# Louis Ignarro

_American physiologist_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/louis-ignarro
Last updated: 2026-10-31

> Louis Joseph Ignarro (born May 31, 1941) is an American pharmacologist. For demonstrating the signaling properties of nitric oxide, he was co-recipient of the 1998 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Robert F. Furchgott and Ferid Murad.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 31 May 1941 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q309820#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Brooklyn ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q309820#P19))
- **Citizenship:** United States ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q309820#P27))
- **Occupation:** biochemist; pharmacologist; pharmacist; university teacher ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q309820#P106))
- **Education:** University of Minnesota; Columbia University College of Pharmaceutical Sciences; Long Beach High School ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q309820#P69))
- **Awards:** Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine; honorary doctor of the Chinese University of Hong Kong ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q309820#P166))

## About

Currently, he is professor emeritus of pharmacology at the UCLA School of Medicine's department of molecular and medical pharmacology in Los Angeles, which he joined in 1985. Before relocating to California, he was a professor of pharmacology at Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, for 12 years. Ignarro has also previously worked as a staff scientist, research department, for the pharmaceutical division of CIBA-GEIGY Corporation in New York.

Ignarro has published numerous research articles. He received the Basic Research Prize of the American Heart Association in 1998. This was in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the advancement of cardiovascular science. That same year, he was inducted into the National Academy of Sciences and the following year, into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Because nitric oxide is indirectly involved in the action of this drug, he is sometimes referred to as the "Father of Viagra".

He is the founder of the Nitric Oxide Society, and founder and editor-in-chief of Nitric Oxide Biology and Chemistry. Ignarro holds a B.S. in pharmacy, Columbia University, 1962, and a Ph.D. in pharmacology, University of Minnesota, School of Medicine, 1966. He also received a postdoctoral fellowship in chemical pharmacology from National Institutes of Health in 1968. He is a member of the scientific committee of Nicox, a French pharmaceutical company, a member of the Board of Directors of Antibe Therapeutics, a Canadian drug discovery company, a member of the Board of Directors of Operation USA, a non-profit organization, and is past member of the Nutritional Advisory Board for…

## Questions

**When was Louis Ignarro born?**  
Louis Ignarro was born on 31 May 1941 in Brooklyn.

**Where did Louis Ignarro study?**  
Louis Ignarro was educated at University of Minnesota, Columbia University College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Long Beach High School.

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## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): Louis Ignarro](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Ignarro) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q309820](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q309820) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: Louis Ignarro by Carlos Barretta (cropped).jpg by Zé Carlos Barretta from São Paulo, Brasil (CC BY 2.0)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Louis_Ignarro_by_Carlos_Barretta_(cropped).jpg)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article Louis Ignarro, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Louis Ignarro by Carlos Barretta (cropped).jpg — Zé Carlos Barretta from São Paulo, Brasil, CC BY 2.0.

## Cite this page

"Louis Ignarro". DigiNepal. Last updated 31 October 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/louis-ignarro. Retrieved 6 November 2026.