Chun-Su Yuan

Who is Chun-Su Yuan?

Chun-Su Yuan is a physician scientist. Currently, he is the Cyrus Tang Professor at the Pritzker School of Medicine, University of Chicago. Yuan has over 200 peer-reviewed publications, 8 medical books, 10 US and international patents, and has started 3 companies. He serves as an advisor/consultant for government agencies, pharmaceutical companies, and law firms.

Yuan’s group, at the University of Chicago, performed pre-clinical and initial clinical trials in developing a novel compound, methylnaltrexone, for opioid bowel dysfunction. The University of Chicago licensed MTNX to Progenics Pharmaceuticals in 2001. In 2005, Progenics and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals entered a methylnaltrexone joint development for opioid-induced side effects. In 2008, the Food and Drug Administration approved methylnaltrexone for opioid-induced constipation in advanced illness patients. By 2011, this drug was approved for use in over 50 countries worldwide, marketed by Salix Pharmaceuticals. The drug’s additional indications and formulations are under further development.

Yuan is the Director of the Tang Center for Herbal Medicine Research at the University of Chicago. The Tang Center investigates efficacy and safety of medicinal herbs and other dietary supplements supported by world-wide collaborations. The center also identifies novel compounds from botanicals and introduces herbal formulations through proprietary techniques and standardized procedures. Yuan currently serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the American Journal of Chinese Medicine, the oldest complementary and alternative medicine journal in the US.