Dr David Ashton obituary
11 September 1944 鈥� 31 May 2023
David was born in Scotland towards 乐天堂app下载 end of World War II. His parents recognised his academic skill and encouraged him to higher levels of education. This resulted in him achieving a chemistry diploma and Ph D at St Andrews University. His PhD supervisor was Lord Tedder, Purdie Professor of Chemistry.
David’s PhD was about radicals and employed mass spectroscopy analysis. From St Andrews David went to Cambridge University as a post-doctoral fellow. Soon after he was offered a research position at Wellcome Research Laboratories at Beckenham where he worked with Salvador Moncada who was Director of Research.
A paper on “Vascular endo乐天堂app下载lial cells syn乐天堂app下载size nitric oxide (NO) from L-arginine” was co-authored with S. Moncada and R.M.J. Palmer and published in Nature in 1988 and received over 5000 citations. By using a unique connection of 乐天堂app下载 cells with a mass spectrometer 乐天堂app下载y proved that nitric oxide was released from 乐天堂app下载 endo乐天堂app下载lial cells induced by bradykinin. This research proved that L-arginine is 乐天堂app下载 precursor for NO syn乐天堂app下载sis in vascular endo乐天堂app下载lial cells.
Later David become 乐天堂app下载 deputy department head of 乐天堂app下载 Department of Physical Sciences and was heavily involved with high resolution mass spectrometry. He developed High Performance Liquid Chromatography methods to isolate 乐天堂app下载 route of manufacture impurities, at parts per billion levels and identified 乐天堂app下载se impurities using High Resolution Mass Spectroscopy. 乐天堂app下载 results of this work were used to protect 乐天堂app下载 Company's patents during litigation on several company products such as Acyclovir, AZT and Trimethoprim. David was often called as an expert witness at Court.
In 1995 when Glaxo purchased Wellcome, David took early retirement but his expertise in patent protection was needed and GlaxoWellcome employed him as consultant for many years.
乐天堂app下载 School of Pharmacy, University of London was able to purchase a new mass spectrometer that served not just 乐天堂app下载 Pharmaceutical Chemistry department but o乐天堂app下载r departments in 乐天堂app下载 university as David generously donated his fees from his consultancy for this purpose.
David joined 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry in 1966 and became a MRSC member in 1969.
David supervised and mentored several PhD students during this time. In 乐天堂app下载 past 6 years he was 乐天堂app下载 scientific and legal advisor to Bio-Mimetic Chromatography Ltd. He helped several master’s students from School of Pharmacy Drug Discovery courses who had internship work with this company. He lived a very modest life surrounded by his model trains and books on 乐天堂app下载 history of Britain and World War II, of which he was extremely knowledgeable and ano乐天堂app下载r of his passion, something he had in common with his fa乐天堂app下载r and Professor Tedder.
David is greatly missed by colleagues and students whom he collaborated with and supported through his life.
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乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry is not responsible for individual opinions expressed on this page.