Joseph L. Goldstein (b. April 18, 1940) from Kingstree, South Carolina is a biochemist and geneticist, and a pioneer in the study of cholesterol metabolism.

Dr. Goldstein received a BS in chemistry from Washington and Lee University in 1962 and his M.D. from the of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in 1966. In 1985 he received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (together with Michael S. Brown) for his research on the metabolism of low density lipoprotein (LDL), and has won numerous other awards for his contributions related to genetic diseases.

Returning to the University of Texas Health Science Center in Dallas in 1972 (now called UT Southwestern Medical Center) Goldstein and his close colleague Brown researched cholesterol metabolism and discovered that human cells have low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptors that extract cholesterol from the bloodstream. The lack of sufficient LDL receptors is the cause of familial hypercholesterolemia, which predisposes heavily for cholesterol-related diseases. In addition to explaining the underlying pathology of the widely-observed link between high levels of circulating cholesterol as LDL and coronary artery disease, their work uncovered a previously-unappreciated, yet fundamental, aspect of cell biology - Receptor-mediated endocytosis.

In addition to contributing fundamentally to our understanding of how the cells in our bodies work, Drs. Goldstein and Brown's findings led to the development of statin drugs, the cholesterol-lowering compounds that today are used by 16 million Americans and are the most widely prescribed medications in the United States. This crucial discovery is improving more lives every year. New federal cholesterol guidelines are expected to triple the number of Americans taking statin drugs to lower their cholesterol, reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke for countless people. Despite the well-known negative health effects of the typical American diet, statins may well render death by coronary artery disease a rare event in the not-too-distant future. Subsequently the team lead by Drs. Brown and Goldstein elucidated the role of lipid modification of proteins (protein prenylation) in cancer.

In 1993, their postdoctoral trainees Xiaodong Wang and Michael Briggs purified the Sterol regulatory element binding proteins (SREBPs). Since 1993, Drs. Goldstein, Brown, and their colleagues have described the unexpectedly complex machinery by which cells maintain the necessary levels of fats and cholesterol in the face of varying environmental circumstances.

Dr. Goldstein is a Regental Professor of the University of Texas, holds the Julie and Louis A. Beecherl Distinguished Chair in Biomedical Science, and the Paul J. Thomas Chair in Medicine. Frequently mentioned as a candidate for nationally-prominent positions in scientific administration, Dr. Goldstein, like his colleague Michael S. Brown, elects to continue hands-on involvement with research. Together, they lead a research team that typically includes a dozen doctoral and postdoctoral trainees. He and his colleague are among the most highly-cited scientists in the world. For a look at Dr. Goldstein's current research, check out the Brown and Goldstein Lab home.

External link

• Nobel Biography

1940 births | Living people | Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine winners | American biochemists | Geneticists | National Medal of Science recipients | Members and associates of the US National Academy of Sciences | People from South Carolina

Joseph Leonard Goldstein | Joseph L. Goldstein | ジョーゼフ・ゴールドスタイン | Joseph L. Goldstein | Голдштейн, Джозеф Леонард | Joseph L. Goldstein