Gregg L. Semenza facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gregg L. Semenza
|
|
|---|---|
.jpg)
Semenza in Stockholm, December, 2019
|
|
| Born |
Gregg Leonard Semenza
July 12, 1956 New York City, U.S.
|
| Education | Harvard University (AB) University of Pennsylvania (MD, PhD) |
| Known for | Hypoxia-inducible factors |
| Spouse(s) | Laura Kasch-Semenza |
| Awards | Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research (2016) Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (2019) |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | Johns Hopkins School of Medicine |
| Thesis | Molecular genetic analysis of the silent carrier of beta thalassemia (haplotype) (1984) |
| Doctoral advisors | Elias Schwartz Saul Surrey |
Gregg Leonard Semenza (born July 12, 1956) is an American doctor and scientist. He is a professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He is famous for finding something called HIF-1. This discovery helps us understand how cells, especially cancer cells, can live when there isn't much oxygen.
In 2019, he won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. He shared this big award with two other scientists, William Kaelin Jr. and Peter J. Ratcliffe. They were honored for figuring out how our bodies' cells sense and react to how much oxygen is available. It's important to know that some of his research papers have had issues with their data, leading to them being removed.
Contents
Early Life and School
Gregg Semenza was born in Flushing, New York City, on July 12, 1956. He grew up in Westchester County, New York with his four brothers and sisters. His family background includes Italian, German, English, and Irish roots.
Education Journey
Semenza went to Washington Irving Intermediate School in Tarrytown, New York. He then attended Sleepy Hollow High School, where he played soccer. He graduated in 1974.
For college, he went to Harvard University. There, he studied medical genetics. He worked on mapping genes, which means finding where specific genes are located on chromosomes. Later, he earned both his medical degree (MD) and a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania. For his PhD, he studied genes related to a genetic blood disorder called beta-thalassemia.
After medical school, he completed his training in Pediatrics at Duke University. Then, he did more research at Johns Hopkins University. He later became the first director of the Vascular Program at the Johns Hopkins Institute for Cell Engineering.
Discovering How Cells Sense Oxygen
While doing research at Johns Hopkins, Semenza studied how genes work in animals. He wanted to see how genes affected the body's reaction to low oxygen levels, also known as hypoxia. He focused on a hormone called erythropoietin (EPO), which helps the body make more red blood cells when oxygen is low.
The Role of HIF Proteins
Semenza found special gene sequences that create proteins called hypoxia-inducible factors (HIF). He learned that HIF proteins have two main parts:
- HIF-1β: This part is usually stable, meaning it doesn't change much.
- HIF-1α: This part breaks down when there's enough oxygen. But when oxygen levels are low, HIF-1α becomes stable.
He discovered that HIF-1α is very important for making EPO. When test subjects didn't have enough HIF-1α, their blood vessels didn't form correctly, and they had low EPO levels. These HIF proteins were found in many different animals. Semenza also found that too much HIF-1α could sometimes lead to cancer.
Working with Other Scientists
Semenza's research was similar to the work of William Kaelin and Peter J. Ratcliffe. All three scientists worked to understand how cells detect oxygen and how HIF proteins control EPO production. Their discoveries have led to new medicines. These medicines can help people with conditions like anaemia (when you don't have enough healthy red blood cells) and kidney failure by helping their bodies manage oxygen levels.
Research Paper Concerns
It's important to know that some of Gregg Semenza's research papers have been removed from scientific journals. This is called a retraction. This happened because there were problems with the data or images presented in these papers.
As of 2024, 13 of his research papers have been retracted. This means the scientific community found issues with how some images were used or how data was shown.
Personal Life
Gregg Semenza is married to Laura Kasch-Semenza. They met at Johns Hopkins University. Laura now manages one of the university's facilities that helps scientists study genes.
Awards and Honors
Gregg Semenza has received many important awards for his scientific work:
- 1989: Lucille P. Markey Scholar Award in Biomedical Science
- 1995: Elected to the American Society for Clinical Investigation
- 2000: E. Mead Johnson Award for Research in Pediatrics
- 2008: Elected to the National Academy of Sciences
- 2008: Elected to the Association of American Physicians
- 2010: Gairdner Foundation International Award
- 2012: Elected to the Institute of Medicine
- 2012: The Scientific Grand Prize of the Lefoulon-Delalande Foundation
- 2012: Stanley J. Korsmeyer Award, American Society for Clinical Investigation
- 2014: Wiley Prize
- 2016: Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research (shared with William Kaelin and Peter J. Ratcliffe)
- 2019: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (shared with William Kaelin and Peter J. Ratcliffe) for their discoveries about how cells sense and adapt to oxygen.
See also
In Spanish: Gregg L. Semenza para niños
