PHILADELPHIA, PA – Nobel Laureate Michael S. Brown, M.D., the W.A. (Monty) Moncrief Distinguished Chair in Cholesterol and Arteriosclerosis Research, Regental Professor; Paul J. Thomas Chair in Medicine and Director of the Jonsson Center for Molecular Geneticsat the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School will present the keynote lecture, “Why Hearts Attack” at the 20th Anniversary Biomedical Lecture Series on Wednesday, September 11, at 3:30 p.m. in the East Parlor, St. Joseph Hall.
Brown will discuss his Nobel-prize winning research on the development of Statins used to lower blood pressure and prevent heart attacks. Collaborating with long-time colleague, Dr. Joseph L. Goldstein, they discovered the low density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor, which are the primary carriers of cholesterol in blood and cells. Their research showed that mutations in this receptor cause Familial Hypercholesterolemia, a disorder that leads to premature heart attacks in one out of every 500 people. They have received many awards for their work, including the U.S. Nobel Prize for Medicine or Physiology in 1985.
Brown, a graduate of Cheltenham High School, received his undergraduate and medical degree from University of Pennsylvania. He was an intern and resident at the Massachusetts General Hospital, and a postdoctoral fellow with Dr. Earl Stadtman at the National Institutes of Health. He is a member of American Society for Clinical Investigation,Association of American Physicians, Institute of MedicineRoyal Society (London)and the U.S. National Academy of Sciences.Other awards received include the Albany Medical Center Prize in Medicine and Biomedical Research (2003),the Warren Alpert Foundation Prize (2000),the US National Medal of Science (1988),and the Albert D. Lasker Prize in Basic Medical Research(1985).
The lecture is free and open to the public. For more information, please contact Lakshmi Atchison, Ph.D., professor of biology and director of the biomedical lecture series atlatchiso@chc.edu or call 215.248.7159.
