J. Michael Bishop
Encyclopedia
John Michael Bishop is an American
immunologist and microbiologist
who shared the 1989 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
(with Harold E. Varmus
) and was co-winner of 1984 Alfred P. Sloan Prize
. He currently serves as an active faculty member at the University of California, San Francisco
.
. He attended Gettysburg College
as an undergraduate, where he was a brother of the Theta-Pi Zeta chapter of Lambda Chi Alpha
International Fraternity. He later attended Harvard University
where he earned an MD
in 1962.
He began his career working for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
, a part of the National Institutes of Health
. He then spent a year working for the Heinrich Pette Institute
in Hamburg
, Germany
before joining the faculty of the University of California, San Francisco
in 1968. Bishop has remained on the school's faculty since 1968, and was chancellor of the university from 1998-2009. He is Director of the Bishop Lab.
Bishop is best known for his Nobel-winning work on retroviral
oncogenes. Working with Harold E. Varmus
in the 1980s, he discovered the first human oncogene, c-Src. Their findings allowed the understanding of how malignant tumor
s are formed from changes to the normal gene
s of a cell
. These changes can be produced by viruses, by radiation, or by exposure to some chemicals.
Bishop is also a recipient of National Medal of Science
in 2003. That same year, his book "How to win the Nobel Prize: An Unexpected Life in Science" was published. He was elected Foreign Member of the Royal Society on 16 May 2008.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
immunologist and microbiologist
Microbiologist
A microbiologist is a scientist who works in the field of microbiology. Microbiologists study organisms called microbes. Microbes can take the form of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protists...
who shared the 1989 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine administered by the Nobel Foundation, is awarded once a year for outstanding discoveries in the field of life science and medicine. It is one of five Nobel Prizes established in 1895 by Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, in his will...
(with Harold E. Varmus
Harold E. Varmus
Harold Elliot Varmus is an American Nobel Prize-winning scientist and the 14th and current Director of the National Cancer Institute, a post he was appointed to by President Barack Obama. He was a co-recipient Harold Elliot Varmus (born December 18, 1939) is an American Nobel Prize-winning...
) and was co-winner of 1984 Alfred P. Sloan Prize
Alfred P. Sloan Prize
The Alfred P. Sloan Prize is an award given each year, starting in 2003, to a film at the Sundance Film Festival. The prize is given to a feature film that focuses on science or technology as a theme, or depicts a scientist, engineer, or mathematician as a major character.Each winner is presented...
. He currently serves as an active faculty member at the University of California, San Francisco
University of California, San Francisco
The University of California, San Francisco is one of the world's leading centers of health sciences research, patient care, and education. UCSF's medical, pharmacy, dentistry, nursing, and graduate schools are among the top health science professional schools in the world...
.
Life
Bishop was born in PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. He attended Gettysburg College
Gettysburg College
Gettysburg College is a private four-year liberal arts college founded in 1832, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, United States, adjacent to the famous battlefield. Its athletic teams are nicknamed the Bullets. Gettysburg College has about 2,700 students, with roughly equal numbers of men and women...
as an undergraduate, where he was a brother of the Theta-Pi Zeta chapter of Lambda Chi Alpha
Lambda Chi Alpha
Lambda Chi Alpha is one of the largest men's secret general fraternities in North America, having initiated more than 280,000 members and held chapters at more than 300 universities. It is a member of the North-American Interfraternity Conference and was founded by Warren A. Cole, while he was a...
International Fraternity. He later attended Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
where he earned an MD
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
in 1962.
He began his career working for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases is one of the 27 institutes and centers that make up the National Institutes of Health , an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services...
, a part of the National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
The National Institutes of Health are an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and are the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research. Its science and engineering counterpart is the National Science Foundation...
. He then spent a year working for the Heinrich Pette Institute
Heinrich Pette Institute
The Heinrich Pette Institute - Leibniz Institute for Experimental Virology was founded in 1948 by Heinrich Pette, a German neurologist. It began as a research facility to create polio vaccine. It is now a private foundation and involved with basic research in virology and the immune responses of...
in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
before joining the faculty of the University of California, San Francisco
University of California, San Francisco
The University of California, San Francisco is one of the world's leading centers of health sciences research, patient care, and education. UCSF's medical, pharmacy, dentistry, nursing, and graduate schools are among the top health science professional schools in the world...
in 1968. Bishop has remained on the school's faculty since 1968, and was chancellor of the university from 1998-2009. He is Director of the Bishop Lab.
Bishop is best known for his Nobel-winning work on retroviral
Retrovirus
A retrovirus is an RNA virus that is duplicated in a host cell using the reverse transcriptase enzyme to produce DNA from its RNA genome. The DNA is then incorporated into the host's genome by an integrase enzyme. The virus thereafter replicates as part of the host cell's DNA...
oncogenes. Working with Harold E. Varmus
Harold E. Varmus
Harold Elliot Varmus is an American Nobel Prize-winning scientist and the 14th and current Director of the National Cancer Institute, a post he was appointed to by President Barack Obama. He was a co-recipient Harold Elliot Varmus (born December 18, 1939) is an American Nobel Prize-winning...
in the 1980s, he discovered the first human oncogene, c-Src. Their findings allowed the understanding of how malignant tumor
Tumor
A tumor or tumour is commonly used as a synonym for a neoplasm that appears enlarged in size. Tumor is not synonymous with cancer...
s are formed from changes to the normal gene
Gene
A gene is a molecular unit of heredity of a living organism. It is a name given to some stretches of DNA and RNA that code for a type of protein or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism. Living beings depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains...
s of a cell
Cell (biology)
The cell is the basic structural and functional unit of all known living organisms. It is the smallest unit of life that is classified as a living thing, and is often called the building block of life. The Alberts text discusses how the "cellular building blocks" move to shape developing embryos....
. These changes can be produced by viruses, by radiation, or by exposure to some chemicals.
Bishop is also a recipient of National Medal of Science
National Medal of Science
The National Medal of Science is an honor bestowed by the President of the United States to individuals in science and engineering who have made important contributions to the advancement of knowledge in the fields of behavioral and social sciences, biology, chemistry, engineering, mathematics and...
in 2003. That same year, his book "How to win the Nobel Prize: An Unexpected Life in Science" was published. He was elected Foreign Member of the Royal Society on 16 May 2008.