Hematology & Hematological Oncology

Knox Van Dyke is a Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology at West Virginia University Medical School with 50 years of research experience. He completed his PhD in Biochemistry in the Edward A Doisy–Nobel Prize Department at Saint Louis University in 1966. He did Post-doctoral studies in the Department of Pharmacology at West Virginia University Medical School. During this time, he developed the first effective drug screening system for antimalarial drugs while screening over 10,000 drugs. Mefloquine and halofantrine were recognized by this screening system and were further developed by Walter Reed and various companies as patented drugs. He first solved the problem of black lung disease and silicosis by demonstrating that coal dust per se is not particularly toxic to human cells compared to silica and that silica is not particularly toxic alone but it is contaminated with calcium. He recognized that urate in the blood protects against peroxynitrite generating chronic diseases. He has recognized that many chronic diseases like cancer, arthritis, diabetes and heart diseases etc., are caused by excessive peroxynitrite or its derivatives. He has over 300 publications and 150 patents.