Miguel Angel Ondetti (May 14, 1930 – August 23, 2004) was an Argentine-born American chemist who first synthesized captopril, the first ACE inhibitor that was used to treat heart disease.
With his co-worker, David Cushman, he won the 1999 Lasker Award for: "developing an innovative approach to drug design based on protein structure and using it to create the ACE inhibitors, powerful oral agents for the treatment of high blood pressure, heart failure, and diabetic kidney disease".
Ondetti's father practiced a family craft of making garden furniture from cement that imitated tree trunks.
At the age of 16, Miguel Ondetti worked a day job while conducting his studies at night.
The University of Buenos Aires denied admission because he did not receive a baccalaureate from an academic high school.
Ondetti supported himself during his university years by working as a bookkeeper, using his first high school degree.
Ondetti's experience with chemistry laboratory was unfamiliar to his previous knowledge in bookkeeping, but was not off-putting.
He spent five years learning organic, physical, inorganic, biological and analytical chemistry.
Ondetti accepted a research training scholarship offered by Squibb following the suggestion from a classmate.
The Argentine government gave an exclusive license to Squibb to manufacture antibiotics in the country.
This presented a truly unique opportunity for Ondetti, allowing him to work in one of the most advanced labs in Argentina with world class scientists such as Dr. Deulofeu and Dr. Alfredo Sordelli.
Another quirk about the Squibb laboratory was that Ondetti was not an official employee because he was a scholarship-research scientist, enabling him to focus on his thesis.
Ondetti reluctantly worked on carbohydrates for one year, after which Deulofeu offered him a job at Squibb.
He refused, citing "I turned it down, because Deulofeu was an outstanding scientist, but he was very cold in the interaction with his collaborators".
Argentina's rich biodiversity allowed Squibb to screen many plants for unique and useful alkaloids.
Any potential drug candidates were tested at The Squibb Research Institute in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
The Squibb Research Institute in New Jersey was headed by Asger F. Langlykke who visited the Argentine lab once a year.
Overall, Ondetti enjoyed his move to America, citing the ease of finding a car and an apartment as examples.
In 1974, Ondetti resumed unofficial work on ACE inhibitors with strong resolve, "We said this was the thing that we had to do".
After reading literature involving the peptides by Byers and Wolfenden, Ondetti pointed out flaws in their logic.