Robert F. Furchgott
| Robert F. Furchgott | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | Robert Francis Furchgott June 4, 1916 Charleston, South Carolina |
| Died | May 19, 2009 (aged 92) Seattle, Washington |
| Citizenship | American |
| Nationality | United States |
| Fields | biochemistry |
| Institutions |
SUNY Downstate Medical Center 1956–2009 Washington University in St. Louis 1949–1956 Cornell University 1940–1949 |
| Notable awards | Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1998 |
| Spouse | Lenore Mandelbaum (1941–1983; her death; 3 children) Margaret Gallagher Roth (?–2006; her death) |
Signature
 |
|
Robert Francis Furchgott (June 4, 1916 – May 19, 2009) was a Nobel Prize-winning American biochemist who contributed to the discovery of nitric oxide as a transient cellular signal in mammalian systems.
Furchgott was born in Charleston, South Carolina, to Arthur Furchgott (December 1884 – January 1971), a department store owner, and Pena (Sorentrue) Furchgott. He graduated with a degree in chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1937), and went on to earn a Ph.D in biochemistry at Northwestern University (1940), immediately joining a medical faculty thereafter.
Furchgott was faculty member of Cornell University Medical College from 1940 to 1949, of Washington University School of Medicine from 1949 to 1956, and State University of New York Downstate Medical Center from 1956 to 2009, as professor of pharmacology.
In 1978, Furchgott discovered a substance in endothelial cells that relaxes blood vessels, calling it endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF). By 1986, he had worked out EDRF's nature and mechanism of action, and determined that EDRF was in fact nitric oxide (NO), an important compound in many aspects of cardiovascular physiology. This research is important in explaining a wide variety of neuronal, cardiovascular, and general physiologic processed of central importance in human health and disease.
In addition to receiving the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery of nitric oxide as a new cellular signal—shared in 1998 with Louis Ignarro and Ferid Murad —Furchgott also received a Gairdner Foundation International Award (1991) for his groundbreaking discoveries, and the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research (1996), the latter also with Ferid Murad.
...
Wikipedia