John Vane

Vane discovered in 1971 that aspirin works by inhibiting cyclooxygenase (COX), the enzyme responsible for synthesizing prostaglandins from arachidonic acid. This explained aspirin's anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving, and fever-reducing effects at the molecular level. His finding transformed the understanding of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

Vane discovered prostacyclin (also called PGI₂ or epoprostenol), a prostaglandin that prevents blood clotting and dilates blood vessels. Prostacyclin later became a life-changing treatment for pulmonary arterial hypertension, marketed under names like Flolan. This work was done at the Wellcome Research Laboratories in the UK.

Vane shared the 1982 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Swedish biochemists Sune Bergström and Bengt Samuelsson, who had characterized the chemical structures of prostaglandins. While Bergström and Samuelsson defined what prostaglandins were, Vane showed how aspirin blocks their production and identified prostacyclin.

Vane carried out his landmark prostaglandin research at the Royal College of Surgeons in London and later at the Wellcome Research Laboratories in Beckenham, England. He served as group research and development director at Wellcome, working alongside figures like James Black, who himself won a separate Nobel Prize in 1988.