Michael O. Thorner
Dr Michael Thorner most recently was Chair of the Department of Medicine and preceding that was Chief of the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism and Director of the Clinical Research Center at the University of Virginia. He was responsible for building the pituitary program at UVA, and led a research group investigating the regulation of growth hormone secretion. He discovered growth hormone releasing hormone and was also instrumental in studies of growth hormone secretagogues including the early studies of LUM-201, previously known as MK-0677.
Dr. Thorner pioneered the use of dopamine agonist drugs in patients with prolactin-secreting pituitary tumors to restore normal prolactin levels, normal gonadal function, cessation of galactorrhea, and reduction of the size of the tumor, obviating the need for pituitary surgery. As a result of this work, medical treatment, instead of surgery, is now the standard of care for prolactin-secreting tumors.
Dr. Thorner then led a team who demonstrated that GH secretion in the elderly can be stimulated in a physiologic, pulsatile fashion with a single daily oral dose of this GH secretagogue (MK-0677). This finding opened the door to restoration of GH secretion at a level similar to that seen in young adults. Daily administration of MK-0677 significantly increased GH and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) levels to those of healthy young adults without serious adverse effects.
Dr. Thorner has over 300 peer-reviewed publications and 11 granted patents.
He graduated from Middlesex Hospital Medical School, University of London with MB, BS, in 1970, and later earned a D.Sc from University of London and underwent his fellowship training in endocrinology at St Bartholomew’s Hospital before being recruited to the University of Virginia. He is an elected member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation, the Association of American Physicians, and the American Clinical and Climatological Association and was elected Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2000.
Dr. Thorner retired from the University of Virginia in 2014 and is currently Emeritus Professor of Medicine at the University of Virginia. He is currently part-time Master Clinician Educator, Division of Endocrinology at Massachusetts General Brigham and Womens Hospital within the Department of Medicine and Vice President, Endocrine Sciences of Lumos Pharma.