MEET THE GUEST EDITOR

Miroslav Kuchar studied organic chemistry at Prague Institute of Chemical Technology, Department of Macromolecular Chemistry, from where he graduated in 1958. He finished his postgraduate studies from the Research Institute for Pharmacy and Biochemistry, completing his PhD on medicinal chemistry in 1969. Moreover, he received his DSc degree in 1993 from Charles University with the dissertation on the use of QSAR for the development of new anti-inflammatory arylalkanoic acids. He worked for his entire professional research career in the Research Institute for Pharmacy and Biochemistry from 1963 to 1989 as a research scientist and as a senior research scientist at the Department of the synthesis of anti-inflammatory compounds; from 1990, he held the post as the head of this department. In 1993, he became the Director for research and development and was active at this position till 2003. Currently, he is working as a consultant at the pharmaceutical company Zentiva. Dr. Kuchar is active as a referee in the Collection of Czechoslovak Chemical Communications, Journal of Chromatography, Current Computer-Aided Drug Design and Grant Agency of Czech Republic. He became the scientific evaluator of European Committee, Brussels, in 1999 as a member of two panels of 5th and 6th Framework Programmes. He is a member of Editorial Board of Current Computer-Aided Drug Design. Then, he was appointed as a member of Scientific Council of Charles University in 1999. The research interests of Dr. Kuchar include research and development of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory compounds and the utilization of QSAR in this field, especially in the group of arylalkanoic acids. Now, his attention is focused on the compounds affecting biosynthesis and/or biological functions of leukotrienes, and on the compounds with anticytokine mechanism of action. The additional interest has been devoted to the parametrization of lipophilicity and the use of chromatography for this purpose. Dr. Kuchar is an author of 119 original and review papers, 23 patents and 4 monographs. During 1984 and 1992, he edited the 1st and 2nd Telesymposia on QSAR (J.R.Prous, International Publishers, Barcelona), some selected publications are cited below. SELECTED PUBLICATIONS Kuchar M., Tomková H., Rejholec V., Korhonen I.O.O.; Gas-liquid chromatography and lipophilicity of esters of benzoic acids: Enthalpy-enthropy compensation; J. Chromatogr. 1987, 398, 43. Kuchar M., Kraus E., Rejholec V., Miller V.; Enthalpy-entropy compensation in reversed phase HPLC of the series of aryloxoalkanoic and arylhydroxyalkanoic acids; J. Chromatogr. 1988, 449, 391. Kuchar M., Jelínková M.; Some problems of chromatographic evaluation of lipophilicity; 2nd Telesymposium on QSAR in Design of Bioactive Compounds ( Kuchar M., Biagi G.L., Hopfinger A., Pliska V. Eds), J.R.Prous Publishers, Barcelona 1992, pp. 65. Kuchar M., Poppová M., Panajotovová V., Vosátka V., Zunová H., Príhoda M.; Derivatives of 4-(2',4'-difluorobiphenyl-4- yl)-2-methyl-4-oxobutanoic acid (flobufen) ; Coll. Czech. Chem. Commun. 1994, 59, 2705. Kuchar M., Poppová M., Jandera A., Panajotovová V., Zunová H., Budesínsky M., Tomková H., Jegorov A., Taimr J.; Chiral forms of Flobufen and its metabolite: Synthesis and basic biological properties; Coll. Czech. Chem. Commun. 1997, 62, 498. Panajotova V., Anderová E., Jandera A., Kuchar M.; Pharmacological profile of the novel potent antirheumatic flobufen; Azneim.-Forsch. 1997, 47, 648. Kuchar M., Culíková K., Panajotovová V., Brunová B., Jandera A., KmonícekV.; 2,4-Di- hydroxyacetophenone derivatives - antileukotrienics with multiple mechanism of action; Coll. Czech. Chem. Commun. 1998, 63, 103. Trejtnar F., Wsol W., Szotáková B., Skálová L., Pávek P., Kuchar M.; Stereoselective pharmacokinetics of Flobufen in rats; Chirality 1999, 11, 781. Kuchar M., KmonícekV., Panajotova V., Jandera A., Brunová B., Junek R., Bucharová V., Cejka J., Satínsky D.; Derivatives of phenylsulfanyl benzoic acids with multiple antileukotrienic activity; Coll. Czech. Chem. Commun. 2004, 69, 2098. Kuchar M., Brunová B., Junek R., Rödling R., Hájícekj., Panajotová V., Jandera A.; The antileukotrienic derivatives and homologues of (quinolin-2-ylmethoxy)sulfanylbenzoic acids with reduced lipophilicity; Coll. Czech. Chem. Commun. 2005, 70, 1357. Bulej P., Kuchar M., Panajotová V., Jegorov A.; Pharmacological profile of 4-(2',4'-difluorobiphenyl-4-yl)-2-methylbutyric acid (deoxoflobufen); Arzneim.-Forsch. 2005, 55, 466. Junek R., Brunová B., Kverka M., Jandera A., Kuchar M.; Antileukotrienic N-arylethyl-2-arylacetamides in the treatment of ulcerative colitis, Eur. J. Med. Chem. 2006, 41, in press.