Anthony W. Norman (January 1938 – June 14, 2019) was a professor emeritus of

biochemistry Biochemistry or biological chemistry is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology and ...

and

biomedical sciences Biomedical sciences are a set of sciences applying portions of natural science or formal science, or both, to develop knowledge, interventions, or technology that are of use in healthcare or public health. Such disciplines as medical microbi ...

at the

University of California, Riverside The University of California, Riverside (UCR or UC Riverside) is a public land-grant research university in Riverside, California. It is one of the ten campuses of the University of California system. The main campus sits on in a suburban dist ...

and one of the world's foremost experts on

vitamin D Vitamin D is a group of Lipophilicity, fat-soluble secosteroids responsible for increasing intestinal absorption of calcium, magnesium, and phosphate, and many other biological effects. In humans, the most important compounds in this group ar ...

Vitamin D Research

Norman's research was in the area of cellular and molecular endocrinology, where he was internationally known for his breakthroughs in the study of vitamin D. This included the mechanisms of action of the

steroid hormone A steroid hormone is a steroid that acts as a hormone. Steroid hormones can be grouped into two classes: corticosteroids (typically made in the adrenal cortex, hence ''cortico-'') and sex steroids (typically made in the gonads or placenta). Withi ...

1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol Calcitriol is the active form of vitamin D, normally made in the kidney. It is also known as 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol. It is a hormone which binds to and activates the vitamin D receptor in the nucleus of the cell, which then increases the ...

, vitamin D structure-function relationships, and actions of the

vitamin D receptor The vitamin D receptor (VDR also known as the calcitriol receptor) is a member of the nuclear receptor family of transcription factors. Calcitriol (the active form of vitamin D, 1,25-(OH)2vitamin D3) binds to VDR, which then forms a heterod ...

(VDR). In 1967, Norman's lab discovered that

is converted into a steroid hormone by the body. In 1969 he determined that vitamin D receptors (VDR) were present in the intestine. In 1971 the Norman laboratory reported the chemical structure of the active form of vitamin D to be 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol (which is also known as 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3, and 1α,25-(OH)₂D₃). In 1972, Norman in collaboration with Dr. Jack Coburn at the UCLA medical school treated the first uremic patients with the steroid hormone, produced in the Norman laboratory. Norman and others, including Dr. Cedric Garland of

UC San Diego The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego or colloquially, UCSD) is a public land-grant research university in San Diego, California. Established in 1960 near the pre-existing Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego is t ...

, in 2007/8 made the recommendation that the daily intake of vitamin D for adults be revised to 2000 international units.Vitamin D Society (24 Nov. 2008). "Raise 'D' to 2,000 IU Daily: 18 Experts".

Vitamin D workshops

One of his most recognised achievements was the organisation of 15 international Vitamin D Workshops which usually ran every three years from 1973 to 2012.

Personal life

His wife, Helen Henry, predeceased him in 2018. He had three children and nine grandchildren.

Selected honors and awards

* Presidential Chair, Biochemistry Department, UCR 7/1/99 - 2009 * Graduate Student Mentor Award, UCR, June 2005 * Fellow of American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1995 * William F. Neuman Award, American Society for Bone and Mineral Research, 1995 * MERIT Award from National Institutes of Health, 1986-1993 (standard award period is five years) * Osborne & Mendel Award, American Institute of Nutrition, 1990 * Faculty Research Lecturer, University of California, Riverside, 1982 * Prix Andre Lichtwitz, INSERM, Paris, France, 1981 * Ernst Oppenheimer Award, Endocrine Society, 1977 * Mead Johnson Award, American Institute of Nutrition, 1977 * Fulbright Fellowship, 1970/71

Other Achievements

* Chair of the UCR Department of Biochemistry, July 1976 - June 1981 * Dean of UCR Biomedical Sciences Program, July 1986 - Sept. 1991. * Chair of the UCR Faculty Academic Senate from Sept. 2008 through August 2010. * Faculty athletic representative for the UC Riverside Athletics Department through Sept. 2010.

Publications

Norman has been an author on over 800 scientific publications dating back to 1959. A special issue on vitamin D dedicated to Norman's memory was published in 2021 with contributions from many of his collaborators and other notable scientists.

References

External links

* "On Becoming a Molecular Endocrinologist", Steroids 66 (2001) p. 12

* Vitamin D Worksho

{{DEFAULTSORT:Norman, Anthony W. 1938 births 2019 deaths American biochemists University of California, Riverside faculty