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Born | November 14, 1952, Bay Shore, New York |
Position | Professor of cell biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Harvard Medical School. |
| Biography | He received a B.S. with highest honors from the College of William and Mary in 1974 and a Ph.D. from Princeton University in 1978. His graduate work was immediately followed by postdoctoral research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He then moved to Harvard Medical School and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute as an assistant professor and has now been a faculty member there for 12 years. He was made professor in 1991. He is the winner of a Merit Award, National Institutes of Health (NIH); Yamagouchi Research Award; Wu Lecture, Columbia University; and Dewitt Goodman Memorial Lecture, Columbia University. |
| Research interests | His laboratory is centered on the molecular basis of cell differentiation and tissue development and uses adipogenesis as a model system. His team is also interested in the regulatory pathways of energy balance that result in metabolic disorders such as obesity and Type II diabetes and, as such, Spiegelman's lab and others have made significant breakthroughs in the last few years in these areas. Additionally, Spiegelman's group has a major interest in trying to alter cancer cell growth by stimulating pathways of terminal differentiation. |
What was the key event that pushed you into research?
I enjoyed it. I became interested and obsessed with scientific problems!
Who was your most influential teacher?
Probably my Ph.D. mentor, Marc Kirschner. Although my undergraduate adviser at William and Mary, Brad Coursen, encouraged me a lot. He made me feel special, like I had something good to give. I published a first-author paper as an undergraduate, and he made me feel like I could really do science. In retrospect, it was very low-level stuff, so the most important thing wasn't the paper, but that I gained a lot of confidence.
Which research paper has had the most effect on your work?
I can't really pick one, though probably Werner Arbor's discovery of restriction enzymes allowed all of us to clone.
Who awarded you your first grant and what was it for?
The National Institutes of Health for fat cell gene expression.
How much did the NIH give you and what has been the outcome, scientifically speaking?
It was for $125k per year. I still have the grant, I am quite proud to say. It funded all of our fat gene work for years, leading to the discovery of PPAR-gamma as a regulator of differentiation.
What was your best experiment?
Probably in Tontonoz et al., Cell, 1994. We showed that PPAR-gamma could turn fibroblasts into fat cells. I still get excited when I look down the scope and see that!
Which scientific idea do you regret the most?
I could mention some really lousy ideas, but for reasons of diplomacy, I won't.
What qualities do you need to be a successful researcher?
First, you have to really like it for its own sake. This will mean you will think about experiments and not just career. It also helps if you like people, because managing and motivating people is at the core of a successful lab.
If you could work with any scientist, who would it be?
Einstein, although I know zero about theoretical physics.
So, why pick him? Would it be a case of pure learning, or do you feel your perspective on science could influence him?
Yes, more perspective than specific facts. He was a great humanist, as well as a genius. He had an interesting life. I recommend his biography by Ron Clark. I also did my Ph.D. in Princeton and lived about 100 yards from his house.
What is your greatest unanswered scientific question?
Right now, the molecular basis of metabolic differences between people. But, I would also like to know whether we can help cancer patients by promoting cell differentiation. I think we can, but, we are still exploring how to do that.
What's the story so far?
It's a long story, but we have published quite a few papers now showing that cancer cells can be coaxed, sometimes, into completing their "normal" differentiation by stimulating PPAR-gamma. This reduces malignant behavior and slows growth. There are now at least four clinical trials, including phase II/III based on our stuff.
What scientific plans do you have for the next five years?
To cure cancer via cell differentiation and PPAR-gamma. Also, to treat obesity and diabetes via stimulation of metabolism and thermogenesis. Well, at least we can dream!
Dreams sometimes come true, of course. Are you holding out for a Nobel?
Hah, "holding out?" Do you mean, am I telling other award committees not to bother me because I have my heart set on a Nobel? Seriously, one does one's work, and the less one thinks about awards and honors, the better. There is a whole set of behaviors that go along with reaching for prizes that I find, let's say, not scholarly.
David Bradley, a freelance science writer, lives on the edge of the fens north of Cambridge, United Kingdom. Elemental Discoveries is his Webzine of science news.
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