Daniel L. Simmons is a professor of chemistry and former director of the Cancer Research Center at

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU) is a Private education, private research university in Provo, Utah, United States. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is the flagship university of the Church Educational System sponsore ...

(BYU). He was the discoverer of the

COX-2 Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), also known as prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 ( HUGO PTGS2), is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the ''PTGS2'' gene. In humans it is one of three cyclooxygenases. It is involved in the conversion of arachid ...

enzyme that is the target of

celecoxib Celecoxib, sold under the brand name Celebrex among others, is a COX-2 inhibitor and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). It is used to treat the pain and inflammation in osteoarthritis, acute pain in adults, rheumatoid arthritis, psor ...

(Celebrex) and other

COX-2 inhibitor Cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors (COX-2 inhibitors), also known as coxibs, are a type of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that directly target cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), an enzyme responsible for inflammation and pain. Targeting selectivity ...

s. He and BYU felt that

Pfizer Pfizer Inc. ( ) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Pharmaceutical industry, pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporation headquartered at The Spiral (New York City), The Spiral in Manhattan, New York City. Founded in 184 ...

had not properly credited or paid them for Simmons work in this development and brought a suit against Pfizer. In 2014, the Cancer Research Center at Brigham Young University was renamed The Simmons Center for Cancer Research in his honor after he stepped down as director after 17 years. Simmons has bachelor's and master's degrees from BYU. He earned his Ph.D. from the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

in 1986. From 1986-1989 he held a post-doctoral Fellowship at

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 ...

. Simmons discovered the

and

COX-3 Cyclooxygenase-3 (COX-3) is an enzyme that is encoded by the ''PTGS1'' (''COX1'') gene, but is not functional in humans. COX-3 is the third and most recently discovered cyclooxygenase (COX3050) isozyme, while the first two to be discovered were C ...

enzymes.

References

Sources

*
BYU Chemistry Department bio of Simmons

{{DEFAULTSORT:Simmons, Daniel L. Brigham Young University alumni University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni Brigham Young University faculty 21st-century American chemists Living people Year of birth missing (living people)