Dr. Paul Zamecnik was a scientist who made not one, but two major discoveries in his lifetime.
He graduated Dartmouth Medical School in 1934, but he did not want to focus on a traditional track of medicine. Instead, Zamecnik’s humble beginnings started in a research lab working on a project that explored how fat took over protein and muscle in the body. “The lab is where the action is action,” coined Zamecnik. His interest in proteins grew and his work from the 1950s-1960s, positioned him as one of the leading pioneers in genetic research.
In 1952, Zamecnik created a method to extract a cell-free component from rat liver, and he recreated new proteins from amino acids. As a result, Zamecnik teamed up with Mahlon Hoagland and together they isolated proteins from charged amino acids. Charged amino acids are described in the chemical form as ATP (adenosine-5’-triphosphate). ATP “is used to transport energy to cells for biochemical processes, including muscle contraction and enzymatic metabolism, through its hydrolysis to ADP [adenosine diphosphate].” With this discovery, Zamecnik realized that the new proteins referred to as ribosome’s’ were the beginning of the process for protein synthesis.
In 1956, Zamecnik and Hoagland went back to the drawing board and came up with a new way to isolate the proteins with the help of protein synthesis. The researchers identified how charged amino acids can create a new host of proteins. Zamecnik’s discovery, called “transfer RNA,” or “tRNA,” a crucial molecule in the synthesis of proteins in the cell, was the catalyst in forming the study of molecular biology.
Dr. Thoru Pederson, a friend and colleague of Zamecnik, said, “Zamecnik’s work advanced the study of protein synthesis. He was a transformative figure in molecular biology research.”
In 1960, Zamecnik hit another research accolade with the creation of a cell free extract derived from E.coli bacteria. Zamecnik did not want to keep this research gem to himself, and gave his colleagues the opportunity to use the formula he created. With Zamecnik’s generosity, researchers Marshall Nirenberg and Johann Matthaei found the genetic basis for E.coli.
As his lab continued to make strides in molecular biology research, Zamecnik kept on working with tRNA. In 1978, his tireless efforts uncovered a discovery that paved the way for other sections of research and cell therapy to take form. Zamecnik created nucleotides, forms of DNA and RNA, which resulted in his discovery of mRNA, thus leading to the idea of antisense therapy, where using strands of DNA or RNA block the activity of genes.
This concept is now used to create new classes of drugs for cancer, HIV, and a host of other diseases. Because of Zamecnik’s pioneer advancement with antisense technology, his laboratory is credited for the availability of one drug-Vitravene (derivative of fomivirsen) - that has received approval from the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of retinitis. Retinitis is a condition that is attributed to cytomegalovirus (CMV), a commonly spread but generally harmless virus in the same family as chickenpox, and mononucleosis. Other antisense drugs are currently under review for treatment purposes.
In the beginning, his discovery about the effectiveness of mRNA drew criticism, but he challenged his critics in his paper “Gene Expression Modulation.” Dr. Sudhir Agrawal of Idera Pharmaceuticals, who worked with Zamecnik during the development phases of antisense technology said, “His work changed how medicines are developed.”
According to an article in the LA Times published after Zamecnik died in 2009, “Although nominated repeatedly for the Nobel [Prize] and rumors circulated each year that he would finally receive it, the prize never came.
He did, however, win a 1996 Lasker Award, the prestigious American prize that is often a precursor of the Nobel, and the National Medal of Science in 1991.”
Sources:
http://www.dnalc.org/view/16489-Biography-21-Paul-Charles-Zamecnik-1913-...
http://web.mit.edu/invent/iow/zamecnik.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/07/science/07zamecnik.html
http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/ATP
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-me-paul-zamecnik19-200...