31-05-2025
West Michigan inventions: Synthetic penicillin
BATTLE CREEK, Mich. (WOOD) — A West Michigan native can be thanked for the creation of synthetic penicillin, which can be used to make more effective antibiotics.
John Sheehan was born in Battle Creek on Sept. 23, 1915. According to the , he graduated from Battle Creek College before receiving his master's and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Michigan.
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During World War II, the U.S. put millions of dollars into recruiting over a thousand scientists in 31 labs to synthesize penicillin. In 1946, Sheehan began a career at MIT and dedicated himself to synthesizing penicillin as all other labs were shifting focus, according to the .
'Nine years later, he proved all the doubters wrong, successfully creating a general total synthesis of penicillin. He created both a total synthesis as well as an intermediate compound which became the foundation of hundreds of additional kinds of synthetic penicillin,' the historical society's website said.
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When he ended his career, he had over 30 patents. These include targeted treatments that improved upon synthesized penicillin, like ampicillin, which can be taken orally.
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