Gevork Minaskanian is an American research professor in the Department of Chemistry at

Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is a Public university, public research university in Richmond, Virginia, United States. VCU was founded in 1838 as the medical department of Hampden–Sydney College, becoming the Medical College of Virgin ...

and Co-founder/Vice President of Synthetic Chemistry at Aderis Pharmaceuticals who was a contributor to the development of

rotigotine Rotigotine, sold under the brand name Neupro among others, is a dopamine agonist of the non- ergoline class of medications indicated for the treatment of Parkinson's disease and restless legs syndrome. It is formulated as a once-daily transderm ...

and

Neupro Rotigotine, sold under the brand name Neupro among others, is a dopamine agonist of the non-ergoline class of medications indicated for the treatment of Parkinson's disease and restless legs syndrome. It is formulated as a once-daily transderma ...

transdermal patch A transdermal patch is a medicated adhesive patch that is placed on the skin to deliver a specific Dose (biochemistry), dose of medication through the skin and into the bloodstream. An advantage of a transdermal drug delivery route over ot ...

that delivers rotigotine).

Rotigotine Rotigotine, sold under the brand name Neupro among others, is a dopamine agonist of the non- ergoline class of medications indicated for the treatment of Parkinson's disease and restless legs syndrome. It is formulated as a once-daily transderm ...

is a drug developed to mimic the actions of

dopamine Dopamine (DA, a contraction of 3,4-dihydroxyphenethylamine) is a neuromodulatory molecule that plays several important roles in cells. It is an organic chemical of the catecholamine and phenethylamine families. It is an amine synthesized ...

in the brain to help cope with

restless legs syndrome Restless legs syndrome (RLS), also known as Willis–Ekbom disease (WED), is a neurological disorder, usually chronic, that causes an overwhelming urge to move one's legs. There is often an unpleasant feeling in the legs that improves temporaril ...

and the abnormal movements(

dyskinesia Dyskinesia refers to a category of movement disorders that are characterized by involuntary muscle movements, including movements similar to tics or chorea and diminished voluntary movements. Dyskinesia can be anything from a slight tremor of t ...

) found in

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor system, motor and non-motor systems. Symptoms typically develop gradually and non-motor issues become ...

patients. This drug is an alternative to oral medications for the treatment of

, considered by the VCU Department of Chemistry as "an unprecedented medication for the benefit of millions of Parkinson's patient worldwide." Minaskanian’s main contribution to

was improving the efficiency of manufacturing rotigotine, thereby making the process commercially viable and enabling patients to afford this important medication. Dr. Minaskanian is the inventor and author of over 50 patents and publications in various fields of organic and medicinal chemistry. Some of his US patents include patents 5,470,848; 4,801,586; 5,234,959; 5,118,676; and other related research done on

and

US patent 7,309,497US Patent 7,309,497 containing a list of some of Dr. Minaskanian's work used by Schwarz Pharma AG to do newer research
US Patent 7,309,497
7) found in the

United States Patent and Trademark Office The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency in the United States Department of Commerce, U.S. Department of Commerce that serves as the national patent office and trademark ...

linked to the penetration enhancers for transdermal delivery of systemic agents.

References

Virginia Commonwealth University faculty Living people Year of birth missing (living people) {{improve categories, date=February 2022