Cornelia Bargmann
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| Cornelia Bargmann | |
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Cornelia I. "Cori" Bargmann is a pioneering scientist in the field of neurobiology and behavior in the C. elegans. She particularly studies olfaction in the worm. She has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences and is currently a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator at Rockefeller University.
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[edit] Biography
Bargmann grew up in Athens, Georgia, one of four children, and the daughter of Rolf Bargmann, a statistician and computer scientist at the University of Georgia.[1]
and completed undergraduate studies at the University of Georgia in 1981, with a degree in biochemistry. She completed graduate studies in 1987 at M.I.T. in the lab of Robert Weinberg. She examined the molecular mechanisms of oncogenesis, and helped identify the role of Ras in bladder cancer. She also did significant work on neu, an oncogene that later lead to significant treatments in breast cancer.[2]
Bargmann then completed a postdoc with H. Robert Horvitz at MIT, working on molecular biology mechanisms of neuroscience. She began working on chemosensory behavior in C. elegans, and achieved several breakthroughs, demonstrating, among other things, that nematodes have a sense of smell.[2]
Bargmann accepted a faculty position at UCSF, focusing on olfaction at the molecular level. This work led to discoveries of the mechanisms underlying complex behaviors, such as feeding behaviors.[2] The work has continued to lead to a deeper understanding of the brain, sensory abilities, and neuronal development. Bargmann also identified SYG-1, a "matchmaker" molecule--a molecule that directs neurons to form connections with each other during development.[3][4]
In 2004, Bargmann moved to Rockefeller University.[3]
Bargmann is married to fellow olfactory scientist and Nobel laureate Richard Axel.
[edit] Notable papers
- Shen & Bargmann, "The immunoglobin superfamily protein SYG-1 determines the location of specific synapses in C. Elegans", Cell, v.112, n.5, pp. 619-630 (March 7, 2003) [1][5]
- de Bono & Bargmann, "Natural variation in a neuropeptide Y receptor homolog modifies social behavior and food response in C. Elegans", Cell, v.94, n.5, pp. 679-689 (September 4, 1998)
[edit] Awards
- Lucille P. Markey Award (1990–1995)
- Searle Scholar Award (1992–1995)
- Elected member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2002)
- Elected member, National Academy of Sciences (2003)
- Taskago Prize for olfaction research
- W. Alden Spencer Award for neuroscience research
- Charles Judson Herick Award for comparative neurology
[edit] References
[edit] Footnotes
[edit] Bibliography
- Alex Crevar, "As the Worm Turns", Georgia Magazine, 2004 (discussing Cynthia Kenyon and Bargmann)
- Tim Friend, "Nerve cell mystery is unlocked", USA Today, March 10, 2003 (available online at USAtoday.com) (explaining the 2003 matchmaker Cell paper)
- Karen Hopkin, "I Smell a ... Worm", The Scientist, v.19, n.15, p.52 (Aug. 1, 2005).
- Melissa Marino, "Biography of Cornelia I. Bargmann", PNAS, v.102, n.9 (March 1, 2005) (available at PNAS).
- HHMI, HHMI Cori Bargmann profile
- HHMI, "Genetic Analysis of Olfactory Behavior and Neural Development"
- Rockefeller University, "Internationally renowned neurobiologist to join Rockefeller University; Cori Bargmann discovered 'matchmaker' molecule", Jan. 5, 2004
- Searle, Searle Scholar profile of Cori Bargmann
- UCSF, "First molecule discovered that directs never cells to connect with each other", March 6, 2003.
