born Sept. 14, 1936, Whiting, Ind., U.S.
U.S. pharmacologist.
He received his M.D. and Ph.D. from Western Reserve University (later Case Western Reserve University). Murad showed that nitroglycerin and related heart drugs induce the formation of nitric oxide , a gas that increases the diameter of blood vessels. Along with Robert F. Furchgott and Louis J. Ignarro , he was awarded a 1998 Nobel Prize for the discovery that nitric oxide acts as a signaling molecule in the cardiovascular system. Their combined work uncovered an entirely new mechanism for how blood vessels relax and widen. This discovery led to the development of the drug Viagra , which is used to treat erectile dysfunction.