Michael Nip Hall (born 1953) is an American-Swiss

molecular biologist Molecular biology is the branch of biology that seeks to understand the molecular basis of biological activity in and between cells, including biomolecular synthesis, modification, mechanisms, and interactions. The study of chemical and physi ...

and professor at the Biozentrum

University of Basel The University of Basel (Latin: ''Universitas Basiliensis'', German: ''Universität Basel'') is a university in Basel, Switzerland. Founded on 4 April 1460, it is Switzerland's oldest university and among the world's oldest surviving universit ...

, Switzerland.

Life

Hall grew up in South America (

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

). He earned a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

in Zoology from the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

in 1976, and a PhD in Molecular Genetics from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

in 1981. Hall was a

postdoctoral fellow A postdoctoral fellow, postdoctoral researcher, or simply postdoc, is a person professionally conducting research after the completion of their doctoral studies (typically a PhD). The ultimate goal of a postdoctoral research position is to p ...

at the

Institut Pasteur The Pasteur Institute (french: Institut Pasteur) is a French non-profit private foundation dedicated to the study of biology, micro-organisms, diseases, and vaccines. It is named after Louis Pasteur, who invented pasteurization and vaccines fo ...

in Paris and at the

University of California, San Francisco The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is a public land-grant research university in San Francisco, California. It is part of the University of California system and is dedicated entirely to health science and life science. It cond ...

. He was appointed an assistant professor at the Biozentrum of the University of Basel in 1987, and became a full professor in 1992. From 1995 to 1998 and from 2002 to 2009 he was head of the Division 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 from 2002 until 2009 was Deputy Director of the Biozentrum.

Work

Hall is a pioneer in the fields of TOR signaling and

cell growth Cell growth refers to an increase in the total mass of a cell, including both cytoplasmic, nuclear and organelle volume. Cell growth occurs when the overall rate of cellular biosynthesis (production of biomolecules or anabolism) is greater than ...

control. In 1991, Michael N. Hall discovered a protein, which regulates cell growth, cell size and cell division in yeast cells. Since the function of this protein is inhibited by the substance rapamycin, Hall gave the growth regulator the name "Target of Rapamycin" or for short "

TOR Tor, TOR or ToR may refer to: Places * Tor, Pallars, a village in Spain * Tor, former name of Sloviansk, Ukraine, a city * Mount Tor, Tasmania, Australia, an extinct volcano * Tor Bay, Devon, England * Tor River, Western New Guinea, Indonesia Sc ...

". TOR is a conserved protein kinase activated by growth factors,

nutrients A nutrient is a substance used by an organism to survive, grow, and reproduce. The requirement for dietary nutrient intake applies to animals, plants, fungi, and protists. Nutrients can be incorporated into cells for metabolic purposes or excret ...

, and

insulin Insulin (, from Latin ''insula'', 'island') is a peptide hormone produced by beta cells of the pancreatic islets encoded in humans by the ''INS'' gene. It is considered to be the main anabolic hormone of the body. It regulates the metabolism o ...

. It is a central controller of cell growth and metabolism. TOR plays a key role in aging and the development of diseases such as

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

obesity Obesity is a medical condition, sometimes considered a disease, in which excess body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it may negatively affect health. People are classified as obese when their body mass index (BMI)—a person's we ...

Diabetes mellitus Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...

, and

cardiovascular disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, h ...

. Insights into TOR signaling pathways have been applied for new therapeutic strategies. In 2017, Hall received the Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award.

Awards and honors

*1995 Member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) *2003 Cloëtta Prize for Biomedical Research *2009 Fellow of the

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an American international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific respons ...

(AAAS) *2009 Louis-Jeantet Prize for Medicine *2012

Marcel Benoist Prize The Marcel Benoist Prize, offered by the Marcel Benoist Foundation, is a monetary prize that has been offered annually since 1920 to a scientist of Swiss nationality or residency who has made the most useful scientific discovery. Emphasis is pl ...

for Humanities or Science *2013 Member of the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences *2014 Sir Hans Krebs Medal,

Federation of European Biochemical Societies The Federation of the European Biochemical Societies, frequently abbreviated FEBS, is an international scientific society promoting activities in biochemistry, molecular biology and related research areas in Europe and neighbouring regions. It was f ...

(FEBS) * 2014 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences * 2014 Synergy Grant,

European Research Council The European Research Council (ERC) is a public body for funding of scientific and technological research conducted within the European Union (EU). Established by the European Commission in 2007, the ERC is composed of an independent Scientific ...

(ERC) * 2014 Member of the National Academy of Sciences USA * 2015 Canada Gairdner International Award * 2016

Debrecen Award for Molecular Medicine The Debrecen Award for Molecular Medicine was established in 2003. With the award the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Debrecen, Hungary aims to recognize extraordinary achievements in the field of biomedicine. Nominees are expected to have ...

* 2016 Honorary doctorate, University of Geneva * 2017 Szent-Györgyi Prize * 2017 Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research * 2019 Charles Rodolphe Brupbacher Prize for Cancer Research * 2019 Howard Taylor Ricketts Award * 2019

HFSP Nakasone Award } The International Human Frontier Science Program Organization (HFSPO) is a non-profit organization, based in Strasbourg, France, that funds basic research in life sciences. The organization implements the Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) an ...

* 2019 Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Biomedicine, BBVA Foundation * 2020

Sjöberg Prize The Sjöberg Prize is an award aimed at individuals or research groups that have made significant contributions to cancer research. The prize, which is international, is planned to be awarded annually. It consists of a 100,000 US dollars of free di ...

Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences ( sv, Kungliga Vetenskapsakademien) is one of the Swedish Royal Academies, royal academies of Sweden. Founded on 2 June 1739, it is an independent, non-governmental scientific organization that takes special ...

* 2021 Honorary doctorate,

Hebrew University of Jerusalem The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; he, הַאוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה הַעִבְרִית בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם) is a public research university based in Jerusalem, Israel. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Dr. Chaim Weiz ...

, Israel * 2021 Prix Mondial Nessim Habif,

University of Geneva The University of Geneva (French: ''Université de Genève'') is a public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded in 1559 by John Calvin as a theological seminary. It remained focused on theology until the 17th centu ...

References

External links

Research Group Michael N. Hall
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hall, Michael N. 1953 births Living people St. Mark's School (Massachusetts) alumni University of California, San Francisco alumni Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science Harvard University alumni University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni Members of the European Molecular Biology Organization Biozentrum University of Basel University of Basel alumni Recipients of the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research