Richard Wurtman
Encyclopedia
Richard Wurtman, M.D., is the Cecil H. Green Distinguished Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
and a Professor of Neuroscience in MIT’s Department of Brain & Cognitive Sciences, and of Neuropharmacology
in the Harvard – MIT Division of Health Sciences & Technology.
His research career encompasses three areas:
Research performed in Wurtman's laboratory has generated about 1,000 research articles and 200 patents. One such patent was for a weight-loss drug, named Redux
, which transpired to have some controversial side effects. Although at the time of its release, some optimism prevailed that it might herald a new approach, there remained some reservations amongst neurologists. Wurtman himself, while a proponent of the drug, stressed that "it's not a magic pill", and urged caution in its use. Wurtman also patented a pharmaceutical invention covering the use of melatonin for controlling sleep. Melatonin was itself subjected to "starry-eyed extrapolations from experiments conducted on rats and mice". While Wurtman noted that the use of small doses to induce sleep and shift the sleep cycle was uncontroversial, he criticised some of the extrapolations and claims being made about the benefits of melatonin supplements.
Among discoveries from Wurtman's laboratory have been that
With Judith Wurtman, Wurtman co-edited an eight-volume series of books on “Nutrition and the Brain”, and with John Growdon, M.D. and Suzanne Corkin, Ph.D., a nine volume series on Alzheimer’s disease.
Wurtman co-founded Interneuron Pharmaceuticals, a company aimed at marketing discoveries by M.I.T. scientists, and of Back Bay Scientific, Inc. He established the Center for Brain Sciences and Metabolism Charitable Trust, and serves as its Scientific Director.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
and a Professor of Neuroscience in MIT’s Department of Brain & Cognitive Sciences, and of Neuropharmacology
Neuropharmacology
Neuropharmacology is the study of how drugs affect cellular function in the nervous system. There are two main branches of neuropharmacology: behavioral and molecular. Behavioral neuropharmacology focuses on the study of how drugs affect human behavior , including the study of how drug dependence...
in the Harvard – MIT Division of Health Sciences & Technology.
His research career encompasses three areas:
- Basic-science studies, principally on neurotransmitters and other brain chemicals
- One of the earliest areas of Wurtman's focus was in dietary precurors of neurotransmitters such as acetylcholineAcetylcholineThe chemical compound acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter in both the peripheral nervous system and central nervous system in many organisms including humans...
. - Along with Nicholas Zervas of Beth Israel HospitalBeth Israel Deaconess Medical CenterBeth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts is a major flagship teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. It was formed out of the 1996 merger of Beth Israel Hospital and New England Deaconess Hospital...
and Harvard Medical SchoolHarvard Medical SchoolHarvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
, another early area of Wurtman's research pertained to the neurotransmitter dopamineDopamineDopamine is a catecholamine neurotransmitter present in a wide variety of animals, including both vertebrates and invertebrates. In the brain, this substituted phenethylamine functions as a neurotransmitter, activating the five known types of dopamine receptors—D1, D2, D3, D4, and D5—and their...
, and its role in stroke physiology. Wurtman's studies occurred at a time of significant growth in research and understanding of neurotransmitters, with optimistic expectations for practical outcomes.- Clinical studies to confirm that mechanisms discovered in the laboratory also operate in humans
- Translational work, usually in collaboration with foundations or companies, to apply the basic-science discoveries to finding new treatments for diseases
Research performed in Wurtman's laboratory has generated about 1,000 research articles and 200 patents. One such patent was for a weight-loss drug, named Redux
Dexfenfluramine
Dexfenfluramine, marketed as dexfenfluramine hydrochloride under the name Redux, is a serotoninergic anorectic drug: it reduces appetite by increasing the amount of extracellular serotonin in the brain...
, which transpired to have some controversial side effects. Although at the time of its release, some optimism prevailed that it might herald a new approach, there remained some reservations amongst neurologists. Wurtman himself, while a proponent of the drug, stressed that "it's not a magic pill", and urged caution in its use. Wurtman also patented a pharmaceutical invention covering the use of melatonin for controlling sleep. Melatonin was itself subjected to "starry-eyed extrapolations from experiments conducted on rats and mice". While Wurtman noted that the use of small doses to induce sleep and shift the sleep cycle was uncontroversial, he criticised some of the extrapolations and claims being made about the benefits of melatonin supplements.
Among discoveries from Wurtman's laboratory have been that
- MelatoninMelatoninMelatonin , also known chemically as N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine, is a naturally occurring compound found in animals, plants, and microbes...
is a hormoneHormoneA hormone is a chemical released by a cell or a gland in one part of the body that sends out messages that affect cells in other parts of the organism. Only a small amount of hormone is required to alter cell metabolism. In essence, it is a chemical messenger that transports a signal from one...
, secreted at night-time, needed for the induction & maintenance of normal sleep - Dietary carbohydrates, acting via insulinInsulinInsulin is a hormone central to regulating carbohydrate and fat metabolism in the body. Insulin causes cells in the liver, muscle, and fat tissue to take up glucose from the blood, storing it as glycogen in the liver and muscle....
, increase brain tryptophanTryptophanTryptophan is one of the 20 standard amino acids, as well as an essential amino acid in the human diet. It is encoded in the standard genetic code as the codon UGG...
levels and consequently serotoninSerotoninSerotonin or 5-hydroxytryptamine is a monoamine neurotransmitter. Biochemically derived from tryptophan, serotonin is primarily found in the gastrointestinal tract, platelets, and in the central nervous system of animals including humans...
synthesis and release, thereby affecting appetite - Serotoninergic synapses are thus a useful target for drugs to treat obesityObesityObesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems...
and other conditions which affect appetite and mood (e.g. premenstrual syndrome; seasonal depression) - Oral administration of neurotransmitterNeurotransmitterNeurotransmitters are endogenous chemicals that transmit signals from a neuron to a target cell across a synapse. Neurotransmitters are packaged into synaptic vesicles clustered beneath the membrane on the presynaptic side of a synapse, and are released into the synaptic cleft, where they bind to...
precursors such as cholineCholineCholine is a water-soluble essential nutrient. It is usually grouped within the B-complex vitamins. Choline generally refers to the various quaternary ammonium salts containing the N,N,N-trimethylethanolammonium cation....
, tyrosineTyrosineTyrosine or 4-hydroxyphenylalanine, is one of the 22 amino acids that are used by cells to synthesize proteins. Its codons are UAC and UAU. It is a non-essential amino acid with a polar side group...
or glutamineGlutamineGlutamine is one of the 20 amino acids encoded by the standard genetic code. It is not recognized as an essential amino acid but may become conditionally essential in certain situations, including intensive athletic training or certain gastrointestinal disorders...
can enhance the synthesis and release of their products acetylcholineAcetylcholineThe chemical compound acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter in both the peripheral nervous system and central nervous system in many organisms including humans...
, dopamine or GABA (by increasing the substrate-saturation of the biosynthetic enzymes) - Various neurotransmitters and “second messengers” can modulate the breakdown of APP (the amyloid-precursor protein) and thus the formation of ß-amyloid
- The biosynthesisBiosynthesisBiosynthesis is an enzyme-catalyzed process in cells of living organisms by which substrates are converted to more complex products. The biosynthesis process often consists of several enzymatic steps in which the product of one step is used as substrate in the following step...
in brain of synaptic membrane and its specializations (dendritic spines; neurites; synapses) can be enhanced by treatments affecting plasma composition.
With Judith Wurtman, Wurtman co-edited an eight-volume series of books on “Nutrition and the Brain”, and with John Growdon, M.D. and Suzanne Corkin, Ph.D., a nine volume series on Alzheimer’s disease.
Wurtman co-founded Interneuron Pharmaceuticals, a company aimed at marketing discoveries by M.I.T. scientists, and of Back Bay Scientific, Inc. He established the Center for Brain Sciences and Metabolism Charitable Trust, and serves as its Scientific Director.