Joseph L. Goldstein facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Joseph L. Goldstein
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| Born |
Joseph Leonard Goldstein
April 18, 1940 |
| Education |
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| Known for | cholesterol |
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| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Biochemistry |
| Institutions | University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center |
Joseph Leonard Goldstein (born April 18, 1940) is an American biochemist. He won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1985. He shared this award with Michael Stuart Brown, another researcher from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.
They won the Nobel Prize for their important discoveries about cholesterol. They found that human cells have special "receptors" for low-density lipoprotein (LDL). These LDL receptors help remove cholesterol from the blood. If a person doesn't have enough of these receptors, too much cholesterol can build up. This can lead to a condition called hypercholesterolemia, which increases the risk of heart problems. Their work was very important and led to the creation of statin drugs, which help control cholesterol levels.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Joseph Goldstein was born in Kingstree, South Carolina. His parents, Fannie and Isadore E. Goldstein, owned a clothing store.
He earned his science degree from Washington and Lee University in 1962. Then, he received his medical degree (MD) from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in 1966.
After finishing his medical training, Goldstein went to work at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland. There, he studied biochemical genetics, which looks at how genes work at a chemical level.
Working with Michael Brown
In 1972, Goldstein returned to the Southwestern Medical Center. He became the head of the Division of Medical Genetics. At the center, he started working closely with Michael Stuart Brown. Brown was also a researcher who had worked at the NIH.
From 1973 to 1985, Goldstein and Brown published more than one hundred important scientific papers together. They are both known as highly influential scientists because of their many important discoveries. Even though they could have taken big leadership jobs, both Goldstein and Brown chose to keep doing hands-on research in the lab.
Discoveries About Cholesterol Control
In 1993, some of their trainees, Wang Xiaodong and Michael Briggs, found special proteins called SREBPs. These proteins are important for controlling how much cholesterol and fat cells make.
Since then, Goldstein, Brown, and their team have learned a lot about how SREBPs work. They found a complex system that releases SREBPs from cell membranes. Once released, SREBPs travel to the cell's nucleus. There, they turn on genes that make cholesterol and fatty acids. This system is carefully controlled, which helps cells keep the right amount of fats and cholesterol, no matter what changes happen around them.
Leadership and Mentoring
Joseph Goldstein is the chair of Molecular Genetics at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. He and Michael Brown lead a research team with many students and fellows.
They have trained over 145 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. Six of their former trainees have become members of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. One of their former students, Thomas C. Südhof, won the Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology in 2013. Another, Helen H. Hobbs, received the 2015 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences.
Awards and Recognition
In 1988, Goldstein received the National Medal of Science. This is one of the highest honors for scientists in the United States.
In 2003, Goldstein and Brown won the Albany Medical Center Prize in Medicine and Biomedical Research. They received this for their continued work on cholesterol and for finding something that could help treat diabetes mellitus.
Goldstein is a member of important scientific groups like the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine. He was also elected a Foreign Member of the Royal Society in 1991, which is a big honor from the United Kingdom.
He has also been involved with the Albert Lasker Medical Research Awards. He was a recipient of the award in 1985 and later became the chairman of its jury in 1995. Since 2000, Goldstein has written essays about how science and art are connected. These essays appear in the Nature Medicine journal.
Selected Awards
Joseph L. Goldstein has received many awards, including:
- 2011 – Stadtman Distinguished Scientist Award
- 2007 – Builders of Science Award
- 2005 – Woodrow Wilson Awards for Public Service
- 2003 – Albany Medical Center Prize in Medicine and Biomedical Research
- 1999 – Warren Alpert Foundation Prize
- 1988 – U.S. National Medal of Science
- 1985 – Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
- 1985 – Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research
- 1984 – Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize
- 1981 – Gairdner Foundation International Award
- 1979 – Richard Lounsbery Award
Essays on "The Art of Science"
Since the year 2000, Joseph Goldstein has written a series of essays. In these essays, he talks about science as a creative activity. He explores how art and science are linked. These essays have been published in journals like Nature Medicine, Cell, and PNAS. They often come out around the time the Lasker Awards are announced, as Goldstein is involved with these awards. A collection of his essays called The Art of Science was published in 2023.
See also
In Spanish: Joseph Leonard Goldstein para niños
- List of Jewish Nobel laureates
