Peter Palese is a United States
microbiologist
A microbiologist (from Ancient Greek, Greek ) is a scientist who studies microscopic life forms and processes. This includes study of the growth, interactions and characteristics of Microorganism, microscopic organisms such as bacteria, algae, f ...
and professor and chair of the Department of Microbiology at the
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in
New York City,
and an expert in the field of RNA viruses.
Palese built "the first genetic maps for
influenza A,
B and
C viruses, identified the function of several viral genes, ...defined the mechanism of
neuraminidase inhibitor Neuraminidase inhibitors (NAIs) are a class of drugs which block the neuraminidase enzyme. They are a commonly used antiviral drug type against influenza. Viral neuraminidases are essential for influenza reproduction, facilitating viral budding from ...
s (which are now
FDA-approved
antivirals)" and "pioneered the field of
reverse genetics for
negative-strand RNA virus
An RNA virus is a virusother than a retrovirusthat has ribonucleic acid (RNA) as its genetic material. The nucleic acid is usually single-stranded RNA ( ssRNA) but it may be double-stranded (dsRNA). Notable human diseases caused by RNA viruses ...
es".
Furtherance of this technique has been used by Palese and his colleagues in reconstructing and studying the
pathogenicity of the extinct but deadly
1918 pandemic influenza virus. Reverse genetics also assist in the development of new flu
vaccines.
Palese is the author of multiple book chapters and more than 400 scientific publications. He is on the editorial board for
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS). He has been awarded multiple patents on viral vaccines and antivirals.
Biography
His primary schooling consisted of Greek and Latin, and very little modern science.
[TWiV 396: Influenza viruses with Peter Palese](_blank)
July 3, 2016. He developed his interest in science later, at the
University of Vienna, where he received his Ph.D. in chemistry in 1969 and his M.S. in pharmacy in 1970. He was a postdoctoral fellow at the
Roche Institute of Molecular Biology from 1970 until 1971, when he joined the Department of Microbiology at the
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai as assistant professor. In 1976 he was visiting associate professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the
University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine. In 1987 he was named chairman of the Department of Microbiology of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
When cells are infected by viruses, they respond with antiviral interferons. Palese and Adolfo García-Sastre
Adolfo García-Sastre,(born in Burgos, 10 October 1964) is a Spanish professor of Medicine and Microbiology and co-director of the Global Health & Emerging Pathogens Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. His re ...
showed that most negative-strand RNA viruses counteract that antiviral response with protein antagonists to interferons. His work on "fundamental questions concerning the genetic make-up and biology of viruses" and virus-host interactions "uses molecular biological techniques to understand how viruses replicate and how they interact with cells to cause disease in their hosts", with emphasis on "the study of RNA viruses, including influenza, paramyxo and corona (SARS) viruses". He developed a new animal model (the guinea pig) for studying the transmission of influenza viruses.
Honors and awards
Palese is a member of the National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nati ...
(2000), the Institute of Medicine
The National Academy of Medicine (NAM), formerly called the Institute of Medicine (IoM) until 2015, is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Medicine is a part of the National Academies of Sciences, E ...
(IOM) (2012), the Austrian Academy of Sciences (2002) and the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina (2006). He has served the presidencies of the Harvey Society from 2003 to 2004 and the American Society of Virology from 2005 to 2006. In 2014, he was elected Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He has received an honorary doctorate from both Baylor College of Medicine (2014) and McMaster University (2016).
* Robert Koch Prize (2006).[
*]Charles C. Shepard
Charles C. Shepard (December 18, 1914 – February 18, 1985) was a microbiologist, and former director of the Centers for Disease Control’s Laboratory Division. It was the diligent efforts of Shepard, and cohort microbiologist Joseph McDade, wh ...
Science Award (2006 and 2008).
* Wilhelm Exner Medal (2007).
*European Virology Award (EVA) (2010).
*Sanofi – Institut Pasteur Award (2012).
*Beijerinck Virology Prize The M.W. Beijerinck Virology Prize (''M.W. Beijerinck Virologie Prijs'') is a prize in virology awarded every two years by the ''Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen'' (KNAW). The prize consists of a medal and a monetary award of €3 ...
from the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences ( nl, Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen, abbreviated: KNAW) is an organization dedicated to the advancement of science and literature in the Netherlands. The academy is housed ...
(2015).
*Maurice Hilleman/Merck Award from American Society for Microbiology (2016).
Publications
Partial List:
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References
External links
The Mount Sinai Hospital homepage
The Mount Sinai School of Medicine homepage
The Palese Laboratory
at the Mount Sinai Medical Center
Swine flu discussion with Dr. Peter Palese
on ''Give and Take'' with Julie Menin
A roundtable discussion about the avian flu
Laurie Garrett
Laurie Garrett (born 1951) is an American science journalist and author. She was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Journalism in 1996 for a series of works published in ''Newsday'' that chronicled the Ebola virus outbreak in Zaire.
...
, Harvey V. Fineberg
Harvey Vernon Fineberg (born September 15, 1945) is an American physician. A noted researcher in the fields of health policy and medical decision making, his past research has focused on the process of policy development and implementation, assess ...
, Peter Palese and Paul Nurse
Sir Paul Maxime Nurse (born 25 January 1949) is an English geneticist, former President of the Royal Society and Chief Executive and Director of the Francis Crick Institute. He was awarded the 2001 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine alon ...
on ''Charlie Rose
Charles Peete Rose Jr. (born January 5, 1942) is an American former television journalist and talk show host. From 1991 to 2017, he was the host and executive producer of the talk show '' Charlie Rose'' on PBS and Bloomberg LP.
Rose also co-an ...
'', March 22, 2008.
Swine Flu: H1N1
Interview with Dr. Peter Palese on 60 Minutes
''60 Minutes'' is an American television news magazine broadcast on the CBS television network. Debuting in 1968, the program was created by Don Hewitt and Bill Leonard, who chose to set it apart from other news programs by using a unique styl ...
TWiV 396: Influenza viruses with Peter Palese
July 3, 2016. Interview with Vincent Racaniello on his career in virology, from early work on neuraminidases to universal influenza virus vaccines.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Palese, Peter
American virologists
Influenza researchers
Living people
Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai faculty
University of Vienna alumni
Recipients of the Austrian Decoration for Science and Art
1944 births
American microbiologists
Members of the National Academy of Medicine