Known as the Father of Viagra, for his discovery concerning Nitric Oxide as a signalling molecule in the cardiovascular system.

Louis Ignarro was born in Brooklyn, New York. His parents were both Italian immigrants, and his father worked as a carpenter. Louis studied chemistry and pharmacology at Columbia University in New York and received his doctorate from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. After a period with Geigy Pharmaceuticals, in 1973 Louis Ignarro joined Tulane University in New Orleans. Since 1985 he has been associated with UCLA in Los Angeles. Louis Ignarro is married and has a daughter from a previous marriage.