George Rosenkranz

George Rosenkranz was a Hungarian-born Mexican chemist who helped develop norethindrone, a synthetic progestin that became an ingredient in oral contraceptives.

Connect

Luis E. Miramontes: A Mexican chemist who synthesized norethindrone in 1951 while working with George Rosenkranz and Carl Djerassi. His laboratory synthesis of norethindrone was central to the collaboration Rosenkranz helped lead.
Norethindrone: A synthetic progestin used in hormonal contraception and in the treatment of some gynecological conditions. This is the specific steroid Rosenkranz helped develop.
Oral contraceptive pill: A medication taken by mouth to prevent pregnancy, usually by supplying synthetic hormones. Norethindrone became one of the progestins used in oral contraceptive formulations.
Syntex: A pharmaceutical company founded in Mexico that became a major center for synthetic steroid research. Rosenkranz led research at Syntex, where the norethindrone work took place.
Carl Djerassi: An Austrian-born chemist whose work on steroid chemistry contributed to the development of norethindrone and the oral contraceptive pill. He worked with Rosenkranz and Miramontes on the steroid research that produced norethindrone.
Progestin: A compound that produces effects similar to progesterone, including effects on reproductive tissues. Norethindrone belongs to this class of compounds and acts through progesterone pathways.
Progestin-only pill: An oral contraceptive containing a progestin without an estrogen component. Norethindrone is used in this contraceptive format as well as in combined pills.
Dioscorea mexicana: A Mexican yam containing diosgenin, a plant steroid used as a starting material for steroid synthesis. Yam-derived steroid materials helped make large-scale synthetic hormone research feasible in Mexico.
Russell Marker: An American chemist who developed a method for producing steroid hormones from plant sources, including Mexican yams. His steroid research and Mexican yam discoveries helped establish the research context in which Rosenkranz worked.
Progesterone receptor: A cellular receptor activated by progesterone and related compounds, regulating gene expression in target tissues. Norethindrone’s progestational effects arise largely from activating this receptor.