Reason for Selection

Theme: The structural basis of large ribosomal subunit function and drug development

Antimicrobial resistance is a major public health threat. Infectious bacteria are developing resistance to antibiotics faster than scientists can create new drugs. About half of current antibiotics specifically inhibit the activity of bacterial ribosomes (,which translate the genetic information in messenger RNA into polypeptides.) Many bacteria have developed resistance to the antibiotics through mutations that have changed the ribosome's shape. Dr. Thomas Steitz and his colleagues have determined high-resolution crystal structures of the large ribosomal subunit and its substrate complexes, giving structural insights into the mechanism by which it synthesizes polypeptides using only RNA. Subsequently his group has also established the structures of several antibiotics in complex with the large ribosomal subunit and shown how these antibiotics stop peptide synthesis. Dr. Steitz's continuous work has provided not only new details about the nature of drug resistance involving these antibiotics, but also the basis for structure-based design of new antibiotics that will be effective against ribosomes containing antibiotic-resistant mutations.

Background

＜Education＞

1962

B.A., Chemistry, Lawrence College, Appleton, Wisconsin

1966

Ph.D., Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, with Prof. W.N. Lipscomb

＜Postdoctoral Research Experience＞

1966-1967

With Prof. W.N. Lipscomb, Department of Chemistry, Harvard University

1967-1970

With Dr. David Blow, Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, England

＜Academic Positions＞

1970-1974

Assistant Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry (MB&B), Yale University

1974-1979

Associate Professor of MB&B, Yale University

1976-1977

Macy Fellow: Max-Planck-Institute for Biophysical Chemistry (Prof. K. Weber), Goettingen, Germany: MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology (Dr. A. Klug), Cambridge, England

1979-

Investigator, The Howard Hughes Medical Institute

2000-2003

Chairman, Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University

＜Major Awards and Honors＞

1980

American Chemical Society Pfizer Award in Enzyme Chemistry

2001

Rosenstiel Award for Distinguished Work in Basic Medical Sciences

2001

Newcomb Cleveland Prize

2002

Lawrence University Lucia R. Briggs Distinguished Achievement Award

2004

Frank H. Westheimer Medal, Harvard University