William Kaelin Jr. facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
William Kaelin
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Kaelin in 2019
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| Born | November 23, 1957 New York City, New York, U.S.
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| Education | Duke University (BS, MD) |
| Spouse(s) | Carolyn Scerbo |
| Awards | Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research (2016) Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (2019) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Oncology |
| Institutions | Dana–Farber Cancer Institute Harvard University Howard Hughes Medical Institute |
William G. Kaelin Jr. (born November 23, 1957) is an American doctor and scientist. He won the Nobel Prize. He works as a professor of medicine at Harvard University. He also works at the Dana–Farber Cancer Institute. His lab studies special proteins that help stop cancer from growing. These are called tumor suppressor proteins.
In 2016, Dr. Kaelin received the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research. He also won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2019. He shared this award with Peter J. Ratcliffe and Gregg L. Semenza.
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Early Life and Education
William Kaelin Jr. was born in New York City on November 23, 1957. He went to Duke University. There, he earned degrees in math and chemistry. He then became a medical doctor (MD) in 1982.
He completed his medical training at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. This training is called a residency. After that, he did a fellowship in cancer care (oncology). He did this at the Dana–Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI).
At first, he thought research was not his strong suit. But at DFCI, he worked in a lab with David Livingston. There, he had great success studying a type of eye cancer called retinoblastoma. In 1992, he started his own lab at DFCI. He began to study cancers that run in families. One example is von Hippel–Lindau disease. He became a professor at Harvard Medical School in 2002.
Career in Cancer Research
Dr. Kaelin's work at Dana–Farber has focused on cancer. He studies how changes in genes can lead to cancer. These genes are called tumor suppressor genes. They normally help prevent tumors.
His main work has been on three important tumor suppressor genes. These are the retinoblastoma gene, the von Hippel–Lindau gene, and the p53 gene. Understanding these genes helps scientists learn how cancer starts.
His research has received funding from groups like the National Institutes of Health. The American Cancer Society has also supported his work.
Discoveries About Oxygen and Cells
After his training, Dr. Kaelin opened his lab in 1993. He wanted to continue studying how tumors are stopped. He became very interested in Von Hippel–Lindau disease (VHL). People with VHL disease often get tumors. These tumors create new blood vessels. This process is called angiogenesis. These tumors also make a hormone called erythropoietin (EPO). EPO helps the body react to low oxygen levels. Low oxygen in the blood is called hypoxia.
Dr. Kaelin thought there might be a link. He wondered if VHL tumors were connected to how the body senses oxygen. His research showed that in VHL patients, certain genes are faulty. These faulty genes stop a key protein from being made. This protein is important for the EPO process.
Dr. Kaelin's work fit well with other scientists' findings. Peter J. Ratcliffe and Gregg Semenza had found a protein called hypoxia-inducible factors (HIF). HIF is essential for making EPO. It is triggered by oxygen levels in the blood.
Dr. Kaelin discovered that the VHL protein helps control HIF. If the VHL protein is missing, HIF makes too much EPO. This can lead to cancer.
The combined work of Kaelin, Ratcliffe, and Semenza was very important. They found out how cells detect and react to oxygen levels. This discovery has led to new medicines. These medicines can help people with anaemia (low red blood cells) and kidney failure.
Personal Life
William Kaelin Jr. was married to Carolyn Kaelin. She was a breast cancer surgeon. They were married from 1988 until she passed away in 2015. She died from a brain tumor called glioblastoma. They had two children together.
Awards and Honors
Dr. Kaelin has received many important awards for his work. Some of them include:
- NIH Physician-Scientist Award (1990)
- Canada Gairdner International Award (2010)
- Elected member of the National Academy of Sciences (2010)
- Stanley J. Korsmeyer Award (2012)
- Wiley Prize in Biomedical Sciences (2014)
- Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research (2016)
- Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (2019)
See also
In Spanish: William Kaelin Jr. para niños
