William C. Campbell | |
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Born | Ramelton, County Donegal, Ireland | 28 June 1930
Citizenship | Ireland United States (since 1964) |
Alma mater | Trinity College Dublin University of Wisconsin-Madison (PhD) |
Known for | Discovery of avermectin |
Awards | Membership of NAS (2002) Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (2015) FRS (2020) |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Parasitology |
Institutions | Merck & Co. Drew University |
Thesis | Fascioloides magna (trematoda) with special reference to the adult in relation to disease (1957) |
William Cecil Campbell FRS[1] (born 28 June 1930) is an Irish-American microbiologist known for his work in discovering a novel therapy against infections caused by roundworms, for which he was jointly awarded the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.[2] He helped to discover a class of drugs called avermectins, whose derivatives have been shown to have "extraordinary efficacy" in treating River blindness and Lymphatic filariasis, among other parasitic diseases affecting animals and humans.[3] Campbell worked at the Merck Institute for Therapeutic Research 1957–1990, and has become a research fellow emeritus at Drew University.[4][5]