Avram Goldstein

Pharmacologist and neuroscientist whose career has been devoted mainly to research on addictive drugs -- primarily the opiates, the opoid peptides, and their receptors. His laboratory research laid the basis for studying the opioid receptors, and he discovered one of the three families of opoioid peptides -- the dynorphins. Established the first methadone program in San Jose, California where he and his colleagues conducted research on the use of methadone, LAAM, and naltrexone in the treatment of heroin addicts. He also invented the first technique for rapid on-site urine testing for illicit drug use.