theoretical methods for accurately predicting and interpreting molecular recognition, rates of reactions, and other properties of chemical systems. These methods play a growing role in the design of new drugs and other materials. Professor McCammon is the author with Stephen Harvey of “Dynamics of Proteins and Nucleic Acids” (Cambridge University Press), and is author or co-author of nearly 900 publications in theoretical chemistry and biochemistry. More than 50 of his former students have tenured or tenure-track positions at leading universities or research institutes. In the 1980?s, he guided the establishment of computer-aided drug discovery in Agouron Pharmaceuticals (now Pfizer’s La Jolla Laboratories), contributing to the development of the HIV-1 protease inhibitor, nelfinavir. His group?s studies of HIV-1 integrase flexibility subsequently aided discovery of raltegravir by Merck & Co. His awards include the Smithsonian Institution’s Information Technology Leadership Award for Breakthrough Computational Science and the American Chemical Society’s National Award for Computers in Chemical and Pharmaceutical Research. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a Member of the US National Academy of Sciences.

Research Interests

Dynamical simulation of proteins, nucleic acids, and other biomolecular systems. Computer-aided drug discovery.

Membership Type

Member

Election Year

2011

Primary Section

Section 29: Biophysics and Computational Biology

Secondary Section

Section 14: Chemistry