Lloyd Conover
Encyclopedia
Lloyd Conover is the inventor of Tetracycline. For this invention, he was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame
. Conover was the first to make an antibiotic by chemically modifying a naturally produced drug.
s produced by Actinomycetes. Working in conjunction with Harvard Professor R.B. Woodward, the team began to recognize that it was possible to chemically alter an antibiotic to produce other antibiotics that were effective in treating various types of illnesses.
In 1952, Conover developed tetracycline in this way. Specifically, he was able to produce tetracycline by dischlorinating Aureomycin by catalytic reduction, that is, by substituting hydrogen for chlorine in chlortetracycline. His success led to the process being used to produce other superior structurally modified antibiotics. This is a standard practice in the industry today.
Conover patented tetracycline in 1955. Within three years, tetracycline became the most prescribed broad spectrum antibiotic in the U.S. However during this time, the patent was challenged. In 1982, the courts upheld the patent and the right of scientists to patent based on similar methods.
In 1971, Conover became research director at Pfizer Central Research in Sandwich, England. In 1984, he retired as a senior vice president. He has close to 300 patents in his name.
National Inventors Hall of Fame
The National Inventors Hall of Fame is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to recognizing, honoring and encouraging invention and creativity through the administration of its programs. The Hall of Fame honors the men and women responsible for the great technological advances that make human,...
. Conover was the first to make an antibiotic by chemically modifying a naturally produced drug.
Education
Conover earned his B.A. from Amherst College in 1947, and his Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Rochester in 1950.Career
Upon completion of his studies Conover joined Pfizer's chemical research department. Conover was part of a team exploring the molecular architecture of the broad-spectrum antibiotics Terramycin and Aureomycin. Both of these drugs had been discovered as natural productNatural product
A natural product is a chemical compound or substance produced by a living organism - found in nature that usually has a pharmacological or biological activity for use in pharmaceutical drug discovery and drug design...
s produced by Actinomycetes. Working in conjunction with Harvard Professor R.B. Woodward, the team began to recognize that it was possible to chemically alter an antibiotic to produce other antibiotics that were effective in treating various types of illnesses.
In 1952, Conover developed tetracycline in this way. Specifically, he was able to produce tetracycline by dischlorinating Aureomycin by catalytic reduction, that is, by substituting hydrogen for chlorine in chlortetracycline. His success led to the process being used to produce other superior structurally modified antibiotics. This is a standard practice in the industry today.
Conover patented tetracycline in 1955. Within three years, tetracycline became the most prescribed broad spectrum antibiotic in the U.S. However during this time, the patent was challenged. In 1982, the courts upheld the patent and the right of scientists to patent based on similar methods.
In 1971, Conover became research director at Pfizer Central Research in Sandwich, England. In 1984, he retired as a senior vice president. He has close to 300 patents in his name.