I did not expect that to happen. Murad had been pursuing his curiosity about a tiny molecule with a big name cyclic guanosine monophosphate, or cyclic GMP for short. Cyclic GMP is a second messenger. The first of these small molecules was discovered by Earl W. Sutherland, M.D., in the 1950s. Hormones are the first messengers, sending signals to individual cells via the bloodstream to regulate cellular activity.
Second messengers pass the hormone s message on inside the individual cell.
D. student in 1958. Murad was intrigued by second messengers. Through his residency, he kept track of second messenger research with late-night trips to the library to read scientific journals. After posts at the National Heart and Lung Institute, Murad joined the medical school faculty at the University of Virginia in 1970. He wanted to do second messenger research.