The VCU College of Engineering, an innovation front-runner in academics and research, brings real-world education to Central Virginia. Our collaborative and multidisciplinary partnerships prepare undergraduate, master’s and doctoral students for leadership. Part of a premier research university, the VCU College of Engineering enhances regional and global prosperity through cutting-edge developments in tissue engineering, drug delivery, bioinformatics, cybersecurity, mechanical systems and particle science. We make it real by turning great ideas into breakthrough technologies. Our facilities are hubs of discovery, powered by an expanding student body and faculty committed to excellence.

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Person of the Year Honoree, Richmond Times-Dispatch

Lifetime Achievement Award, Richmond Joint Engineers Council

American Chemical Society Award for Industrial Innovation

Hoechst Schultheis Fellow

Merle E. Kise Award for Excellence in Industrial Research

American Chemical Society  Organic Division : Member

Flow Chemistry Society : Member

American Institute of Chemical Engineers : Member

Highly efficient and magnetically recyclable graphene-supported Pd/Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticle catalysts for Suzuki and Heck cross-coupling reactions

Selective N-Chelation-Directed C–H Activation Reactions Catalyzed by Pd (II) Nanoparticles Supported on Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes

The continuous synthesis and application of graphene supported palladium nanoparticles: a highly effective catalyst for Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reactions

Microwave-assisted synthesis of Pd nanoparticles supported on Fe3O4, Co3O4, and Ni (OH) 2 nanoplates and catalysis application for CO oxidation

Palladium nanoparticles supported on carbon nanotubes from solventless preparations: versatile catalysts for ligand-free Suzuki cross coupling reactions

CEO, co-founder | Medicines for All Institute (M4ALL)
Floyd D. Gottwald Junior Chair of Pharmaceutical Engineering | Virginia Commonwealth University College of Engineering
Chair and Professor | Department of Chemical and Life Science Engineering, VCU College of Engineering

B. Frank Gupton, Ph.D., is an internationally recognized scholar and industry expert. After attending the University of Richmond on a basketball scholarship, he received his master’s degree from Georgia Tech. He earned his doctorate in chemistry at Virginia Commonwealth University. 

His 31-year industry career included senior positions with the Hoechst-Celanese Corporation and Boehringer-Ingelheim. In 2007, Gupton retired as executive director of process development for Boehringer-Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals. 
 
Gupton then joined the VCU College of Engineering faculty and became the Floyd D. Gottwald Junior Chair in Pharmaceutical Engineering in 2016. His research focuses on improving global health care by making pharmaceutical production cleaner and more cost-effective. To help advance these goals, he founded the Medicines for All Institute (M4ALL) with a simple idea: expand global access to lifesaving medications by producing them more efficiently.

An inventor on multiple patents, including one for his work to produce nanoparticle catalysts supported on graphene, Gupton is a National Academy of Inventors Fellow. He received the Billy R. Martin Award for Innovation in 2017.

For his efforts with M4ALL to develop cost-saving methods to produce the anti-HIV drug nevirapine, he won the 2019 Peter J. Dunn Award from the American Chemical Society (ACS). For that work, he and M4ALL chief technology officer D. Tyler McQuade, Ph.D., also won the 2018 ACS Green Chemistry Challenge Award and the 2018 ACS Award for Affordable Green Chemistry. The institute is working with a manufacturer in South Africa and partnering with the government of Ivory Coast to bring these advances to the places they are most needed.

Cross-Coupling Catalysis

Flow Chemistry / Continual Chemical Processing

Organic Synthesis in Pharmaceutical Applications

PubMed Profile

Department of Chemical and Life Science Engineering

Medicines for All Institute

Process Intensification Labs

The Phlow of Things

Todd P. Haymore column: GO Virginia's vision becoming a reality in central Virginia

$125M pharmaceutical plant to be built in Petersburg will create 200 jobs

Pharmaceutical Manufacturer Civica Inc. to Create 186 New Jobs in City of Petersburg

Civica To Create 186 Jobs With New Virginia Pharmaceutical Facility

Frank Gupton, Ph.D., standing in lab.

Small Virginia company gets huge federal medicines contract

Frank Gupton, Ph.D., stands in lab with researcher working in background.

Richmond startup awarded $354 million federal contract to make ingredients for COVID-19 drugs

New Richmond-based pharma startup with $350M in funding eyes facility in Petersburg

Phlow Corporation awarded $354M to make essential medicines to help prevent drug shortages

Two co-founders of startup in lab.

Trump admin taps startup to build nation's first stockpile of key drug ingredients

Phlow Corp receives $354M federal contract to make ingredients for COVID-19 drugs

Trump to Tap New Company to Make Covid-19 Drugs in the U.S.

Screencapture of Next magazine cover with digital illustration of a globe with medicine covering the land areas.

Medicines for All

Photograph of two Medicine for All Institute leaders.

Medicines for Everyone

Get to know Frank Gupton, founder/CEO of Medicines for All Institute at VCU

Richmond Times-Dispatch Person of the Year 2019 Honoree: Dr. Frank Gupton, Virginia Commonwealth University

Introducing the 2019 RTD Person of the Year honorees

Advances in Infectious Disease Research, Diagnosis, and Treatment

2018 Green Chemistry Challenge Awards announced

Remote controlled self-optimising flow synthesis

VCU steps up in state push for research collaboration with eye for commerce

Styrian Scientists Help to Improve Access to Critical Medicines

SCIENCE STUDIO: Dr. B. Frank Gupton

VCU receives historic $25 million grant from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Gates Foundation Awards $25 Million to VCU to Expand Access to Drugs

VCU “Medicines for All” Project Receives $25 Million from Gates Foundation

VCU Engineering Receives $25M Gates Foundation Grant

VCU "Medicines for All" Project Receives $25 Million from Gates Foundation

VCU receives $25 million from Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

VCU receives $25M grant from Gates - VCU receives $25 million from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to establish new institute, increase access to medicineHide Details

VCU awarded $25M grant, launches online MBA

Point-of-Care Technologies: Pharmacy on Demand

VCU receives $5 million Gates grant to find more cost-effective way to make HIV/AIDS drug

With New Funding, VCU Professor Continues Research to Lower the Cost of Drugs

What I Found Enlightening About ISPE's Annual Meeting

From mapping brains to modeling diseases

AIDS Drug Nevirapine's Cost Reduced By Researchers

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The value of a cure: ensuring access and encouraging innovation

On February 28, 2017 policymakers, health officials, industry representatives and patient advocates were meeting in Washington to discuss the ‘value of a cure’ – the costs, the public health benefits and how America will move forward following the passage of the 21st Century Cures legislation.

The Act, which was signed in December promises to accelerate funding for biomedical research while it also loosens regulations governing drugs and medical equipment and devices.

Innovations in medical research and technology have produced cures and breakthrough therapies to overcome diseases that were once considered a death sentence. Polio is preventable with a vaccine, HIV is managed with a daily drug regimen, and Hepatitis C now has a cure.

But are these breakthroughs reaching all communities? How can we balance the high costs of drug development with affordability? And what can we do to ensure that new cures continue to be developed?

This is where Virginia Commonwealth University can help. Our experts are thought leaders and are some of the go-to opinions in this field.

Dr. Thomas Roper is a professor and the director of the Department of Chemical and Life Science Engineering at the VCU School of Engineering. Thomas specializes in efforts to bring engineering and science closer to patients who utilize medicines via novel technologies.

Dr. Frank Gupton is a professor and the chair of the Department of Chemical and Life Science Engineering at the VCU School of Engineering. He leads the school’s Medicines for All project that is striving to reduces costs of treatment for AIDS. He is an award-winning researcher and an expert in his field.

Both Dr. Roper and Dr. Gupton are available to speak with media regarding this very important issue. Simply click on either of their icons to arrange an interview.


The Value of a Cure and Do All Americans Benefit from Medical Breakthroughs?

More than 663 million malaria cases have been averted since 2001.

Prevent malaria - save lives

Did you know 91 countries reported ongoing malaria transmission in 2015?  In fact, in that year, according the World Health Organization there were 429,000 malaria deaths and 212 million new cases.

While the numbers are astounding – some progress is being made. In fact, according to the World Malaria Report 2016, the rate of new malaria cases fell by 21% globally between 2010 and 2015. 

Malaria death rates fell by 29% in the same period. 

However, malaria still claims one child every two minutes.

At the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Engineering, the Medicines for All Initiative is helping address the crisis of diseases like malaria by increasing global access to lifesaving medications. Medicines for All develops processes that reduce the cost of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) - a major cost driver in treating infectious diseases in the developing world. VCU is helping find solutions that utilize the lowest-cost raw materials and most efficient tools available. 

Medicines for All is bringing essential drugs to patients who need them most. VCU’s experts are available to speak regarding the devastating consequence of disease around the world and how VCU's Medicines for All Initiative is saving lives, promoting health and transforming pharmaceutical engineering.

B. Frank Gupton, Ph.D., is a professor and the chair of the Department of Chemical and Life Science Engineering at the VCU School of Engineering. He leads the Medicines for All project and is an award-winning researcher and an expert in his field. Simply click on his icon to arrange an interview.


One Child Dies Every Two Minutes from Malaria – VCU Experts Are Working to Stop Statistics Like This

Streamlining Pharmaceutical Processes,

The Medicines for All Initiative

A New Approach in Pharmaceutical Process Development

A New Low Cost Approach for the Production of AIDS Drugs

Production of  graphene and nanoparticle catalysts supported on graphene using microwave radiation.

Production of  Gupton_CV: 5/11  graphene and nanoparticle catalysts supported on graphene using microwave radiation

Improved process for preparation of  5,11-dihydro-11-ethyl-5-methyl-8-{2-{(1-oxido-4-quinolinyl)oxy}ethyl}-6H-di pyrido[3,2-  b:2',3'-e][1,4]diazepin-6-one used as HIV-RT inhibitor

B. Frank Gupton, Ph.D. photograph

B. Frank Gupton, Ph.D.

Collaborative Research Planning Grant: I/UCRC Center for Rational Catalyst Synthesis

Development of Asymmetric Heterogeneous Hydrogenation Catalysts

Development of Reaction Conditions for Conversion of Artemisinic Acid to Dihydroartemisinic Acid

Third Generation Nevirapine Process

High Throughput  Continuous  Synthesis of  Strategic Anti- HIV Drug  Substances

founder-of-medicines-for-all-institutes-vision-produce-medications-more-efficiently-to-expand-global-access

Floyd D. Gottwald, Jr. Chair in Pharmaceutical Engineering, Department of Chemical and Life Science Engineering

Featuring:  B. Frank Gupton, Ph.D. A former process development executive in the pharmaceutical industry, B. Frank Gupton, Ph.D., was coaxed out of retirement to teach in the Department of Chemical and Life Science Engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University. Gupton, whose research focuses on improving health care by making pharmaceutical production cleaner and more cost-effective, is founder and CEO of the Medicines for All Institute (M4ALL), based in the VCU College of Engineering. The institute began with a simple idea: expand global access to lifesaving medications by producing them more efficiently. The institute’s team of chemical engineers and chemists demonstrated compelling results with its first target, the anti-HIV/AIDS drug nevirapine. As the researchers continue to work on additional therapies for HIV/AIDS treatment and other diseases, M4ALL is now working with a manufacturer in South Africa and partnering with the government of Ivory Coast to bring their advances to the places they are most needed. VCU Engineering’s experts are available to speak about how M4ALL is transforming pharmaceutical engineering and improving access to medicines around the world. Gupton is the Floyd D. Gottwald Junior Chair in Pharmaceutical Engineering, professor and chair of the Department of Chemical and Life Science Engineering. An award-winning researcher and National Academy of Inventors Fellow with multiple patents, he is an expert in his field. Simply click on his icon to arrange an interview.  


Founder of Medicines for All Institute’s Vision: Produce Medications More Efficiently to Expand Global Access

one-child-dies-every-two-minutes-from-malaria-vcu-experts-are-working-to-stop-statistics-like-this

Did you know 91 countries reported ongoing malaria transmission in 2015?  In fact, in that year, according the World Health Organization there were 429,000 malaria deaths and 212 million new cases.

While the numbers are astounding – some progress is being made. In fact, according to the World Malaria Report 2016, the rate of new malaria cases fell by 21% globally between 2010 and 2015. 

Malaria death rates fell by 29% in the same period. 

However, malaria still claims one child every two minutes.

At the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Engineering, the Medicines for All Initiative is helping address the crisis of diseases like malaria by increasing global access to lifesaving medications. Medicines for All develops processes that reduce the cost of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) - a major cost driver in treating infectious diseases in the developing world. VCU is helping find solutions that utilize the lowest-cost raw materials and most efficient tools available. 

Medicines for All is bringing essential drugs to patients who need them most. VCU’s experts are available to speak regarding the devastating consequence of disease around the world and how VCU's Medicines for All Initiative is saving lives, promoting health and transforming pharmaceutical engineering.

B. Frank Gupton, Ph.D., is a professor and the chair of the Department of Chemical and Life Science Engineering at the VCU School of Engineering. He leads the Medicines for All project and is an award-winning researcher and an expert in his field. Simply click on his icon to arrange an interview.

Source:  

the-value-of-a-cure-and-do-all-americans-benefit-from-medical-breakthroughs

Graduate Program Director, Chemical & Life Science Engineering | Director, Pharmaceutical Engineering | Engineering Foundation Professor

On February 28, 2017 policymakers, health officials, industry representatives and patient advocates were meeting in Washington to discuss the ‘value of a cure’ – the costs, the public health benefits and how America will move forward following the passage of the 21st Century Cures legislation.

The Act, which was signed in December promises to accelerate funding for biomedical research while it also loosens regulations governing drugs and medical equipment and devices.

Innovations in medical research and technology have produced cures and breakthrough therapies to overcome diseases that were once considered a death sentence. Polio is preventable with a vaccine, HIV is managed with a daily drug regimen, and Hepatitis C now has a cure.

But are these breakthroughs reaching all communities? How can we balance the high costs of drug development with affordability? And what can we do to ensure that new cures continue to be developed?

This is where Virginia Commonwealth University can help. Our experts are thought leaders and are some of the go-to opinions in this field.

Dr. Thomas Roper is a professor and the director of the Department of Chemical and Life Science Engineering at the VCU School of Engineering. Thomas specializes in efforts to bring engineering and science closer to patients who utilize medicines via novel technologies.

Dr. Frank Gupton is a professor and the chair of the Department of Chemical and Life Science Engineering at the VCU School of Engineering. He leads the school’s Medicines for All project that is striving to reduces costs of treatment for AIDS. He is an award-winning researcher and an expert in his field.

Both Dr. Roper and Dr. Gupton are available to speak with media regarding this very important issue. Simply click on either of their icons to arrange an interview.

Source:  

Dr. B. Frank Gupton, M4All Chief Executive Officer, outlines the Medicines for All institute's commitment to improving access to high-quality medications across the globe by driving down production costs. Hear from Dr. Gupton and how M4All is reinventing the medicine supply chain, improving access to life-saving medications.

Frank Gupton - Medicines for All institute: improving access to life-saving medications

Provided to the VCU College of Engineering with permission to upload by NewsPoint360.

Dr. Frank Gupton - NewsPoint360 Interview

Dr. Frank Gupton is chair of VCU's Department of Chemical and Life Science Engineering and director of its Institute for Engineering in Medicine. His 30-year career has focused on the development of innovative chemical processes with pharmaceutical and agricultural applications. His work predicts a future where medications will be custom-formulated to match individual patients' needs and manufactured on demand. These chemical processes have practical applications ranging from space travel to military use to treating AIDS on a global scale.

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)

Going with the Flow: Flow Chemistry and Breaking Barriers to Innovation:Frank Gupton at TEDxRVA 2013

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