Samuel J. Danishefsky

Samuel J. Danishefsky (born March 10, 1936) is an American chemist working as a professor at both Columbia University and the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.

Samuel J. Danishefsky is known for his role in synthesizing the many complex organic compounds, many of which are related to pharmaceuticals.

Among the molecules synthesized by Danishefsky at Columbia University are epothilones and calicheamicin, which are natural products with promise as anti-cancer agents.

In 1995/96 he shared the Wolf Prize in Chemistry with Gilbert Stork of Columbia University for "designing and developing novel chemical reactions which have opened new avenues to the synthesis of complex molecules, particularly polysaccharides and many other biologically and medicinally important compounds".

In 2006, he was awarded the Benjamin Franklin Medal in Chemistry for his achievements in synthetic organic chemistry, particularly for the development of methods for preparing complex substances found in nature, and their emerging applications in the field of cancer treatment.