Dr. Ferid Murad, an American pharmacologist who shared the 1998 Nobel physiological or medical prize with two other scientists, Wednesday became a visiting professor of Zhengzhou University, in the capital of central China's Henan Province.

Murad got the appointment when attending fifth International Life Sciences Symposium held in Zhengzhou.

The 69-year-old pharmacologist, who is at the University of Texas Medical School in Houston, was awarded the Nobel prize for his work on discovering properties of nitric oxide, a common air pollutant but also a life-saver because of its capacity to dilate blood vessels.

The finding helped lead to the discovery of the anti-impotence drug Viagra and could also pay off in new treatments for heart disease, cancer and septic shock.

When accepting the appointment from Zhengzhou University, Muradsaid as a Nobel prize winner, he was obliged to spread scientific knowledge among countries all over the world. He said Medical School of Zhengzhou University could provide a good base for scientific research and he would enhance such cooperation with theuniversity.

Shen Changyu, president of Zhengzhou University, said inviting top scientists around the world like Murad to teach and conduct research in his university would help improve its level of scientific research.

Source: Xinhua