John Edward Casida. 22 December 1929—30 June 2018

Abstract

John Edward Casida's research in pesticide toxicology led to more effective agricultural chemicals that are far safer for human and environmental health. He used pesticides as probes for his fundamental studies of metabolism and mode of action, resulting in great insight into biological chemistry and the underlying mechanisms of regulatory biology, ranging from voltage-gated sodium channels, through the ryanodine receptor and calcium regulation, the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-gated chloride channel, to the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. These discoveries, among many others, have had a profound impact on pharmacology and toxicology. His research career started with the introduction of DDT into agricultural practice and continued to assist in the development of many pesticides that dominate the market today. John Casida trained multiple generations of toxicologists who obtained leading positions in government, industry and academics. He spent many of his formative years in Madison, Wisconsin, where he entered the University of Wisconsin, received his BS, MS and PhD and then joined the faculty to become a full professor six years later. He then moved to the Entomology Department at the University of California, Berkeley where he remained active in teaching and research until his death. He loved laboratory science and this, coupled with insatiable curiosity and a gift for finding the unexpected, led to papers from his laboratory sparkling with creativity. He similarly loved teaching at all levels and had just finished grading the final examination in his toxicology class at the time of his passing. John won numerous national and international awards and is widely viewed as the premiere pesticide toxicologist.