| 1 | Name: | Dr. Paul Schimmel | |
| Institution: | The Scripps Research Institute | ||
| Year Elected: | 1999 | ||
| Class: | 2. Biological Sciences | ||
| Subdivision: | 201. Molecular Biology and Biochemistry | ||
| Residency: | Resident | ||
| Living? : | Living | ||
| Birth Date: | 1940 | ||
Paul Schimmel is the Ernest and Jean Hahn Professor of Molecular Biology and Chemistry at The Scripps Research Institute. He received his Ph.D. at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and remained on the faculty of MIT until 1997. Dr. Schimmel is the recipient of the Pfizer Award in Enzyme Chemistry from the American Chemical Society and is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences and American Academy of Arts & Sciences. Dr. Schimmel has contributed extensively to the understanding of the protein-RNA interactions that are the basis of the universal genetic code. He showed how features in small RNA structures are interpreted as specific amino acids referred to by some as a "second genetic code." Most recently he established how RNA structure plays an essential role in enhancing the accuracy of the genetic code by an error correction mechanism. Also, in other work, Nature magazine cited his development of "expressed sequence tags" as one of the four key developments that launched the human genome project. Author or co-author of 400 scientific papers and of a widely used three-volume textbook on biophysical chemistry, Dr. Schimmel has also applied basic biomedical research to human health. For example, his laboratory discovered human proteins active in blood vessel formation, developed them, and brought them to clinical medicine. He holds several patents and is cofounder or founding director of ten biotechnology companies, of which 5 are publicly traded. These companies are developing new therapies for human disease. He was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 1999. | |||