Few researchers in the fight against cancer can point to a career as prolific as that of Valentino Stella, distinguished professor of pharmaceutical chemistry at the University of Kansas.
Today, Stella leads the Drug Discovery and Experimental Therapeutics Program of the KU Cancer Center. But his career at KU began in 1968 when he arrived in Lawrence as a grad student under Takeru Higuchi, the legendary "father of physical pharmacy." Higuchi is best remembered for development of time-release medicines and more than 50 other drug patents.
"'Tak' really gave me a lot of freedom," said Stella. "I think he saw in me someone who could drive a project with just a little tweaking. That's why he was also a great supporter of my career. He believed in me."
After studying under Higuchi for nearly three years, Stella earned his doctorate in 1971. Then, after spending time at the University of Illinois, Stella returned to KU in 1973 at Higuchi's urging.
Since that time, Stella has amassed a brilliant record of improving drug stability and solubility in anti-cancer agents, as well as formulating useful drugs to treat epilepsy and AIDS. To date, he holds 32 patents and is the inventor of several life-saving drugs already on the market.
"We try to identify drugs for which there is a recognized need to solve a delivery problem," Stella said. "Ultimately, you have a raw chemical. The pharmaceutical chemist converts this raw chemical into a molecule that will end up in the tablet or capsule, suppository, ointment or injectable that is usable for patients."
A key aspect of Stella's work is making sure that drugs formulated in the lab can be manufactured at the industrial level. Indeed, bringing new drugs to market perhaps is what he does best.
As head of KU's Center for Drug Delivery Research from 1989 to 1999, Stella was pivotal in the startup of three companies: CyDex, ProQuest and CritiTech. Most recently, KU has partnered with CritiTech to bring a promising new drug for ovarian cancer, called Nanotax(R), to a Phase I clinical trial at the cancer center. These productive transfers of technology are a hallmark of Stella's career.
Browse an interactive timeline of the last 50 years of innovation within the National Cancer Institute. | Click here for the timeline"It's a great engine," said the KU researcher. "It's not only an engine for the university, but it's an engine for Lawrence, Kansas, and Kansas City. If we come up with inventions, and spin off companies that generate royalties -- that generates jobs. It feeds into society and trickles down into the local economy. It generates income when a product goes onto the market, and that feeds back into the engine."
For his exceptional record in bringing lab discoveries to the marketplace, in 2005 Stella was the first recipient of the KU Technology Transfer Leadership Award.
Moreover, for the past quarter-century Stella has managed a significant formulation contract with the National Cancer Institute that has produced a string of life-improving drugs for people all over the world.
"We're very proud of the fact that a lot of the drugs that ended up in the clinic, we've had a hand in formulating," Stella said. "In the last 50 years, there have been 19 drugs that have come out of the NCI exploratory discovery process. Of those 19 drugs, we've been associated with formulating about seven. And depending on how you count, we've had a contribution on the eighth one."
Stella said that despite his accomplishments as an innovator of new drugs and a pioneer in tech transfer, he would rather be known for mentoring the next generation of pharmaceutical chemists.
"What would I would like to have as my legacy is not that I discovered drugs and helped a lot of people, but more specifically that I helped some of the younger faculty members grow into that same thing," Stella said. "Just as 'Tak' helped to train me, I hope I can provide that same role for the next generation. I think the future is extremely bright. I think we're in a position where the Midwest and the Kansas City area, along with the Stowers Institute and medical center and cancer center are ripe for a real explosion in the bench-to-bedside development of new drugs."
--Brendan Lynch
The University of Kansas is a major comprehensive research and teaching university. University Relations is the central public relations office for KU's Lawrence campus.
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