- Email: [email protected]
A Festschrift in honor of David J. Triggle
Biochemical Pharmacology 98 (2015) 267–268
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Biochemical Pharmacology journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/biochempharm
Editorial
A Festschrift in honor of David J. Triggle
Putting together a Festschrift – a volume of writings to honor a respected colleague by authors who have been directly or indirectly associated with that individual [1] – can be a daunting task for those involved in the recruiting and editing of the Festschrift whether this is a monograph or a special issue of a journal even when the respected colleague is as distinguished as David J. Triggle, SUNY University Professor at the State University of New York at Buffalo (SUNYAB). For some authors, an invitation to write an article for a Festschrift can be an enjoyable stroll down memory lane, an opportunity to reflect on the times shared with David at Colby– Sawyer College in New London, New Hampshire during morning coffee at the annual Gordon Conference in Medicinal Chemistry (which he chaired in 1993) while David waited impatiently in the days before the Internet and iPads for the delivery of the New York Times fresh from the presses in far away Gotham or at dusk over verdicchio and ciauscuolo in the Marcheregion of Central Italy at the Camerino Receptor Symposia [2]. Now the Cyprus-Camerino-Noordwijkerhout Symposium in Trends in DrugResearch, (http://web. unicam.it/farmacia/symposium/program.htm), the 2016 Meeting, the 33rd of the series, will include a session chaired by David appropriately titled “the Future”. To others, writing for a Festschrift while providing unlimited degrees of freedom to revisit past associations with David can represent a challenging and often time consuming task that also represents an opportunity to reflect on their own career progress and the impact that David had made as their supervisor, mentor and colleague. The contributions from these individuals represent a major portion of this Special Issue of Biochemical Pharmacology. Other potential contributors could not be contacted since they had apparently left the field of science with no forwarding contact information while others declined to participate either because of busy schedules that were incompatible with the necessary timelines of the current Festschrift project or were uncomfortable in the process of writing or reminiscing given the years that had passed since their association with David and their own personal circumstances. Others, like Alex Scriabine had passed away, depriving the Festschrift reader of additional insights on the remarkable career of David Triggle. Despite these limitations, the Guest Editors of this Special Issue (including David’s younger brotherChris who in the context of full disclosure was deemed by the other Guest Editors to lack any conflicts of interest) have assembled a broad set of articles divided http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bcp.2015.08.100 0006-2952/ ã 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
into three loose categories that often overlap: contributors who had begun their scientific careers with David at SUNYAB (Chatterjee, Swamy, Bolger, Janis, Gopalakrishnan, Rampe and Dillon); contributors who became associated with David as his long held interests in the broader role and responsibility of biomedical research in society at large became increasingly manifest in his teaching and writing activities (Dai, Smith and Wurm-Scharr); and those authors who had had long standing relationships with David as colleagues and/or collaborators (Snutch, Zamponi, Walker, Chris Triggle, Williams and Moos). Thus these articles reflect, to varying degrees, insights into the many contributions of David Triggle in: research in medicinal chemistry, receptor and ion channel pharmacology and drug discovery; research ethics and conduct; and concerns related to the future of biomedical research, its independence, relevance and funding as well as its contributions to societal well being. Together they provide a picture of an individual who is deserving of the accolades of a “gentleman and scholar” [3] and of a philosopher “on the science of pharmacology and on the process of drug discovery” [4]. Driven by an innate and altruistic inquisitiveness, a genuine passion and deep respect for knowledge in all its forms and an ability to think outside the proverbial box - irrespective of the discipline or topic - David is an example of the generation of scientists who were the recipients of the increased access to secondary and tertiary education, “the advantages and privileges which hitherto have been enjoyed only by the few” [5] that characterized the end of WWII and were as a result able to participate in, and drive, the goals, culture and funding opportunities of the accompanying Endless Frontier [6]. This, in turn, resulted in an unshakeable conviction in the role of meritocracy in advancing science with many such individuals, like David, dedicating aspects of their career to retaining and expanding the transparency and openness of the biomedical research commons against the onslaught of the self-serving and hypocritical commercialization and commoditization of science that characterized the biotech revolution. In doing so, this provided an opportunity to make a difference and give back to subsequent generations of scientists in the form of training, mentoring and altruistic and open debate to advance scientific knowledge for the greater good. Throughout his career, David has also been “willing to stand up for what [he] believe[d] in” [3], a libertarian aspect of his character
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M. Gopalakrishnan et al. / Biochemical Pharmacology 98 (2015) 267–268
that is very familiar to many of those who know him well and that is reflected in his undisguised and highly vocal frustrations regarding incompetence, both individual and bureaucratic [7]. In many respects, David, with his sense of humor and his good natured dislike of authoritarianism would have made an ideal model for Hasek’s antihero, the Good Soldier Švejk. David’s passion and interest in the poetry of Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Bob Dylan (the latter viewed as an acquired taste by some), the writings of Aldous Huxley, George Orwell, Spike Milligan, Douglas Adams and Sue Townsend and the uniquely British humor of The Goons and Monty Python are all influences that have further defined an individual who has rarely been confined in his ability to interest, amuse, challenge, inform and motivate – all characteristics that add immeasurably to his role as mentor, scholar, philosopher and ethicist – and all without a trace of pomposity. Finally, in addition to thanking the authors of the articles in this Special Issue for their contributions and their patience during the review process, the Editors would like to thank David Triggle for providing the opportunity to put this Special Issue together and the Editorial Staff at Biochemical Pharmacology, Lynn LeCount, Jennifer McNichols and Mike Williams and Nicola Shiguemiti at Elsevier in Exeter UK for their help in the logistics of the review and production process. References [1] D. Schleicher, From here all-the-way-down, or how to write a Festschrift piece, Tulsa Law Rev. 48 (2013) 401–425.
[2] M. Giannella, P. Angeli, The Camerino symposium series (1978–2013): a privileged observatory of receptorology development, In Silico Pharmacol. 1 (2013) 21. [3] W.H. Moos, A tribute to David Triggle, Biochem. Pharmacol. 98 (2015) 360–362. [4] M.J.A. Walker, J. David Triggle, Medicinal chemistry, to pharmacology, calcium channels, and beyond, Biochem. Pharmacol. 98 (2015) 335–341. [5] W.S. Churchill, A speech to the boys of Harrow, December 18, 1940, The Unrelenting Struggle, Cassell, London, 1942, pp. 19–21. [6] V. Bush, Science, the Endless Frontier: A Report to the President, Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C.: US, 1945. [7] D.J. Triggle, On Spaulding Lake, in: R.T. Hull (Ed.), The Unprecedented Life of Elaine Mangelsdorf Hull: Hallmark of Brilliance and Compassion, Privately published, RT Hull, Tallahassee, FL, 2006, pp. 99–110.
Murali Gopalakrishnan* Pharmaceutical Discovery, AbbVie, North Chicago, IL, USA David Rampe Disposition, Safety and Animal Research, Sanofi, Inc. Bridgewater, NJ, USA Christopher Triggle Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, Qatar Foundation—Education City, Doha, Qatar * Corresponding author. E-mail address: [email protected]. Received 16 August 2015 Accepted 17 August 2015 Available online 22 August 2015
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Biochemical Pharmacology journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/biochempharm
Editorial
A Festschrift in honor of David J. Triggle
Putting together a Festschrift – a volume of writings to honor a respected colleague by authors who have been directly or indirectly associated with that individual [1] – can be a daunting task for those involved in the recruiting and editing of the Festschrift whether this is a monograph or a special issue of a journal even when the respected colleague is as distinguished as David J. Triggle, SUNY University Professor at the State University of New York at Buffalo (SUNYAB). For some authors, an invitation to write an article for a Festschrift can be an enjoyable stroll down memory lane, an opportunity to reflect on the times shared with David at Colby– Sawyer College in New London, New Hampshire during morning coffee at the annual Gordon Conference in Medicinal Chemistry (which he chaired in 1993) while David waited impatiently in the days before the Internet and iPads for the delivery of the New York Times fresh from the presses in far away Gotham or at dusk over verdicchio and ciauscuolo in the Marcheregion of Central Italy at the Camerino Receptor Symposia [2]. Now the Cyprus-Camerino-Noordwijkerhout Symposium in Trends in DrugResearch, (http://web. unicam.it/farmacia/symposium/program.htm), the 2016 Meeting, the 33rd of the series, will include a session chaired by David appropriately titled “the Future”. To others, writing for a Festschrift while providing unlimited degrees of freedom to revisit past associations with David can represent a challenging and often time consuming task that also represents an opportunity to reflect on their own career progress and the impact that David had made as their supervisor, mentor and colleague. The contributions from these individuals represent a major portion of this Special Issue of Biochemical Pharmacology. Other potential contributors could not be contacted since they had apparently left the field of science with no forwarding contact information while others declined to participate either because of busy schedules that were incompatible with the necessary timelines of the current Festschrift project or were uncomfortable in the process of writing or reminiscing given the years that had passed since their association with David and their own personal circumstances. Others, like Alex Scriabine had passed away, depriving the Festschrift reader of additional insights on the remarkable career of David Triggle. Despite these limitations, the Guest Editors of this Special Issue (including David’s younger brotherChris who in the context of full disclosure was deemed by the other Guest Editors to lack any conflicts of interest) have assembled a broad set of articles divided http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bcp.2015.08.100 0006-2952/ ã 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
into three loose categories that often overlap: contributors who had begun their scientific careers with David at SUNYAB (Chatterjee, Swamy, Bolger, Janis, Gopalakrishnan, Rampe and Dillon); contributors who became associated with David as his long held interests in the broader role and responsibility of biomedical research in society at large became increasingly manifest in his teaching and writing activities (Dai, Smith and Wurm-Scharr); and those authors who had had long standing relationships with David as colleagues and/or collaborators (Snutch, Zamponi, Walker, Chris Triggle, Williams and Moos). Thus these articles reflect, to varying degrees, insights into the many contributions of David Triggle in: research in medicinal chemistry, receptor and ion channel pharmacology and drug discovery; research ethics and conduct; and concerns related to the future of biomedical research, its independence, relevance and funding as well as its contributions to societal well being. Together they provide a picture of an individual who is deserving of the accolades of a “gentleman and scholar” [3] and of a philosopher “on the science of pharmacology and on the process of drug discovery” [4]. Driven by an innate and altruistic inquisitiveness, a genuine passion and deep respect for knowledge in all its forms and an ability to think outside the proverbial box - irrespective of the discipline or topic - David is an example of the generation of scientists who were the recipients of the increased access to secondary and tertiary education, “the advantages and privileges which hitherto have been enjoyed only by the few” [5] that characterized the end of WWII and were as a result able to participate in, and drive, the goals, culture and funding opportunities of the accompanying Endless Frontier [6]. This, in turn, resulted in an unshakeable conviction in the role of meritocracy in advancing science with many such individuals, like David, dedicating aspects of their career to retaining and expanding the transparency and openness of the biomedical research commons against the onslaught of the self-serving and hypocritical commercialization and commoditization of science that characterized the biotech revolution. In doing so, this provided an opportunity to make a difference and give back to subsequent generations of scientists in the form of training, mentoring and altruistic and open debate to advance scientific knowledge for the greater good. Throughout his career, David has also been “willing to stand up for what [he] believe[d] in” [3], a libertarian aspect of his character
268
M. Gopalakrishnan et al. / Biochemical Pharmacology 98 (2015) 267–268
that is very familiar to many of those who know him well and that is reflected in his undisguised and highly vocal frustrations regarding incompetence, both individual and bureaucratic [7]. In many respects, David, with his sense of humor and his good natured dislike of authoritarianism would have made an ideal model for Hasek’s antihero, the Good Soldier Švejk. David’s passion and interest in the poetry of Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Bob Dylan (the latter viewed as an acquired taste by some), the writings of Aldous Huxley, George Orwell, Spike Milligan, Douglas Adams and Sue Townsend and the uniquely British humor of The Goons and Monty Python are all influences that have further defined an individual who has rarely been confined in his ability to interest, amuse, challenge, inform and motivate – all characteristics that add immeasurably to his role as mentor, scholar, philosopher and ethicist – and all without a trace of pomposity. Finally, in addition to thanking the authors of the articles in this Special Issue for their contributions and their patience during the review process, the Editors would like to thank David Triggle for providing the opportunity to put this Special Issue together and the Editorial Staff at Biochemical Pharmacology, Lynn LeCount, Jennifer McNichols and Mike Williams and Nicola Shiguemiti at Elsevier in Exeter UK for their help in the logistics of the review and production process. References [1] D. Schleicher, From here all-the-way-down, or how to write a Festschrift piece, Tulsa Law Rev. 48 (2013) 401–425.
[2] M. Giannella, P. Angeli, The Camerino symposium series (1978–2013): a privileged observatory of receptorology development, In Silico Pharmacol. 1 (2013) 21. [3] W.H. Moos, A tribute to David Triggle, Biochem. Pharmacol. 98 (2015) 360–362. [4] M.J.A. Walker, J. David Triggle, Medicinal chemistry, to pharmacology, calcium channels, and beyond, Biochem. Pharmacol. 98 (2015) 335–341. [5] W.S. Churchill, A speech to the boys of Harrow, December 18, 1940, The Unrelenting Struggle, Cassell, London, 1942, pp. 19–21. [6] V. Bush, Science, the Endless Frontier: A Report to the President, Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C.: US, 1945. [7] D.J. Triggle, On Spaulding Lake, in: R.T. Hull (Ed.), The Unprecedented Life of Elaine Mangelsdorf Hull: Hallmark of Brilliance and Compassion, Privately published, RT Hull, Tallahassee, FL, 2006, pp. 99–110.
Murali Gopalakrishnan* Pharmaceutical Discovery, AbbVie, North Chicago, IL, USA David Rampe Disposition, Safety and Animal Research, Sanofi, Inc. Bridgewater, NJ, USA Christopher Triggle Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, Qatar Foundation—Education City, Doha, Qatar * Corresponding author. E-mail address: [email protected]. Received 16 August 2015 Accepted 17 August 2015 Available online 22 August 2015