David T. Wong (born 1935 in

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

) is a Hong Kong-born American neuroscientist. He is a former researcher with

Eli Lilly and Company Eli Lilly and Company, Trade name, doing business as Lilly, is an American multinational Medication, pharmaceutical company headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, with offices in 18 countries. Its products are sold in approximately 125 count ...

and an adjunct

professor emeritus ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retirement, retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". ...

at the

Indiana University School of Medicine The Indiana University School of Medicine (IUSM) is a major, multi-campus medical school located throughout the US state, U.S. state of Indiana and is both the Medical school, undergraduate and Graduate medical education, graduate medical school o ...

. Wong is known for the invention of the

antidepressant Antidepressants are a class of medications used to treat major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, chronic pain, and addiction. Common side effects of antidepressants include Xerostomia, dry mouth, weight gain, dizziness, headaches, akathi ...

drug

fluoxetine Fluoxetine, sold under the brand name Prozac, among others, is an Antidepressant, antidepressant medication of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) class used for the treatment of major depressive disorder, Anxiety disorder, anx ...

, more commonly known by its trade name Prozac.David T. Wong
''Nature Reviews Drug Discovery'', retrieved 2012-10-05... Wong was born in Hong Kong, and began his undergraduate studies in chemistry at

National Taiwan University National Taiwan University (NTU; zh, t=國立臺灣大學, poj=Kok-li̍p Tâi-oân Tāi-ha̍k, p=, s=) is a National university, national Public university, public research university in Taipei, Taiwan. Founded in 1928 during Taiwan under J ...

. He came to

Seattle Pacific College Seattle Pacific University (SPU) is a private Christian university in Seattle, Washington, United States. It was founded in 1891 in conjunction with the Oregon and Washington Conference of the Free Methodist Church as the Seattle Seminary. It ...

in 1957, and graduated in 1961. He then went on to graduate studies at

Oregon State University Oregon State University (OSU) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate degree programs and a variety of graduate and doctor ...

, where he earned a master's degree in 1964 and later at the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a Public university, public research university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1876, the university is organized into nine colleges and schools and offers 420 undergraduate and gra ...

Medical School to receive his doctorate in 1966. After doing his postdoctoral research at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

, he joined Eli Lilly in 1968.

Compounds

While at Lilly, Wong became most interested in agents that bind to Biogenic Amine Transporters (''BAT''). These compounds primarily affect functioning of the CNS and have known uses in the treatment of depression, ADHD, libido, obesity and addiction. Although such agents can be made to increase

serotonin Serotonin (), also known as 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), is a monoamine neurotransmitter with a wide range of functions in both the central nervous system (CNS) and also peripheral tissues. It is involved in mood, cognition, reward, learning, ...

and

norepinephrine Norepinephrine (NE), also called noradrenaline (NA) or noradrenalin, is an organic compound, organic chemical in the catecholamine family that functions in the brain and human body, body as a hormone, neurotransmitter and neuromodulator. The ...

, an example of a compound with a demonstrated affinity for the DAT is called ''N''-methylatmoxetine 3015-25-2 He helped to study: LY 125180

Fluoxetine Fluoxetine, sold under the brand name Prozac, among others, is an Antidepressant, antidepressant medication of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) class used for the treatment of major depressive disorder, Anxiety disorder, anx ...

Atomoxetine Atomoxetine, formerly sold under the brand name Strattera, is a selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (sNRI) medication used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and, to a lesser extent, cognitive disengagement syndr ...

Duloxetine Duloxetine, sold under the brand name Cymbalta among others, is a medication used to treat major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive–compulsive disorder, fibromyalgia, neuropathic pain, central sensitization, and ...

Dapoxetine Dapoxetine, sold under the brand name Priligy among others, is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) used for the treatment of premature ejaculation (PE) in men ages 18 to 64 years old. Dapoxetine works by inhibiting the serotonin trans ...

, #

Nisoxetine Nisoxetine (developmental code name LY-94939), originally synthesized in the Lilly research laboratories during the early 1970s, is a potent and selective inhibitor for the reuptake of norepinephrine (noradrenaline) into synapses. It currently ...

#LY125180 4515-39-2 # 6-CAT. # LY255582 19193-09-8#LY278584 (

tropane Tropane is a nitrogenous bicyclic organic compound. It is mainly known for the other alkaloids derived from it, which include atropine and cocaine, among others. Tropane alkaloids occur in plants of the families Erythroxylaceae (including coca) ...

analog of

granisetron Granisetron is a serotonin 5-HT3 receptor antagonist used as an antiemetic to treat nausea and vomiting following chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Its main effect is to reduce the activity of the vagus nerve, which is a nerve that activates the ...

)

Awards

#Seattle Pacific College Centurions member (circa 1961) # Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association Discoverer's Award (1993) #Seattle Pacific University Alumnus of the Year (1998) #OSU Alumni Fellow (2003) #Indiana Living Legend (2008) #

Prince Mahidol Award The Prince Mahidol Award () is an annual award for outstanding achievements in medicine and public health worldwide. The award is given by the Prince Mahidol Award Foundation, which was founded by the Thai Royal Family in 1992. Prince Mahidol ...

in Medicine (2011)

Personal life

Wong met his wife, Christiana Lee, at the Oregon State University. They are devout Christians, and had three children together: Conrad, Mel, and Vincent Wong.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wong, David T. Living people American academics of Chinese descent American neuroscientists Eli Lilly and Company people Hong Kong emigrants to the United States Indiana University School of Medicine faculty Seattle Pacific University alumni University of Oregon alumni Year of birth uncertain Year of birth missing (living people)