Nahum Sonenberg, ( he, נחום סוננברג; born December 29, 1946) is an

Israeli Israeli may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the State of Israel * Israelis, citizens or permanent residents of the State of Israel * Modern Hebrew, a language * ''Israeli'' (newspaper), published from 2006 to 2008 * Guni Israeli (b ...

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

microbiologist A microbiologist (from Greek ) is a scientist who studies microscopic life forms and processes. This includes study of the growth, interactions and characteristics of microscopic organisms such as bacteria, algae, fungi, and some types of para ...

and

biochemist Biochemists are scientists who are trained in biochemistry. They study chemical processes and chemical transformations in living organisms. Biochemists study DNA, proteins and cell parts. The word "biochemist" is a portmanteau of "biological ch ...

. He is a James McGill professor 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 ...

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Univer ...

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...

, Quebec, Canada."James McGill Professor"
– ''McGill University'' (Retrieved on Dec 10, 2013) He was an HHMI international research scholar from 1997 to 2011 and is now a senior international research scholar."Our Scientists"
– ''HHMI'' (Retrieved on Dec 10, 2013) He is best known for his seminal contributions to our understanding of translation, and notable for the discovery of the mRNA 5' cap-binding protein,

eIF4E Eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E, also known as eIF4E, is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''EIF4E'' gene. Structure and function Most eukaryotic cellular mRNAs are blocked at their 5'-ends with the 7-methyl-guanosine f ...

, the rate-limiting component of the eukaryotic translation apparatus.

Education

Sonenberg was born in a camp for displaced persons in Wetzlar,

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

and grew up in Israel. He received a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Microbiology and Immunology from

Tel-Aviv University Tel Aviv University (TAU) ( he, אוּנִיבֶרְסִיטַת תֵּל אָבִיב, ''Universitat Tel Aviv'') is a public research university in Tel Aviv, Israel. With over 30,000 students, it is the largest university in the country. Loc ...

and his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the

Weizmann Institute of Science The Weizmann Institute of Science ( he, מכון ויצמן למדע ''Machon Vaitzman LeMada'') is a public research university in Rehovot, Israel, established in 1934, 14 years before the State of Israel. It differs from other Israeli unive ...

in 1976. He later held a Chaim Weizmann postdoctoral fellowship at the

Roche Institute of Molecular Biology The Roche Institute of Molecular Biology was created on July 14, 1967 when John Burns, then the vice president of research at Hoffman-La Roche, persuaded biochemist Sidney Udenfriend to leave the National Institutes of Health and help him creat ...

. He joined

in 1979.

Research

Sonenberg's primary research has been on the translational control of

protein synthesis Protein biosynthesis (or protein synthesis) is a core biological process, occurring inside cells, balancing the loss of cellular proteins (via degradation or export) through the production of new proteins. Proteins perform a number of critical ...

. Notably, he discovered the mRNA 5' cap-binding protein,

, the rate-limiting component of the eukaryotic translation apparatus, and also discovered the regulation of eIF4E by the eIF4EBPs. In addition, he has helped to decipher the roles of various other proteins involved in translation including the roles of other subunits of eIF4F (of which eIF4E is a member) including the helicase activity which scans mRNA to find the initiation codon. Sonenberg also discovered the

Internal ribosome entry site An internal ribosome entry site, abbreviated IRES, is an RNA element that allows for translation initiation in a cap-independent manner, as part of the greater process of protein synthesis. In eukaryotic translation, initiation typically occurs at ...

(IRES) mode of translation, the cap-independent initiation of translation, which is critical for some mRNA involved in stress, cell cycling and apoptosis. His work in basic science has had an impact in the study of cancer, including the realization that eIF4E over expression is prominent in many cancers, and has suggested its utility as a tumor marker. Currently, he has expanded his research into topics such as the roles of translation in neurobiology and synaptic plasticity."Prof Nahum Sonenberg"
– ''The Wolf Foundation'' (Retrieved on Jan 19, 2013) Presently, his lab works on translational control in cancer, oncolytic viruses as anti-cancer drugs, microRNA control of translation, and translational control of plasticity, learning and memory.
– ''Research'' (Retrieved on Jan 19, 2013) He received the

Gairdner Foundation International Award The Canada Gairdner International Award is given annually by the Gairdner Foundation at a special dinner to five individuals for outstanding discoveries or contributions to medical science. Receipt of the Gairdner is traditionally considered a ...

in 2008 for his contributions to medical science."Nahum Sonenberg PhD"
– ''The Gairdner Foundation'' (Retrieved on Dec 10, 2013) He was appointed an Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the cen ...

in 2010. In 2014, Sonenberg was awarded the

Wolf Prize in Medicine The Wolf Prize in Medicine is awarded annually by the Wolf Foundation in Israel. It is one of the six Wolf Prizes established by the Foundation and awarded since 1978; the others are in Agriculture, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics and Arts. The ...

Awards and recognition

*Recipient of the Robert L. Noble Prize from the National Cancer Institute of Canada in 2002 *Recipient of the

Isaak-Walton-Killam Award The Izaak Walton Killam Memorial Prize was established according to the will of Dorothy J. Killam to honour the memory of her husband Izaak Walton Killam. Five Killam Prizes, each having a value of $100,000, are annually awarded by the Canada Cou ...

for Health Sciences in 2005 *Elected a

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural knowledge, including mathemati ...

in 2006 *Recipient of the

in 2008 *Appointed as an Officer of the

in 2010 *Recipient of the Lewis S. Rosenstiel Award in 2011 *Named Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2012 *Recipient of the

Royal Society of Canada The Royal Society of Canada (RSC; french: Société royale du Canada, SRC), also known as the Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences of Canada (French: ''Académies des arts, des lettres et des sciences du Canada''), is the senior national, bil ...

McLaughlin Medal in 2013 *Recipient of the

Wolf Prize The Wolf Prize is an international award granted in Israel, that has been presented most years since 1978 to living scientists and artists for ''"achievements in the interest of mankind and friendly relations among people ... irrespective of nati ...

in 2014 *Elected Foreign Associate, US National Academy of Sciences in 2015

References

External links

*http://www.medicine.mcgill.ca/nahum/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Sonenberg, Nahum 1946 births Living people Israeli biochemists Jewish Canadian scientists Israeli Jews Israeli emigrants to Canada Israeli microbiologists McGill University faculty Officers of the Order of Canada Scientists from Montreal Canadian Fellows of the Royal Society Tel Aviv University alumni Weizmann Institute of Science alumni Wolf Prize in Medicine laureates Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science Foreign associates of the National Academy of Sciences Members of the National Academy of Medicine