Frank Grosveld facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Frank Grosveld
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| Born | 18 August 1948 |
| Alma mater | University of Amsterdam McGill University |
| Awards | Louis-Jeantet Prize for Medicine (1991) Spinoza Prize (1995) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Molecular biology |
| Institutions | Erasmus University Rotterdam |
Franklin Gerardus "Frank" Grosveld (born 18 August 1948) is a Dutch molecular biologist. He studies how genes are controlled as living things grow and develop. He is especially interested in how red blood cells are made.
Frank Grosveld is a professor at Erasmus MC in Rotterdam, Netherlands. He used to be the head of the Cell Biology department there.
About Frank Grosveld
Frank Grosveld earned his PhD degree from McGill University in Montreal. A PhD is a very high university degree for researchers.
After his PhD, he did advanced research training with other famous scientists. He worked with Charles Weissmann in Zurich and Richard Flavell in Amsterdam and London.
Later, he started his own research team at the National Institute for Medical Research in Mill Hill.
His Discoveries
For over 30 years, Grosveld has studied how genes give instructions to cells. Early in his career, he found a way to make copies of human DNA. This was a very important step for many other labs.
He made a big discovery using the genes that make globin. Globin is a part of hemoglobin, which helps red blood cells carry oxygen. He found a special area of DNA called a locus control region. This region controls how the globin genes work.
Scientists have since found locus control regions for many other genes. These discoveries have helped them understand how genes are turned on and off. For example, they can now make genes work in new places in transgenic mice.
Grosveld also found out how DNA is organized inside cells. He discovered "chromatin loops" and the "hubs" that hold these loops together. This helps us understand how DNA fits into tiny cells.
More recently, he has focused on how cells become red blood cells. He identified a key protein called GATA1. This protein is very important for understanding how red blood cells develop.
New Technologies and Mentoring
Besides his discoveries, Frank Grosveld has also helped create new technologies. One example is 4C technology. This method helps scientists study how DNA is shaped inside cells.
He has also helped start several companies based on his research. He has guided many students and researchers who were getting their PhDs or doing advanced research. Many of these people are now leading their own research groups around the world.
Awards and Recognition
Frank Grosveld's research on globin gene control is very famous. The Medical Research Council (UK) chose it as one of their top ten achievements of the 20th century.
He has received several important awards:
- The Louis-Jeantet Prize for Medicine in 1991.
- The Spinoza Prize in 1995.
In 2008, he was chosen as an academy professor by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. He has been a Fellow of the Royal Society and a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences since 1994. These are very high honors for scientists.
