George Kunos

Dr. George Kunos is currently Chief of the Laboratory of Physiologic Studies at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA, US National Institutes of Health). He was previously Scientific Director of NIAAA from 2000 to 2022, where he returned after working at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA as Professor and Chair of the Department of Pharmacology. Prior to that role, Dr. Kunos worked for the NIAAA/NIH as Laboratory Chief after serving as faculty at McGill University.

His research in the last 50 years has focused on the biology of the endocannabinoid system and its role in metabolic, cardiovascular, and appetitive functions. He is listed as an inventor on several US Government patents covering peripherally restricted cannabinoid-I receptor antagonists, which have been licensed for development as a treatment for obesity/metabolic syndrome, NASH, diabetic complications, and fibrotic diseases.