Roche Scientist Recognized for Excellence in Peptide...( Danho joined Roche in 1980 following ...),Health

Danho joined Roche in 1980 following a well-established career as a noted peptide chemist. He earned his doctorate in 1967 at the prestigious RWTH University of Aachen in Germany where his research led to the first crystalline semi-synthetic insulin. Through his subsequent study of the pancreatic and pituitary hormones of camels, Danho helped discover that lipotropin is a pro-hormone of endorphin.

"I cannot think of anyone more deserving than Waleed to receive the Meienhofer Award," said Nader Fotouhi, Ph.D., Vice President for Discovery Chemistry at Roche in Nutley, New Jersey. Dr. Fotouhi noted that, "Waleed has built on the legacy that Dr. Meienhofer started at Roche and has taken it to a significantly higher level. His drive, enthusiasm, honesty, and experience have been critical to the revival of peptides as a therapeutic modality at Roche."

Applying his knowledge of peptides to his work at Roche, Danho fully dedicated himself to demonstrating the therapeutic potential of peptides and their proficiency as a biological proof of concept tool in drug discovery. Danho's research helped to prove that peptides can selectively interact with specific biologic targets to elicit particular effects. The results of his findings, which are documented in over 200 publications, 16 patents and myriad presentations, laid the groundwork for a number of potential new medicinal therapies, including a promising diabetes treatment.

The list of Danho's accomplishments while at Roche is long, but among the most significant achievements is the investigation of cholecystokinin involvement as a systematic approach to discovering peptide mimetics and enriching the Roche intellectual portfolio on peptide nucleic acids (PNAs). However, he is probably best recognized for his seminal work in male erectile dysfunction (ED). While originally evaluating metanocortin-4 (MC-4) receptor antagonist in the treatment of obesity, Danho's research group recogniz
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