Choh Hao Li facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Choh Hao Li
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| Born | April 21, 1913 |
| Died | November 28, 1987 (aged 74) Berkeley, California, United States
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| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Nanjing University University of California, Berkeley |
| Known for | Discovering and synthesizing the human pituitary growth hormone |
| Spouse(s) | Shen-hwai Lu (Annie) |
| Awards | Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research (1962) William H. Nichols Medal (1979) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Biochemist |
| Institutions | University of California |
Choh Hao Li (born April 21, 1913 – died November 28, 1987) was a famous biochemist. He was born in China and later became an American citizen.
Dr. Li made a huge discovery in 1966. He found that the human pituitary growth hormone is made of 256 tiny building blocks called amino acids. Then, in 1970, he did something even more amazing. He managed to create this hormone in a lab. It was the largest protein ever made at that time!
Li was born in Guangzhou, China. He studied at Nanjing University. In 1935, he moved to the United States. There, he continued his studies at the University of California, Berkeley. He later joined the staff there. By 1950, he became a professor. He led the Hormone Research Laboratory at Berkeley until 1967. Then he moved to UCSF, where he worked until he retired in 1983.
Dr. Li spent his whole career studying hormones from the pituitary gland. These are like chemical messengers in your body. He worked with many other scientists. Together, they found and separated several important protein hormones.
One hormone he studied was adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). This hormone tells your adrenal cortex to make more corticoids. In 1956, Li and his team showed that ACTH has 39 amino acids in a special order. They also found that you don't need the whole chain for the hormone to work.
He also isolated another pituitary hormone called melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH). He found that MSH has similar effects to ACTH. Plus, part of the amino acid chain in MSH is the same as in ACTH.
Contents
Amazing Discoveries
Dr. Choh Hao Li and his team made many important scientific breakthroughs. They focused on hormones from the pituitary gland. This small gland in your brain makes many hormones that control how your body grows and works.
Hormones from the Pituitary Gland
In 1940, Dr. Li successfully cleaned and separated the luteinizing hormone from sheep pituitary glands. This was a big step forward in biology. It involved grinding thousands of glands. Then, they extracted the hormone and studied its chemistry.
Dr. Li and his team found and identified eight out of the nine hormones made by the front part of the pituitary gland. These nine hormones can be put into three groups. This is based on how similar their chemicals and actions are.
Group 1: ACTH, MSH, and Lipotropin
- In 1953, Dr. Li was the first to separate and get ACTH.
- In 1964, Dr. Li and his team found and separated lipotropin. They figured out its structure in 1965.
- In 1975, Dr. Li discovered β-endorphin. He found it while looking for β-lipotropin in camel brains. His team then separated human β-endorphin in 1976. They even made it in the lab to study how it worked after they knew its structure.
Group 2: FSH, LH, and TSH
- In 1974, Dr. Li and his team figured out the order of amino acids in human LH and TSH. These are follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH).
Group 3: Growth Hormone and Prolactin
- In 1944, Dr. Li was the first to separate growth hormone from cow brains. But cow growth hormone didn't work on humans. This made Dr. Li want to find human growth hormone.
- In 1956, Dr. Li successfully separated human and monkey growth hormone. He showed that it could help children who had problems with their pituitary gland.
- In 1969, Dr. Li found the full structure of sheep prolactin.
- In 1970, Dr. Li made proteins that acted like human growth hormone.
Awards and Honors
Dr. Li was an expert in many areas. These included the study of hormones, how chemicals work in living things, and making small protein chains. He was a recognized leader in research about the pituitary gland. His work on hormones and growth factors was very important. He also greatly improved the field of protein chemistry.
All of his research had a direct impact on medicine. This was especially true for growth and fertility. It's believed he published over 1,000 research papers. He worked with more than 300 people. He also received many honors, more than 25 in total!
Here are some of his most important awards:
- 1962 - The first Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research
- 1979 - The William H. Nichols Medal of the American Chemical Society
Dr. Li was also chosen to be a member of several important science groups:
- 1958 - Academician of Academia Sinica
- 1963 - Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
- 1973 - Member of the United States National Academy of Sciences
Helping Science in Taiwan
Besides his amazing scientific work, Dr. Li also helped start and grow protein research in Taiwan. In 1958, he gave a three-week course at National Taiwan University. He taught about new ways to study proteins and his latest research.
Dr. Li believed that protein chemistry was key for future science. So, he decided to help set up a protein research institute in Taiwan. He even gave scholarships to help train talented scientists there. With support from various groups, the Institute of Biological Chemistry was created in 1972. Dr. Li always served as a chief advisor. He helped the institute work with others and connect with scientists worldwide. His hard work and vision helped lead to the growth of biotechnology in Taiwan.
