Ronald Vale
| Ronald D. Vale | |
|---|---|
| Born |
January 11, 1959 Hollywood, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Fields | Biochemistry, Cell Biology |
| Institutions | University of California, San Francisco, Howard Hughes Medical Institute |
| Alma mater | University of California, Santa Barbara, Stanford University, Marine Biological Laboratory |
| Doctoral advisor | Eric Shooter |
| Known for | Molecular motors, kinesin, dynein |
| Notable awards |
Massry Prize (2013) Lasker Award (2012) Wiley Prize (2012) |
Ronald "Ron" David Vale PhD (born in Hollywood, California, United States) is a professor of cellular and molecular pharmacology at the University of California, San Francisco. His research is focused on molecular motors particularly on kinesin and dynein. He has been awarded the Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award in 2012 with Michael Sheetz and James Spudich. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a member of the National Academy of Sciences. He has been an investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute since 1995, and in 2012 was the president of the American Society for Cell Biology.
Vale earned his BA in biology and chemistry from University of California, Santa Barbara in 1980. He then entered a MD/PhD program at Stanford University. Vale did his graduate work in the laboratory of Eric Shooter, where he pursued the question of how biomolecules were transported inside of nerve cells. During this time, Vale visited the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole so he could study this question in the squid giant axon.
It was at MBL in 1985 that he discovered kinesin by observing the movement of organelles moving along microtubule filaments in squid axons similar to what had been seen by Michael Sheetz and James Spudich with myosin. However, when examining this new system, he recognized that the movement was independent of the myosin and actin system. Vale, Sheetz, and Thomas Reese were able to purify kinesin and demonstrate its force-generating properties. After receiving his PhD, Vale returned to the Marine Biological Laboratory to do postdoctoral research.
...
Wikipedia