Larry Marnett, a pioneer of the bioactive lipid research field and a University Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry and Chemistry at the School of Medicine Basic Sciences, has received the inaugural Honn-McGiff Lifetime Achievement Award from the Eicosanoid Research Foundation and the Winter Eicosanoid Conference.
Marnett, who is also the dean emeritus of the SOMBS and the Mary Geddes Stahlman Professor of Cancer Research, was presented with the award at the International Meeting on Lipid Mediators in Health and Disease, which took place in August. His work was described by the foundation as "pioneering research on bioactive lipids, especially on the structure and function of cyclooxygenases and the role of lipid peroxidation products on DNA modification leading to mutagenesis and carcinogenesis."
Bioactive lipids are lipids that act as cellular signaling molecules that can promote inflammation, immune responses, and cell growth. Marnett's research program focuses on the role cyclooxygenase-2, an enzyme necessary for pro-inflammatory lipid production, in cancer and inflammation and the role of lipid oxidation products in DNA damage and mutation. Throughout his fruitful career, Marnett has authored more than 500 research publications and is an inventor of over 25 patents. His work has had lasting positive impacts on human health, as his fundamental research on COX-2 structure, function, and drug targeting was foundational to the use of COX-2 inhibitors to prevent colon cancer. Currently, the selective COX-2 inhibitor celecoxib is used alongside standard anticancer therapies in patients with Familial Adenomatous Polyposis, a rare genetic condition that results in cancerous colon polyps.
Marnett's research impact was propelled by a strong record of leadership and mentorship. His lab has housed 47 graduate students and 49 postdocs over his career. He is the founding director of the Vanderbilt Institute of Chemical Biology and the first associate director of basic research of the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center. He co-founded the journal Chemical Research in Toxicology and served as editor for more than 20 years. Marnett was also one of the founders of the Eicosanoid Research Foundation.
Through his research endeavors and scientific infrastructure development, Marnett has dedicated his life to advancing bioactive lipid research. This lifetime achievement award celebrates Marnett's prolific career and the lasting impacts he has at Vanderbilt and beyond. The Eicosanoid Research Foundation connects researchers studying bioactive lipids in the context of health and disease. Since 1989, they have held conferences across the world to discuss the role of lipid mediators in cancer, inflammation, and inflammation-associated diseases.
