Merton R. Bernfield (1938 – March 18, 2002) was an American pediatrician and
cell biologist
Cell biology (also cellular biology or cytology) is a branch of biology that studies the structure, function, and behavior of cells. All living organisms are made of cells. A cell is the basic unit of life that is responsible for the living and ...
. In his postdoctoral work with
Marshall Nirenberg
Marshall Warren Nirenberg (April 10, 1927 – January 15, 2010) was an American biochemist and geneticist. He shared a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1968 with Har Gobind Khorana and Robert W. Holley for "breaking the genetic code" ...
, he made important contributions to deciphering the
genetic code
The genetic code is the set of rules used by living cells to translate information encoded within genetic material ( DNA or RNA sequences of nucleotide triplets, or codons) into proteins. Translation is accomplished by the ribosome, which links ...
. He helped found the field of
glycobiology
Defined in the narrowest sense, glycobiology is the study of the structure, biosynthesis, and biology of saccharides ( sugar chains or glycans) that are widely distributed in nature. Sugars or saccharides are essential components of all living thin ...
, showed the dynamic nature of the
extracellular matrix
In biology, the extracellular matrix (ECM), also called intercellular matrix, is a three-dimensional network consisting of extracellular macromolecules and minerals, such as collagen, enzymes, glycoproteins and hydroxyapatite that provide s ...
, and discovered the
syndecans
Syndecans are single transmembrane domain proteins that are thought to act as coreceptors, especially for G protein-coupled receptors. More specifically, these core proteins carry three to five heparan sulfate and chondroitin sulfate chains, i.e. ...
, a family of highly glycosylated proteins on the surfaces of cells that influence tissue repair, metabolism, the formation of tumors and the development of immune responses.
He was a professor of Pediatrics at Stanford University starting in 1967, serving as chair of the Program in Human Biology, associate director of the birth defects clinic at Stanford Hospital and co-director of its premature infant follow-up clinic. He joined the
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the graduate medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is one of the oldest medical schools in the United States and is consi ...
faculty in 1989 as the Clement Smith Professor of Pediatrics and Cell Biology and Director of the Joint Program in Neonatology at the Children's Hospital, Boston. He was a member of the Institute of Medicine at the National Academy of Sciences.
The Merton Bernfield Memorial Award for graduate students and postdocs was established by the