LAWRENCE, Kan. — There’s a high chance you know someone whose life has been saved, extended or improved by a drug invented by University of Kansas professor Valentino “Val” Stella.
Stella himself does: A KU colleague and the father of another both used the drug Velcade to treat blood cancer, to name just two.
“About two-thirds through my career, all of a sudden I realized this is not about publishing another paper,” said Stella, 70, an internationally lauded distinguished professor of pharmaceutical chemistry at KU.
“It’s not the papers, it’s not the grants, it’s not the accolades. It’s the impact you have on people’s lives.”
The Lawrence Journal-World reports that Stella’s 43-year career as a professor at KU came to a close with his retirement this semester. Velcade is one of several drugs he invented or co-invented that made it to market as a commercial product. Including those, he said he holds 45 U.S. patents.
Stella has specialized in prodrugs, which involve developing better ways to formulate and deliver drugs to the body.
In addition to Velcade, other drugs Stella invented or co-invented are:
