Tom Maniatis
Encyclopedia
Tom Maniatis born 8 May 1943 in Denver, Colorado
is an American professor of molecular and cellular biology
.
Maniatis is a graduate of the University of Colorado
and one of the founders of modern molecular cloning
. He received a PhD in Molecular Biology
from Vanderbilt University
, and has received Honorary PhDs from the University of Athens and the Watson School of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
. Maniatis carried out postdoctoral studies with Professor Mark Ptashne
at Harvard University and with Dr. Fred Sanger at the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge England.
Maniatis has held faculty positions at Harvard University, The Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, the California Institute of Technology
, and Columbia University.
As a graduate student at Vanderbilt University with Dr. Leonard Lerman, Maniatis determined the structure of highly compact DNA using wide-angle x-ray scattering methods. As a postdoctoral fellow with Mark Ptashne at Harvard University, Maniatis studied the molecular mechanisms of gene regulation in bacteriophage lambda. He determined the DNA sequence of the lambda operators while working in Fred Sanger's lab at the MRC in Cambridge, England. Maniatis was appointed to the position of assistant professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in 1975, but carried out his research at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory because the moratorium on recombinant DNA research in Cambridge, MA prevented his work on cDNA cloning at Harvard. While the moratorium continued Maniatis moved his laboratory to the California Institute of Technology, where he pioneered the development of gene isolation methods. In 1981 Maniatis returned to Harvard where he applied molecular cloning methods to the study of the mechanisms of transcription and RNA splicing in eukaryotes. Maniatis retired from Harvard in 2009, becoming the Jeremy Knowles Emeritus Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology. Maniatis is currently serving as the Isidore Edelman Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York. His laboratory studies innate immunity, mechanisms of gene regulation in the brain, and the causes of the fatal neurodegenerative disease Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease).
In 1982 Maniatis along with Joe Sambrook
and Edward Fritsch wrote Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual, which has had an enormous impact on life sciences. This laboratory manual made the newly emerging gene cloning technology accessible to a wide range of disciplines in the life sciences.
Maniatis is also a pioneer in the biotechnology industry, having cofounded Genetics Institute in 1980, ProScript Pharma in 1994, and Acceleron Pharma in 2004. His contributions to biotechnology were recognized by the Jacob Heskel Gabbay Award in Biotechnology and Medicine, Brandeis University, in 1999.
Maniatis' research contributions have been recognized by numerous awards including the 1981 Eli Lilly Research Award in Microbiology and Immunology from the American Society of Microbiology, the 1985 Richard Lounsbery Award for Biology and the 1998 Novartis Drew Award in Biomedical Research, the 2000 AMA Scientific Achievement Award
, and the 2001 Pasarow Award in Cancer Research from the Pasarow Foundation. Maniatis was elected to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1985.
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
is an American professor of molecular and cellular biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
.
Maniatis is a graduate of the University of Colorado
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
and one of the founders of modern molecular cloning
Molecular cloning
Molecular cloning refers to a set of experimental methods in molecular biology that are used to assemble recombinant DNA molecules and to direct their replication within host organisms...
. He received a PhD in Molecular Biology
Molecular biology
Molecular biology is the branch of biology that deals with the molecular basis of biological activity. This field overlaps with other areas of biology and chemistry, particularly genetics and biochemistry...
from Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the...
, and has received Honorary PhDs from the University of Athens and the Watson School of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
The Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory is a private, non-profit institution with research programs focusing on cancer, neurobiology, plant genetics, genomics and bioinformatics. The Laboratory has a broad educational mission, including the recently established Watson School of Biological Sciences. It...
. Maniatis carried out postdoctoral studies with Professor Mark Ptashne
Mark Ptashne
Mark Ptashne is a molecular biologist and violinist. He currently holds the Ludwig Chair of Molecular Biology at Memorial Sloan–Kettering Cancer Center in New York...
at Harvard University and with Dr. Fred Sanger at the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge England.
Maniatis has held faculty positions at Harvard University, The Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, the California Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
, and Columbia University.
As a graduate student at Vanderbilt University with Dr. Leonard Lerman, Maniatis determined the structure of highly compact DNA using wide-angle x-ray scattering methods. As a postdoctoral fellow with Mark Ptashne at Harvard University, Maniatis studied the molecular mechanisms of gene regulation in bacteriophage lambda. He determined the DNA sequence of the lambda operators while working in Fred Sanger's lab at the MRC in Cambridge, England. Maniatis was appointed to the position of assistant professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in 1975, but carried out his research at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory because the moratorium on recombinant DNA research in Cambridge, MA prevented his work on cDNA cloning at Harvard. While the moratorium continued Maniatis moved his laboratory to the California Institute of Technology, where he pioneered the development of gene isolation methods. In 1981 Maniatis returned to Harvard where he applied molecular cloning methods to the study of the mechanisms of transcription and RNA splicing in eukaryotes. Maniatis retired from Harvard in 2009, becoming the Jeremy Knowles Emeritus Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology. Maniatis is currently serving as the Isidore Edelman Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York. His laboratory studies innate immunity, mechanisms of gene regulation in the brain, and the causes of the fatal neurodegenerative disease Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease).
In 1982 Maniatis along with Joe Sambrook
Joseph Sambrook
Joseph Frank Sambrook is a British molecular biologist known for his studies of DNA oncoviruses and the molecular biology of normal and cancerous cells...
and Edward Fritsch wrote Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual, which has had an enormous impact on life sciences. This laboratory manual made the newly emerging gene cloning technology accessible to a wide range of disciplines in the life sciences.
Maniatis is also a pioneer in the biotechnology industry, having cofounded Genetics Institute in 1980, ProScript Pharma in 1994, and Acceleron Pharma in 2004. His contributions to biotechnology were recognized by the Jacob Heskel Gabbay Award in Biotechnology and Medicine, Brandeis University, in 1999.
Maniatis' research contributions have been recognized by numerous awards including the 1981 Eli Lilly Research Award in Microbiology and Immunology from the American Society of Microbiology, the 1985 Richard Lounsbery Award for Biology and the 1998 Novartis Drew Award in Biomedical Research, the 2000 AMA Scientific Achievement Award
AMA Scientific Achievement Award
The AMA Scientific Achievement Award is awarded by American Medical Association. It may be given to either physicians or non-physician scientists who have contributed significantly to the field of medical science...
, and the 2001 Pasarow Award in Cancer Research from the Pasarow Foundation. Maniatis was elected to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1985.