Endocrine Abstracts

Volume 11

Transatlantic Medal Lecture

David J Mangelsdorf, UT Southwestern Medical Centre at Dallas, Texas, United States. Abstract

Dr David J Mangelsdorf was born in Davenport, Iowa in 1958. He received his BS in Biology and Chemistry from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff (1981) and his PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Arizona in Tucson (1987). He did his postdoctoral studies at The Salk Institute for Biological Studies (1987–1993). Since 1993 he has been at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, where he is currently a Professor in the Departments of Pharmacology and Biochemistry, and an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. He also holds the Doris and Bryan Wildenthal Distinguished Chair in Medical Science. His awards include the John J Abel Award and Gerald Aurbach Award from the Endocrine Society, the Adolf Windaus Prize from the Falk Foundation, and the Heinrich-Wieland Prize.

Dr Mangelsdorf’s research interests are focused on the mechanism of action of orphan nuclear receptors. His discoveries include the RXRs (retinoid X receptors), LXRs (oxysterol receptors) and FXR (bile acid receptor). This work has revealed the existence of a metabolic cascade of responses that govern lipid metabolism, and is helping to lead to the development of a new generation of drugs targeted to these receptors.