Joseph Leonard Goldstein ForMemRS (born April 18, 1940) is an American biochemist. He received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1985, along with fellow University of Texas Southwestern researcher, Michael Brown, for their studies regarding cholesterol.Badge, Peter (2007) "Joseph Goldstein". Nobel Faces. John Wiley & Sons. . p 300. They discovered that human cells have low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptors that remove cholesterol from the blood and that when LDL receptors are not present in sufficient numbers, individuals develop hypercholesterolemia and become at risk for cholesterol related diseases, notably coronary heart disease.Encyclopedia of Global Health, Volume 1 by Luca Prono, edited by Yawei Zhang Their studies led to the development of statin drugs.
Life and career Goldstein was born in Kingstree, South Carolina, the son of Fannie (Alpert) and Isadore E. Goldstein, who owned a clothing store. His family is Jewish. Goldstein received his BSci from Washington and Lee University in 1962, and his MD from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in 1966. Upon completion of his residency, Goldstein moved to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland, where he worked in biochemical genetics. In 1972, Goldstein relocated back to the Southwestern Medical Center, accepting a post as the head of the Division of Medical Genetics.
At the Southwestern Medical Center Goldstein collaborated extensively with Michael Brown, a fellow researcher at the center who had also worked at the NIH. From 1973 to 1985, Goldstein and Brown together published over one hundred major papers.The Cholesterol Wars: The Skeptics Vs. the Preponderance of Evidence By Daniel Steinberg They are both listed in Thomson Reuters’ index of highly cited authors. Frequently mentioned as a candidate for nationally prominent positions in scientific administration, Goldstein, like his colleague Michael Brown, chose to continue hands-on research.Culliton BJ. (1989 Sep 29). "Baltimore to succeed Lederberg?.". Science. Retrieved December 6, 2012. "Nobel laureate Joshua Lederberg (1958) is set to retire as president of Rockefeller University in January... Things might not have grown so tense had the man who apparently was at the top of the list said "Yes." But Nobel laureate Joseph Goldstein (1985), who is still very active in the laboratory at the University of Texas at Dallas, was not ready to give up his work on the molecular genetics of blood lipids."Journal of Clinical Investigation Interview Film Annex
In 1993, their postdoctoral trainees, Wang Xiaodong and Michael Briggs, purified the Sterol Regulatory Element-Binding Proteins (SREBPs), a family of membrane-bound transcription factors. Since 1993, Goldstein, Brown, and their colleagues have described the unexpectedly complex machinery that proteolytically releases the SREBPs from membranes, thus allowing their migration to the nucleus where they activate all the genes involved in the synthesis of cholesterol and fatty acids. The machinery for generating active SREBPs is tightly regulated by a negative feedback mechanism, which explains how cells maintain the necessary levels of fats and cholesterol in the face of varying environmental circumstances.Wang X, Sato R, Brown MS, Hua X, Goldstein JL. (April 8, 1994). "SREBP-1, a membrane-bound transcription factor released by sterol-regulated proteolysis.". Cell. Retrieved November 29, 2012.Wang X, Briggs MR, Hua X, Yokoyama C, Goldstein JL, Brown MS. (June 5, 1993). "Nuclear protein that binds sterol regulatory element of low density lipoprotein receptor promoter. II. Purification and characterization.". The Journal of Biological Chemistry. Retrieved November 29, 2012.Espenshade, Peter J. (2006). "SREBPs: sterolregulated transcription factors.". Journal of Cell Science. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
Goldstein is chair, Molecular Genetics at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Together, Goldstein and Brown lead a research team that typically includes a dozen doctoral and postdoctoral trainees. They have trained over 145 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, and six of their former postdoctoral fellows (Thomas C. Südhof, Wang Xiaodong, Helen H. Hobbs, David W. Russell, Monty Krieger, and Russell DeBose-Boyd) have been elected to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences."Department of Molecular Genetics Overview.". Retrieved December 6, 2012. Former postdoctoral fellow Thomas C. Südhof received the 2013 Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology"Nobel Prize: Thomas C. Südhof - Facts.". Retrieved November 26, 2013. and Helen H. Hobbs received the 2015 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences.
In 1988 Goldstein received a National Medal of Science in the field of molecular genetics,Encyclopædia Britannica Almanac 2008 p. 114 and in 2003 Goldstein and Brown won the Albany Medical Center Prize in Medicine and Biomedical Research in recognition for their further work in understanding cholesterol and also the discovery of an insulin-sensitive regulator, which potentially could be used to develop treatments for diabetes mellitus.UT Southwestern researchers receive top medicine prize Dallas Business Journal, Date: Wednesday, April 30, 2003 Goldstein is a member of the U.S. National Academy of SciencesMember Directory: Joseph L. Goldstein. National Academy of Sciences. Retrieved on 2014-10-16. and the Institute of MedicineDirectory: IOM Member - Joseph L. Goldstein, M.D. . Institute of Medicine. Retrieved on 2014-10-16. and he was elected a Foreign Member of the Royal Society (ForMemRS) in 1991.
Goldstein was appointed as chairman of the Albert Lasker Medical Research Awards jury in 1995,Goodman, Billy (October 16, 1995). "Lasker Laureates Make Up Impressive Biomedical Roster". The Scientist. Retrieved October 24, 2012. and was a recipient of the award ten years earlier."1985 Winners: Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award ", Lasker Foundation. Retrieved October 25, 2012. Since 2000, Goldstein has authored a series of essays on the deep relationship between art and science that appear in the annual Nature Medicine supplement that accompanies the Lasker Awards."Nature Medicine" essays: The Art of Science. Laskerfoundation.org (2007-09-16). Retrieved on 2013-10-08.
Among his professional activities, Goldstein is a member of the Board of Trustees of The Howard Hughes Medical Institute and of The Rockefeller University, where he was elected as a Life Trustee in 2015.The Rockefeller University Board of Trustees and Corporate Officers. Rockefeller.edu. Retrieved on 2013-10-08. He also serves as chairman of the Board of Scientific Counselors of the Broad Institute,Board of Scientific Counselors. Broad Institute. Retrieved on 2014-10-16. and is a member of the Board of Directors of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. He previously served on The Board of Scientific Governors of the Scripps Research Institute, a nonprofit institute that conducts biomedical research.The Scripps Research Institute Board of Governors. Scripps.edu (2013-10-04). Retrieved on 2013-10-08.
Awards
Joseph L. Goldstein has been awarded the following:
2011 – Stadtman Distinguished Scientist Award, American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyEarl and Thressa Stadtman Distinguished Scientist Award The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) 2007 – Builders of Science Award, Research!AmericaUniversity of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Leaders to Receive Research!America Advocacy Award Research America, Date: March 21, 2007 2005 – Woodrow Wilson Awards for Public ServiceRecipients of the Woodrow Wilson Award for Public Service Wilson Center 2005 – Herbert Tabor Award, American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyHerbert Tabor Research Award The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) 2003 – Albany Medical Center Prize in Medicine and Biomedical ResearchThe Albany Prize in Medicine and Biomedical Research 2003 Recipients Albany Medical College 2002 – Kober Medal, Association of American PhysiciansPresentation of the Kober Medal to Joseph L. Goldstein and Michael S. Brown The Journal of Clinical Investigation 1999 – Warren Alpert Foundation Prize, Harvard Medical SchoolWarren Alpert Foundation Award Recipients Warren Alpert Foundation 1991 – Elected a Foreign Member of the Royal Society (ForMemRS) 1988 – U.S. National Medal of ScienceThe President's National Medal of Science: Recipient Details National Science Foundation 1987 – Elected member of the American Philosophical Society 1986 – Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement 1985 – Nobel Prize in Physiology or MedicineThe Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1985 The Official Website of the Nobel Prize 1985 – Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical ResearchAlbert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award 1985 Lasker Foundation 1985 – William Allan Award, American Society of Human GeneticsWilliam Allan Award Past Recipients The American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) 1984 – Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize, Columbia UniversityThe Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize for Biology or Biochemistry Columbia University Medical Center 1981 – Gairdner Foundation International AwardRecipient of the Canada Gairdner International Award, 1981 Gairdner Foundation 1981 – Elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences 1980 – Elected member of the National Academy of Sciences 1979 – Richard Lounsbery Award, U.S. National Academy of SciencesRichard Lounsbery Award National Academy of Sciences 1978 – Passano Award, Johns Hopkins UniversityThe Passano Awards 1945–2011 The Passano Foundation 1976 – Pfizer Award in Enzyme Chemistry, American Chemical SocietyThe Pfizer Award ACS Division of Biological Chemistry
Research papers
Essays on "The Art of Science"
Since 2000, Goldstein has authored a series of essays considering science as a creative pursuit, and explores the links between art and science. The essays have appeared in the journals Nature Medicine, Cell, and most recently, PNAS. They coincide with the annual announcement of the Lasker Awards, with which Goldstein is affiliated in the capacity of jury chairman. A collection of Goldstein's essays titled The Art of Science was published in 2023.
See also
List of Jewish Nobel laureates
References
External links
Journal of Clinical Investigation Interview. Joseph Goldstein, Nobel Luminaries Project, The Museum of the Jewish People at Beit Hatfutsot