Richard Axel
Richard Axel | |
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Born | New York City, US | July 2, 1946
Education |
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Spouse | Cornelia Bargmann |
Awards |
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Scientific career | |
Fields | Neuroscience |
Institutions | Columbia University |
Notable students | |
Website | www |
Richard Axel (born July 2, 1946) is an American molecular biologist and
Education and early life
Born in New York City to Polish Jewish immigrants, Axel grew up in Brooklyn.[2] He graduated from Stuyvesant High School in 1963,[3] (along with Bruce Bueno de Mesquita and Alexander Rosenberg), received his B.A. in 1967 from Columbia University, and his M.D. in 1971 from Johns Hopkins University. However, he was poorly suited to medicine and graduated on the promise to his department chairman that he would not practice clinically.[4] He found his calling in research and returned to Columbia later that year, eventually becoming a full professor in 1978.
Research and career
During the late 1970s, Axel, along with
In their landmark paper published in 1991,
Axel's primary research interest is on how the brain interprets the sense of smell, specifically mapping the parts of the brain that are sensitive to specific olfactory receptors. He holds the titles of
In addition to making contributions as a scientist, Axel has also mentored many leading scientists in the field of neurobiology. Seven of his trainees have become members of the National Academy of Sciences, and currently six of his trainees are affiliated with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's investigator and early scientist award programs.
Awards and honors
In addition to the Nobel Prize, Axel has won numerous awards and honors. He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a member of the National Academy of Sciences[14] in 1983.[15] In 2005, Axel received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement.[16]
Axel was awarded the Double Helix Medal in 2007. CSHL Double Helix Medal Honoree and was elected a Foreign Member of the Royal Society (ForMemRS) in 2014. His nomination reads:
Richard Axel is a distinguished molecular biologist and neuroscientist. He developed gene transfer techniques that permit the introduction of virtually any gene into any cell permitting the production of a large number of clinically important proteins and leading to the isolation of a gene for CD4, the cellular receptor for the AIDS virus, HIV. He then applied molecular biology to neuroscience revealing over a thousand genes involved in the recognition of odours, a discovery for which he shared the Nobel Prize in 2004. He currently explores how odour recognition is translated into internal representations in the brain.[1]
Personal life
Axel is married to fellow scientist and olfaction pioneer Cornelia Bargmann.[17] Previously, he had been married to Ann Axel, who is a social worker at Columbia University Medical Center. Owing to his tall stature, Axel played basketball during high school.[17]
See also
References
- ^ a b "Professor Richard Axel ForMemRS". London: The Royal Society. Archived from the original on December 20, 2014.
- ^ "Laureate - Richard Axel". Lindau Nobel Mediatheque. 23 October 2018. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
- ^ Eisner, Robin (Winter 2005). "Richard Axel: One of the Nobility in Science". P&S. Columbia University. Archived from the original on June 1, 2015. Retrieved October 31, 2007.
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- S2CID 20851317.
- PMID 7414320.
- S2CID 25495031.
- PMID 286319.
- S2CID 46090608.
- S2CID 20377918.
- ^ PMID 19751286.
- PMID 1840504.
- S2CID 7999466.
- ^ "Richard Axel". www.nasonline.org.
- ^ "Book of Members, 1780–2010: Chapter A" (PDF). American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Retrieved April 28, 2011.
- American Academy of Achievement.
- ^ a b Richard Axel on Nobelprize.org , accessed 11 October 2020
External links
- "Follow the scent of success". The Science Network. Retrieved June 24, 2009.
- Richard Axel on Nobelprize.org
- "The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2004". Retrieved June 24, 2009. - pressrelease
- "Welcome to the Axel Lab". Columbia University Medical Center. Retrieved June 24, 2009.
- "Richard Axel, M.D." Retrieved June 24, 2009.
- "Secrets of smell land Nobel Prize". BBC News. October 4, 2004. Retrieved June 24, 2009.
- "Richard Axel Patents". PatentGenius. Retrieved June 24, 2009.
- Agres, Ted (July 25, 2003). "Columbia patents under attack" (subscription required). The Scientist. Retrieved June 24, 2009.