Ann E. Weber is the senior vice president for drug discovery at Kallyope Inc. in New York City. She previously worked with Merck Research Laboratories (MRL), joining the company in 1987 and retiring from the position of vice president for lead optimization chemistry in 2015. She has helped develop more than 40 drug candidates including FDA-approved treatments for

Type 2 diabetes Type 2 diabetes (T2D), formerly known as adult-onset diabetes, is a form of diabetes mellitus that is characterized by high blood sugar, insulin resistance, and relative lack of insulin. Common symptoms include increased thirst, frequent ...

. She has received a number of awards, including the

Perkin Medal The Perkin Medal is an award given annually by the Society of Chemical Industry (American Section) to a scientist residing in America for an "innovation in applied chemistry resulting in outstanding commercial development." It is considered the ...

(2017) and has been inducted into the ACS Division of Medicinal Chemistry’s MEDI Hall of Fame.

Education

Weber grew up in

Oshkosh, Wisconsin Oshkosh () is a city in Winnebago County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the western shore of Lake Winnebago and had a population of 66,816 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List o ...

, the child of a nurse and a doctor. There she attended Lourdes High School (Oshkosh, Wisconsin), a Catholic school. Weber earned a B.S. degree in chemistry summa cum laude from the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...

(1982). She also was able to attend Caltech for a year (1982-1983). Ann Weber took part in a summer internship for Monsanto from June 1982-August 1982 where she studied the synthesis of novel herbicides for crop protection. To complete her education, Ann received a Ph.D. degree from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

, where she studied synthetic organic chemistry with David A. Evans. She was the first woman to receive a Ph.D. from his group, in 1987.

Research

Weber joined Merck Research Laboratories (MRL) in

Rahway, New Jersey Rahway () is a city (New Jersey), city in southern Union County, New Jersey, Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. A bedroom community of New York City, it is centrally located in the Rahway River, Rahway Valley region, in the New ...

, in 1987, retiring in 2015 from the position of vice president for lead optimization chemistry. In 2016 she joined Kallyope Inc. in New York City as senior vice president for drug discovery. Her research areas include the development of

ligands In coordination chemistry, a ligand is an ion or molecule with a functional group that binds to a central metal atom to form a coordination complex. The bonding with the metal generally involves formal donation of one or more of the ligand's ...

for

G protein–coupled receptor G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), also known as seven-(pass)-transmembrane domain receptors, 7TM receptors, heptahelical receptors, serpentine receptors, and G protein-linked receptors (GPLR), form a large group of evolutionarily related ...

Ligand-gated ion channel Ligand-gated ion channels (LICs, LGIC), also commonly referred to as ionotropic receptors, are a group of transmembrane ion-channel proteins which open to allow ions such as sodium, Na+, potassium, K+, calcium, Ca2+, and/or chloride, Cl− to ...

s and

enzymes An enzyme () is a protein that acts as a biological catalyst by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different molecules known as pro ...

. During her career in drug discovery and development, she has published more than 80 publications. She is a co-inventor of more than 35 issued US patents. Her work has led to the development of more than 40 drug candidates including FDA-approved treatments for

. Other drug candidates target

obesity Obesity is a medical condition, considered by multiple organizations to be a disease, in which excess Adipose tissue, body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it can potentially have negative effects on health. People are classifi ...

atherosclerosis Atherosclerosis is a pattern of the disease arteriosclerosis, characterized by development of abnormalities called lesions in walls of arteries. This is a chronic inflammatory disease involving many different cell types and is driven by eleva ...

pain Pain is a distressing feeling often caused by intense or damaging Stimulus (physiology), stimuli. The International Association for the Study of Pain defines pain as "an unpleasant sense, sensory and emotional experience associated with, or res ...

, and

urinary incontinence Urinary incontinence (UI), also known as involuntary urination, is any uncontrolled leakage of urine. It is a common and distressing problem, which may have a significant effect on quality of life. Urinary incontinence is common in older women ...

. Beginning in 1999, Weber led the chemical team for the development of Januvia (generic:

sitagliptin Sitagliptin, sold under the brand name Januvia among others, is an anti-diabetic medication used to treat type 2 diabetes. It is in the dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor class and works by increasing the production of insulin and decr ...

), a drug that inhibits the

dipeptidyl peptidase-4 Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP4 or DPPIV), also known as adenosine deaminase complexing protein 2 or CD26 (cluster of differentiation 26) is a protein that, in humans, is encoded by the ''DPP4'' gene. DPP4 is related to FAP, DPP8, and DPP9. The en ...

(DPP-4) enzyme and improves glucose tolerance to treat

. Nancy Thornberry led the corresponding biological team for the project. The drug was approved by the

FDA The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the control and supervision of food ...

in October 2006. Janumet, a drug combining sitagliptin and

metformin Metformin, sold under the brand name Glucophage, among others, is the main first-line medication for the treatment of type2 diabetes, particularly in people who are overweight. It is also used in the treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome, ...

was also approved, in April 2007. In 2007, the research team at Merck received the Prix Galien USA award for their work on Januvia.

Awards

* 2017,

Society of Chemical Industry (American Section) The Society of Chemical Industry (America Section) or SCI America is an independent learned society inspired by the creation of the Society of Chemical Industry (SCI) in London in 1881. Originally known as the New York Section, it was formed i ...

* 2016, MEDI Hall of Fame, ACS Division of Medicinal Chemistry * 2013, Women in STEM honoree, Liberty Science Center (LSC) * 2012-2013, Sylvia M. Stoesser Lecturer in Chemistry, University of Illinois * 2011, Discoverer’s Award, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), with Nancy Thornberry * 2011, Thomas Alva Edison Patent Award, Research and Development Council of New Jersey * 2010, Heroes of Chemistry Award (ACS) with Nancy Thornberry and Joseph Armstrong * 2010, Robert M. Scarborough Award for Excellence in Medicinal Chemistry, American Chemistry Society (ACS) * 2008, Outstanding Women of Science honoree, New Jersey Association for Biomedical Research (NJABR) * 2007, Prix Galien USA award to the Merck research team for Januvia * Merck & Co. Director’s Award, the highest honor that Merck confers on its employees

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Weber, Ann E. Living people Notre Dame College of Arts and Letters alumni Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni 21st-century American chemists American women chemists Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American women scientists