Richard Axel
Richard Axel (born July 2, 1946 ) is an American physician . In 2004, together with Linda B. Buck , he received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for research into the olfactory system .
Life
Richard Axel was born in New York City in 1946. He studied at Columbia University in New York until 1967 and then went to the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore , where he received his doctorate in 1970 . In 1978 he became Professor of Pathology , Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry at Columbia University and has been a group leader at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at that university since 1984 .
In 1991 he began working with Linda Buck, who was then working as a postdoc in his laboratory. Together they identified around 1,000 genes responsible for smell perception .
He is married to neuroscientist Cornelia Bargmann .
plant
Richard Axel's early research focused on the possibility of gene transfer from certain cells to almost any other cell. It was primarily about the transfer of genes for the production of active ingredients that were to be introduced into bacteria . He also worked on the HI virus and examined the process by which the viruses penetrate healthy cells.
Richard Axel's later and current research deals with the question of how stimuli are transmitted to the brain . Together with Linda Buck, he concentrates on the area of olfactory stimuli, i.e. on the processing of olfactory stimuli. He examines the emergence and development of the olfactory receptors and the processing of olfactory stimuli in the brain and their conversion into reactions, thoughts and behavior.
By comparing the genetics of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster with those of mammals , he was able to determine that olfactory perception is very similar within different groups of animals . His research group was able to identify a gene family of about 1,000 genes associated with olfactory perception by coding for different olfactory receptors . All of these receptors are located in the olfactory mucosa and are directly connected via nerves to the olfactory bulb , i.e. the brain region that is responsible for perceiving smells. On the one hand, this region directs the impressions to the cerebral cortex , where they are available for thought processes, and on the other hand to the limbic system , which primarily influences feelings and moods unconsciously.
Through independent studies, Axel and Buck were able to prove that each neuron controls only one type of receptor and that the identically structured receptors are distributed according to a random pattern in the olfactory mucosa, but are all perceived in the same region in the olfactory bulb. In this way, a composite olfactory sensation from different areas of the mucous membranes develops in the brain.
Selected awards and recognitions
Richard Axel has received several awards and other recognitions for his work, including:
- Johns Hopkins Medical Society Research Award (1969)
- The Eli Lilly Award in Biological Chemistry (1983)
- New York Academy of Sciences Award in Biological and Medical Sciences (1984)
- Richard Lounsbery Award , National Academy of Sciences (1989)
- Unilever Science Award (shared with Linda B. Buck , 1996)
- New York City Mayor's Award for Excellence in Science and Technology (1997)
- Bristol-Myers Squibb Award for Distinguished Achievement in Neuroscience Research (1998)
- Columbia University Alexander Hamilton Award (1999)
- NY Academy of Medicine Medal for Distinguished Contributions in Biomedical Sciences (2000)
- Gairdner Foundation International Award for Achievement in Neuroscience (2003)
- Perl/UNC Neuroscience Prize (shared with Linda Buck, 2002)
- Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (shared with Linda Buck, 2004)
He has also been a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences since 1983, the American Philosophical Society since 2003 and the Royal Society since 2014 .
web links
- Information from the Nobel Foundation on the 2004 award ceremony to Richard Axel
- HHMI Scientist Bio: Richard Axel, MD
- columbia.edu: Axel Laboratory
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Axel, Richard |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American physician, winner of the 2004 Nobel Prize in Medicine |
| BIRTH DATE | July 2, 1946 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | new York |