Bert Vogelstein
Encyclopedia
Bert Vogelstein is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute
investigator at The Johns Hopkins University
. He clarified the role of the gene p53
, which repairs DNA in dividing cells and destroys the cell if its DNA cannot be repaired. Damaged p53 is responsible for half of all cancers. More recently, his group sequenced the DNA of human breast and colon cancer, identifying genes which are mutated in each cancer.
Vogelstein developed the concept that some genes, such as TP53, KRAS, and APC are involved in cancer with great frequency, in close to 100% of some cancers; he called these genes "mountains." But thousands of genes are involved in cancer but are found at very low frequency, under 5%; he called these genes "hills." Collectively, however, the hills are also required for most cancers.
He found that while the number and complexity of these thousands of genes might be bewildering, most of them can be grouped into twelve critical pathways, such as apoptosis
, DNA damage control, invasion, cell cycle
signaling, KRAS
signaling, and TGF-beta signaling.
His first degree was in mathematics graduating summa cum laude in 1970 from the University of Pennsylvania
. His interest was more in medicine and he received his M.D. from The Johns Hopkins University
four years later. He was subsequently a resident in pediatrics
at The Johns Hopkins Hospital
. He has received the Gairdner Foundation International Award
, Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize
from Columbia University
in 1998, Prince of Asturias Award for Technical and Scientific Research, and other awards for his research. His recent work has often concerned oncogenes. His observation that colon cancer progresses from benign polyps to malignant cancers has revolutionized screening for colon cancer by colonoscopy.
Vogelstein lives in Baltimore
, Maryland
with his wife Ilene, and has three children - R. Jacob, Joshua and Ahava. He grew up in Pikesville, Maryland
, a northwestern suburb of Baltimore
. He attended Pikesville High School
.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Howard Hughes Medical Institute is a United States non-profit medical research organization based in Chevy Chase, Maryland. It was founded by the American businessman Howard Hughes in 1953. It is one of the largest private funding organizations for biological and medical research in the United...
investigator at The Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
. He clarified the role of the gene p53
P53
p53 , is a tumor suppressor protein that in humans is encoded by the TP53 gene. p53 is crucial in multicellular organisms, where it regulates the cell cycle and, thus, functions as a tumor suppressor that is involved in preventing cancer...
, which repairs DNA in dividing cells and destroys the cell if its DNA cannot be repaired. Damaged p53 is responsible for half of all cancers. More recently, his group sequenced the DNA of human breast and colon cancer, identifying genes which are mutated in each cancer.
Vogelstein developed the concept that some genes, such as TP53, KRAS, and APC are involved in cancer with great frequency, in close to 100% of some cancers; he called these genes "mountains." But thousands of genes are involved in cancer but are found at very low frequency, under 5%; he called these genes "hills." Collectively, however, the hills are also required for most cancers.
He found that while the number and complexity of these thousands of genes might be bewildering, most of them can be grouped into twelve critical pathways, such as apoptosis
Apoptosis
Apoptosis is the process of programmed cell death that may occur in multicellular organisms. Biochemical events lead to characteristic cell changes and death. These changes include blebbing, cell shrinkage, nuclear fragmentation, chromatin condensation, and chromosomal DNA fragmentation...
, DNA damage control, invasion, cell cycle
Cell cycle
The cell cycle, or cell-division cycle, is the series of events that takes place in a cell leading to its division and duplication . In cells without a nucleus , the cell cycle occurs via a process termed binary fission...
signaling, KRAS
KRAS
GTPase KRas also known as V-Ki-ras2 Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog and KRAS, is a protein that in humans is encoded by the KRAS gene. Like other members of the Ras family, the KRAS protein is a GTPase and is an early player in many signal transduction pathways...
signaling, and TGF-beta signaling.
His first degree was in mathematics graduating summa cum laude in 1970 from the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
. His interest was more in medicine and he received his M.D. from The Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
four years later. He was subsequently a resident in pediatrics
Pediatrics
Pediatrics or paediatrics is the branch of medicine that deals with the medical care of infants, children, and adolescents. A medical practitioner who specializes in this area is known as a pediatrician or paediatrician...
at The Johns Hopkins Hospital
Johns Hopkins Hospital
The Johns Hopkins Hospital is the teaching hospital and biomedical research facility of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, located in Baltimore, Maryland . It was founded using money from a bequest by philanthropist Johns Hopkins...
. He has received the Gairdner Foundation International Award
Gairdner Foundation International Award
The Gairdner Foundation International Award is given annually at a special dinner to three to six people for outstanding discoveries or contributions to medical science. Receipt of the Gairdner is traditionally considered a precursor to winning the Nobel Prize in Medicine; as of 2007, 69 Nobel...
, Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize
Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize
Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize for Biology or Biochemistry is an annual prize awarded by Columbia University to a researcher or group of researchers that have made an outstanding contribution in basic research in the fields of biology or biochemistry....
from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in 1998, Prince of Asturias Award for Technical and Scientific Research, and other awards for his research. His recent work has often concerned oncogenes. His observation that colon cancer progresses from benign polyps to malignant cancers has revolutionized screening for colon cancer by colonoscopy.
Vogelstein lives in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
with his wife Ilene, and has three children - R. Jacob, Joshua and Ahava. He grew up in Pikesville, Maryland
Pikesville, Maryland
Pikesville is a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. Pikesville is just northwest of the Baltimore city limits. It is the northwestern suburb closest to Baltimore.The population was 29,123 at the 2000 census...
, a northwestern suburb of Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
. He attended Pikesville High School
Pikesville High School
Pikesville High School is a four-year public high school in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. It is part of the Baltimore County Public Schools consolidated school district...
.