These medications inhibit an enzyme called phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5), which breaks down a chemical called cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP). cGMP allows the muscles in the penis to relax ...

“[This award] is really very special.” Chen’s discovery of cGAS, short for cyclic guanosine monophosphate-adenosine monophosphate synthase, in 2013 was a key part of filling in the gaps of knowledge ...

"The central signal transmitter for this is the cellular messenger cyclic guanosine monophosphate, or cGMP for short, which is formed in the smooth muscle cells of the blood vessels," explains Dr ...