| 1 | Name: | Dr. Jack L. Strominger | |
| Institution: | Harvard University | ||
| Year Elected: | 1994 | ||
| Class: | 2. Biological Sciences | ||
| Subdivision: | 209. Neurobiology | ||
| Residency: | Resident | ||
| Living? : | Living | ||
| Birth Date: | 1925 | ||
Jack Strominger, Higgins Professor of Biochemistry at Harvard University, has worked on the mode of action of penicillin and uncovered the molecular basis of its activity. In recent years, he has conducted research on the structure and function of human histocompatibility antigens: proteins on the surface of all cells that characterize the uniqueness of each individual and play an essential role in presenting peptides to the immune system. His early work involved isolating and characterizing these so called MH proteins. Dr. Strominger has also, along with Don Wiley, crystallized the molecule and determined its three dimensional structure to other cells in the immune system - a striking advance in our understanding of the molecular basis of immunology. His laboratory is currently focused on three main projects: the role of MHC proteins and of products of other disease susceptibility genes in human autoimmunity, including multiple sclerosis, diabetes, pemphigus vulgaris and ankylosing spondylitis; activating and inhibitory immunological synapses in human natural killer cells: how they are formed and how they function, particularly in relation to lipid rafts; and uterine decidual lymphocytes and their roles in the immunobiology of pregnancy. Having taught at Harvard University since 1968, Dr. Strominger has also served on the faculties of the Washington University School of Medicine (1948-51, 1955-64) and the University of Wisconsin Medical School (1964-68) and from 1951-54 worked as a senior assistant surgeon for the U.S. Public Health Service at the National Institute of Arthritis and Metabolic Diseases. His many awards include the National Academy of Sciences Award in Microbiology (1968), the Pasteur Medal (1990) the American Society for Microbiology's Hoechst-Roussel Award (1990), the Lasker Award (1995), the Paul Ehrlich Prize (1996), and the Japan Prize (1999. Dr. Strominger was elected to the membership of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences in 1968 and the National Academy of Sciences in 1970. | |||