Gordon Alles

Gordon A. Alles (d. Jan 21 1963), was an internationally known chemist and pharmacologist who did much research on the isolation and properties of insulin for the treatment of diabetics. He is also credited with discovering and publishing the psychological effects of amphetamine.

Biography

Gordon Alles received his BS (1922), MS (1924), and PhD (1926) degrees from Caltech. Since 1931 he had been a lecturer in pharmacology at the University of California Medical school in San Francisco, and since 1951 he had been Professor in Residence of pharmacology at UCLA. From 1934 to 1951 he was a consultant for the Smith, Kline & French Laboratories. He was owner of the Alles Chemical Research Laboratories in Pasadena, and had been a Caltech research associate since 1939. In 1958 he gave Caltech a gift of $350,000 which financed, in large part, the five-story Gordon A. Alles Laboratory for Molecular Biology. Dr. Alles was primarily interested in natural and synthetic drug chemicals and the relationship between their molecular structures and their biological actions. In 1928 he discovered the physiological properties of benzedrine (amphetamine) and he contributed to its development as a drug. This drug and dexedrine, which was developed from the discovery, have had worldwide medical use as general brain stimulants. Dr. Alles had also spent time in Tahiti, where he was investigating the possibilities of developing tranquilizers from alkaloids in a native drink called kava.