David Bartel
| David P. Bartel | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Fields | Biochemistry |
| Institutions | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Alma mater | Goshen College, Harvard University |
| Doctoral advisor | Jack Szostak |
| Notable students | Philip Zamore, Tom Tuschl, Peter Unrau, Nicholas Bergman |
| Known for | MicroRNAs |
| Notable awards | NAS Award in Molecular Biology (2005) |
David P. Bartel Ph.D. is a Professor of Biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Member of the Whitehead Institute, Molecular Biologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, and investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). He earned his B.A. in Biology from Goshen College and his Ph.D. in Virology from Harvard University under the mentorship of Jack W. Szostak.[1]
While in the Szostak lab, he isolated the first ligase ribozyme directly from random sequence, using in vitro evolution (among these, the Class I ligase). After he became independent at the Whitehead Institute, he further evolved this ribozyme to function as a RNA-dependent RNA polymerase to extend primers on external RNA templates, bolstering the "RNA world" theory. He later shifted his research focus towards microRNA biology and in particular on understanding their regulatory functions.[2]
In 2006 he was placed second by Thomson Reuters in a 'citations' ranking in the field of Molecular Biology/Genetics. He has received several awards and was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2011.[3]
References
- ↑ "David P. Bartel '82". Goshen Bulletin. 2007. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
- ↑ "David Bartel". HHMI. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
- ↑ "Whitehead Member David Bartel elected to National Academy of Sciences". Retrieved 25 January 2015.