AMES, Iowa -- Anumantha Kanthasamy, whose biomedical research has advanced scientific understanding of the link between Parkinson's disease and agrochemicals, has been named W. Eugene and Linda R. Lloyd Endowed Professor in Iowa State University's College of Veterinary Medicine.
Kanthasamy is professor of biomedical sciences, director of the Parkinson Disorders Research Program and chair of the interdepartmental toxicology graduate program at Iowa State. For 15 years, he has pioneered research on the health effects of environmental toxicological agents on the central nervous systems. Much of his work concentrates on the role of agrochemicals and other environmental factors in the development of disorders like Parkinson's disease.
Kanthasamy's appointment to the three-year professorship was announced Nov. 4 by Iowa State President Gregory Geoffroy at a ceremony held at Reiman Gardens.
"Dr. Kanthasamy is making significant advances in our understanding of serious neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease, and in developing therapies and treatments for these disorders," Geoffroy said. "By awarding him the Lloyd Professorship, with its additional resources to support his research, he will be able to accomplish much more in this important effort and help the millions of people who suffer from these disorders. This is why endowed faculty positions are so important to our university and our society, and we are deeply indebted to Eugene and Linda Lloyd for creating this one."
Before joining the faculty at ISU in 1999, Kanthasamy was a faculty member at the University of California, Irvine. He earned his doctoral degree in biochemistry in 1989 from the University of Madras, India.
Kanthasamy leads a large research program supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). He has published extensively and has served as a reviewer for several scientific journals, including "Journal of Neuroscience," "Journal of Neurochemistry" and "Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics." He lends his experience to the NIH where he is a permanent member until 2008 on the panel that reviews grant proposals in neurotoxicology, has served on a special panel that reviews new research on the links between environmental factors and Parkinson's disease.
Dr. W. Eugene Lloyd and Linda R. Lloyd established the professorship to broaden the college's toxicology program into specialized areas such as risk assessment of environmental health hazards. Kanthasamy is the third holder of the professorship.
"The W. Eugene and Linda R. Lloyd Endowed Professorship was established in 1993 for the purpose of supporting research in toxicology and food safety," Dr. Lloyd said. "It was previously awarded to two very well qualified veterinarians. We are indeed very pleased that a scientist so outstanding as Dr. Anumantha Kanthasamy has been named for this award. Animals and mankind will benefit from his research."
Eugene Lloyd has two degrees from the College of Veterinary Medicine. He received a DVM in 1949 and Ph.D. in 1970. From 1970 to 1982, he was a professor of veterinary pathology in the college. He is the founder, chairman and CEO of Lloyd Inc., Shenandoah, which develops and manufactures pharmaceutical and nutritional products for animals and humans. The Lloyds live in Fort Myers, Fla.