Prof. Thomas C. Südhof

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2013
Avram Goldstein Professor, Stanford University School of Medicine
Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Professor, Department of Molecular & Cellular Physiology
Stanford University School of Medicine

Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Talk:   My Path in Science From Cholesterol Metabolism to Neurotransmitter Release to Alzheimer's Disease

Abstract

As a scientist, I started my career in studies of cholesterol metabolism as a postdoctoral fellow in the Brown & Goldstein laboratory at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, TX. I only began to work in neuroscience after I had finished my postdoctoral training, focusing on neurotransmitter release in experiments that would later earn me a share of the 2013 Nobel Prize. I spent 25 fruitful years at UT Southwestern during a time at which this university provided one of the most vibrant research environments in the country. I moved to Stanford 2008 to switch fields and environments and have concentrated on synapse formation in health and disease ever since. In my presentation, I would first like to introduce myself, then tell you about the work that led to the Nobel Prize, and finally discuss a project on Alzheimer’s disease as an example of the science that we are currently pursuing.  

Biography

Thomas Südhof is renowned as one of the foremost molecular and cellular neuroscientists globally, currently serving as the Avram Goldstein Professor Investigator at Howard Hughes Medical Institute. He holds professorships at the Department of Molecular & Cellular Physiology and Neurosurgery, and courtesy professorships at the Departments of Neurology & Neurological Sciences, and Psychiatry & Behavioral Science.

A native of Germany, Südhof completed his medical and doctoral studies in Göttingen before joining the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. There, as a postdoctoral fellow with Michael Brown and Joseph Goldstein, his contributions to the analysis of cholesterol metabolism earned them the Nobel Prize in 1985. Remaining at UT Southwestern, he ascended to the faculty and became an HHMI Investigator in 1986, later chairing the Department of Neuroscience. In 2008, he transitioned to Stanford University, where he holds professorships in Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Psychiatry, and Neurology.

His recent focus lies in unraveling the complexities of Alzheimer’s disease. Leveraging human genetics, gene expression studies, and structural biology, Südhof's work illuminates the role of pathological protein aggregation in neuronal damage, exacerbated by immune cells like microglia and astrocytes. Despite these insights, the gradual development of Alzheimer’s over decades, leading to impaired brain functions and neuronal death, remains enigmatic. In his talks, Südhof both acknowledges groundbreaking studies by others that have paved the way and discusses his own efforts to contribute to a deeper understanding of neuronal impairment in Alzheimer’s disease from a cell-biological perspective.

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Honors and Awards