Micah Niphakis Receives ACS Scarborough Award

Micah Niphakis, research associate in the Cravatt lab at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), has received the 2013 Scarborough Graduate/Postgraduate Award for Excellence from the American Chemical Society’s Division of Medicinal Chemistry.

Named in memory of Robert M. Scarborough, medicinal chemist and inventor of drugs such as Natrecor® and Integrilin®, the award recognizes a postdoctoral researcher or graduate student who has had a leading role in scientific discoveries in the field of medicinal chemistry. Niphakis will present his research at the fall national meeting of the American Chemical Society in Indianapolis.

Niphakis and his colleagues are currently using the technology to elucidate proteins that regulate a class of neurotransmitters called endocannabinoids, which plays an important role in the regulation of inflammation, pain sensation, mood and appetite.