杰弗里·弗里德曼（Jeffrey M. Friedman）——瘦素的发现者

杰弗里·弗里德曼（Jeffrey M. Friedman） http://www.rockefeller.edu/research/faculty/abstract.php?id=41

2010艾伯特拉斯克基础医学研究奖获得者是78岁的Coleman 和56岁的Friedman。他们二人发现的一种脂肪细胞分泌蛋白使得人们对遗传和大脑化学在肥胖中发挥的角色有了新的了解。肥胖已成为一种重要的、花费高昂的公共健康问题。据疾病预防控制中心估计目前有34%的美国成人罹患肥胖。

　　上世纪60年代，Coleman便开始研究模拟人类肥胖和2型糖尿病的代谢紊乱老鼠。这些老鼠中一部分携带db突变基因，另一部分携带ob突变基因。在一系列精细设计的实验中， Coleman将正常老鼠和db突变老鼠的循环系统联在一起，他发现db突变老鼠释放出一种物质能控制正常老鼠的食欲，然而db突变老鼠本身并不对它分泌的这种物质起反应。显著对比下，ob突变老鼠虽然对该物质起反应，但是并不产生这种抑制体重的物质。

　　上世纪90年代中期，Friedman在Coleman研究的基础上，利用新的技术发现并分离出了由人类ob基因编码的这一蛋白，并根据leptos把它命名为瘦素，希腊语中leptos即“瘦”的意思。进一步研究显示，db突变老鼠缺失感知瘦素的大脑受体，该受体可激发饱腹感。也就是说db突变老鼠无论摄入多少食物都会觉的饿。该研究同时说明，脂肪细胞产生的瘦素，能抑制正常老鼠的食物摄入。Friedman的这一重要新发现激起了将该研究应用于人类的热潮，进而发现极少一部分人有惊人的食量是因为他们体内存在瘦素基因突变，产生的瘦素太少。这种病人在接受瘦素替代疗法后体重迅速下降。研究者正在为那些对自身产生的瘦素不敏感的肥胖者寻找解决方法。

Jeffrey Friedman, MD, PhD, (born July 20, 1954) is a molecular geneticist at New York City's Rockefeller University. His discovery of the hormone leptin and its role in regulating body weight has had a major role in the area of human obesity.

[edit] Biography
Friedman was born in Orlando, Florida in 1954, and grew up in North Woodmere, New York, graduating from Hewlett High School in the Class of 1971.[1] He attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and, in 1977, received his medical degree from Albany Medical College of Union University in Albany, NY (through a combined six year program).[2] His postgraduate life includes completing two residencies at Albany Medical Center Hospital, a postgraduate fellowship at Rockefeller as well as one at Cornell University Medical College. In 1986, he received a Ph.D. and became an assistant investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI).[3]

In 2005, he was elected a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. He now has two daughters at the age of 11, Nathalie and Alex.

[edit] Awards
His work in the area of obesity led to him receiving two prestigious awards in 2005: the Gairdner Foundation International Award and the Passano Foundation Award.[3] His work on leptin garnered him much television time, including an appearance on the PBS show Scientific American Frontiers in a long interview with host Alan Alda. In July 2007 he was awarded the Danone International Prize for Nutrition.[4]

In 2009 Jeffrey M. Friedman was awarded the Shaw Prize (jointly with Douglas L. Coleman) for their work leading to the discovery of leptin, a hormone that regulates food intake and body weight.