January 16th
- He was an American cancer researcher who first synthesized AZT (azidothymidine), in 1964, while seeking an effective drug to treat cancer.
- For this application, it failed, and he pursued its development no further.
- With colleagues, Horwitz had investigated AZT as one of a family of compounds he called dideoxythymidines which were “fraudulent” nucleosides (a component of DNA).
