The prestigious prize went to Robert F. Furchgott, Louis J. Ignarro and Ferid Murad. Furchgott is a pharmacologist at the State University of New York in Brooklyn, Ignarro is at University of California-Los Angeles and Murad is at the University of Texas Medical School in Houston. The researchers discovered that the colorless, odorless gas acts as a messenger that tells blood vessels to relax and widen, which lowers blood pressure.
Nitric oxide can trigger erection of the penis by dilating blood vessels.
The wildly popular Viagra is based on this effect. The winners' research has sparked studies on a wide range of new drugs, including those that can be used in the treatment of heart problems and atherosclerosis and shock. Studies of the gas have also shown that white blood cells use it to kill infectious invaders, and that it also can defend against tumors. This has led to tests to see whether nitric oxide could be used to halt tumor growth. Their work touches on the personal life of Alfred Nobel, the Swedish industrialist and inventor of dynamite who established the prizes in his will.