In the 1970s and '80s, James Rothman of Yale University bucked all advice on how to do scientific experiments and broke open cells in order to study the way that vesicles are transported. His discovery of the machinery that orchestrates the budding, fusion, and transport of vesicles is key to organelle formation, nutrient uptake, and the secretion of most hormones and neurotransmitters in the body. For this work, Rothman shared the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
David Nathan, professor at Harvard Medical School and President Emeritus of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, is a renowned hematologist with contributions to the clinical treatments of β-thalassemia, sickle cell disease, and chronic granulomatous disease. Nathan also contributed to the development of the first prenatal test for hematological disorders. He’s known as the consummate clinical investigator, mentor, and a great wit. In the interview, you can hear his stories about tedious Victorian poets, success in mentoring trainees, and aspiring to write like Atul Gawande.
After a 20-year focus on the water channel aquaporin (work for which he shared the 2003 Nobel Prize in Chemistry), Peter Agre has turned his attention to malaria. He currently serves as Director of the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute. In this interview, Agre displays his witty sense of humor, including vignettes related to running for Senate, dancing to the Buena Vista Social Club, and his desire to be known as the Victor Borge of science.
Since May 2012, the JCI has aired twenty-six interviews with twenty-eight notable scientists for the series Conversations with Giants in Medicine. In the highlight reel to accompany the October 2014 issue, we’ve chosen some of the most memorable vignettes from the Conversations — stories that give life to the life sciences.
For the last five years, the JCI has had the privilege of working with the Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation to write profiles on the prizewinners. Coverage of the 2014 laureates will be featured in the October issue. In addition to the news features on the prizes, we have had the pleasure of interviewing several of the previous years’ laureates for the series “Conversations with Giants in Medicine.”