Jan-Åke Gustafsson
Encyclopedia
Jan-Åke Gustafsson is a leading Swedish scientist and professor
in Biology
, Biochemistry
and Medical Nutrition. When he decided to move to Houston, Texas
, USA, in 2008, the State of Texas
decided to give a major US $ 5.5 million research grant to the University of Houston
, enabling the establishment of the Center of Nuclear Receptors and Cell Signaling under the leadership of Jan-Åke Gustafsson. The grant was announced at a February 5th, 2009, press conference by Rick Perry
, Governor
of Texas and running for the Republican nomination
for President of the United States
in the 2012 presidential election
.
Recruiting top international scientists, world-leaders in their respective field, and providing them with grants to enable them to establish top scientific institutions in Texas, is part of the government
of the State of Texas' vision to establish top-tier research and educational institutions in the state, institutions that will be able to rival the top institutions on the American east- and westcoast. The importance of research and scientific progress to the senior levels of the Texas
government was illustrated by personal interest that governor
Rick Perry
took in the recruitment of professor Gustafsson and the establishment of the center.
Jan-Åke Gustafsson holds two parallell professor
ships: Robert A. Welch Professor
of Biology and Biochemistry (80%) at the University of Houston's Department of Biology and Biochemistry, as well as Professor of Medical Nutrition (20%) at Karolinska Institutet
in Stockholm
, Sweden
. Gustafsson is one of Europe
's leading scientist
s in the fields of medicine
and natural science.
Jan-Åke Gustafsson has received numerous international and national scientific awards, honorary doctor- and professor
ships, eg Honorary professor
of the Beijing University in Beijing
, People's Republic of China
; Honorary doctor of the University of Chongqing, Chongqing
, PRC; Honorary Doctor of the University of Milan
, Milan
, Italy
; the Lorenzini
Foundation's Gold Medal, Lorenzini Foundation, Milan
, Italy
and the Nordic Fernström Prize
, often referred to as the "Little Nobel Prize", the Fernström Foundation, Copenhagen
, Denmark
.
He is one of the scientists in Sweden
that receives the largest annual research and science grants, ie government- and private funding, for his research projects.
Gustafsson is most well known for his longstanding accomplishments in the field of nuclear receptors, including his discovery of the previously unknown estrogen receptor beta
. His work at the University of Houston
is focused on establishing academic and industry collaborations with the goal of finding new treatments for diseases, such as cancer
, diabetes and metabolic syndrome
.
Jan-Åke Gustafsson received his PhD
from the Karolinska institutet
in 1968, followed by an MD
from the same university
in 1971.
and medicine
at the Karolinska institutet
, campus Huddinge He was also one of the leading proponents behind locating the Södertörn University College
, southern Stockholm
's new university, to Huddinge. Institutions of higher learning and research have traditionally been located to the northern parts of the Stockholm county
. Establishing a leading research park and a new university in Huddinge, with special reference to Flemingsberg
, is part of a broader vision of achieving a regional balance: stimulating economic growth and enabling southern Stockholm to catch up with the wealthier northern parts of the county. Since the establishment of the research park and university was initiated, several other government and private organizations have followed suit, establishing a presence in the area. In 1997, Stockholm Syd-Flemingsberg, southern Stockholm's major national- and regional-train
hub was established in the area, giving excellent communications with central Stockholm
.
It was Jan-Åke Gustafsson's strong track record of establishing a leading research center with close connections to biotech companies, in addition to his outstanding scientific achievements and world-wide scientific reputation, that convinced the State of Texas government
of hiring him for the establishment of a new major research center in a similar guise, at the University of Houston
.
Jan-Åke Gustafsson is the founder of Karo Bio AB, a biotechnology company listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange
and based in the Novum Research Park. He is also the coordinator for the European Union
-financed research network CASCADE
.
since 1997 and the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences
since 1998. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
since 2002 and Foreign Honorary Member of the United States National Academy of Sciences
since 2004. He is also a member of the Nobel Assembly of the Karolinska Institutet
, having served as its chairman 2002-2004.
Jan-Åke Gustafsson is a member of the board of several leading international scientific journal
s, including Steroids, The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Molecular Endocrinology, Breast Cancer Research and Treatment, The Prostate, Anticancer Research, Japanese Journal of Cancer Research, Journal of Molecular Medicine, Molecular Pharmacology, Cell Metabolism, Experimental Biology and Medicine and the International Journal of Oncology.
Additional discoveries include early demonstration of the three-domain structure of nuclear receptors, specific binding of nuclear receptors to DNA
, discovery of steroid response element, cloning of the first nuclear receptor fragment, first determination a 3-D structure of a nuclear receptor (the DNA binding domain of the glucocorticoid receptor
), discovery of the first physiological ligand
of a nuclear receptor (fatty acids for the peroxisome
proliferator activated receptor alpha), discovery of liver X receptor beta
(LXRβ), discovery of estrogen receptor beta (ERβ) and unravelling of some of their functions.
Gustafsson also is credited with 12 patents, more than 1,400 peer-reviewed publications and more than 70,000 citations.
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
in Biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
, Biochemistry
Biochemistry
Biochemistry, sometimes called biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes in living organisms, including, but not limited to, living matter. Biochemistry governs all living organisms and living processes...
and Medical Nutrition. When he decided to move to Houston, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, USA, in 2008, the State of Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
decided to give a major US $ 5.5 million research grant to the University of Houston
University of Houston
The University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...
, enabling the establishment of the Center of Nuclear Receptors and Cell Signaling under the leadership of Jan-Åke Gustafsson. The grant was announced at a February 5th, 2009, press conference by Rick Perry
Rick Perry
James Richard "Rick" Perry is the 47th and current Governor of Texas. A Republican, Perry was elected Lieutenant Governor of Texas in 1998 and assumed the governorship in December 2000 when then-governor George W. Bush resigned to become President of the United States. Perry was elected to full...
, Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
of Texas and running for the Republican nomination
Republican Party (United States) presidential primaries, 2012
The 2012 Republican presidential primaries are the selection processes in which voters of the Republican Party will choose their nominee for President of the United States in the 2012 presidential election. The primary contest began with a fairly wide field, and is the first presidential primary...
for President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
in the 2012 presidential election
United States presidential election, 2012
The United States presidential election of 2012 is the next United States presidential election, to be held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012. It will be the 57th quadrennial presidential election in which presidential electors, who will actually elect the President and the Vice President of the United...
.
Recruiting top international scientists, world-leaders in their respective field, and providing them with grants to enable them to establish top scientific institutions in Texas, is part of the government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
of the State of Texas' vision to establish top-tier research and educational institutions in the state, institutions that will be able to rival the top institutions on the American east- and westcoast. The importance of research and scientific progress to the senior levels of the Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
government was illustrated by personal interest that governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
Rick Perry
Rick Perry
James Richard "Rick" Perry is the 47th and current Governor of Texas. A Republican, Perry was elected Lieutenant Governor of Texas in 1998 and assumed the governorship in December 2000 when then-governor George W. Bush resigned to become President of the United States. Perry was elected to full...
took in the recruitment of professor Gustafsson and the establishment of the center.
Jan-Åke Gustafsson holds two parallell professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
ships: Robert A. Welch Professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of Biology and Biochemistry (80%) at the University of Houston's Department of Biology and Biochemistry, as well as Professor of Medical Nutrition (20%) at Karolinska Institutet
Karolinska Institutet
Karolinska institutet is a medical university in Solna within the Stockholm urban area, Sweden, and one of Europe's largest medical universities...
in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. Gustafsson is one of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
's leading scientist
Scientist
A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
s in the fields of medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
and natural science.
Jan-Åke Gustafsson has received numerous international and national scientific awards, honorary doctor- and professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
ships, eg Honorary professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of the Beijing University in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
; Honorary doctor of the University of Chongqing, Chongqing
Chongqing
Chongqing is a major city in Southwest China and one of the five national central cities of China. Administratively, it is one of the PRC's four direct-controlled municipalities , and the only such municipality in inland China.The municipality was created on 14 March 1997, succeeding the...
, PRC; Honorary Doctor of the University of Milan
University of Milan
The University of Milan is a higher education institution in Milan, Italy. It is one of the largest universities in Europe, with about 62,801 students, a teaching and research staff of 2,455 and a non-teaching staff of 2,200....
, Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
; the Lorenzini
Lorenzini
Lorenzini may refer to:* Carlo Lorenzini , better known by the pen name C. Collodi, a Florentine's children's writer known for the fairy tale The Adventures of Pinocchio* Davide Lorenzini , Italian diver...
Foundation's Gold Medal, Lorenzini Foundation, Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and the Nordic Fernström Prize
Fernström Prize
The Fernström Prize is a series of annual awards for prominent Swedish and Nordic scientists in medicine. The prize money is donated by the Eric K. Fernström' Foundation...
, often referred to as the "Little Nobel Prize", the Fernström Foundation, Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
.
He is one of the scientists in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
that receives the largest annual research and science grants, ie government- and private funding, for his research projects.
Gustafsson is most well known for his longstanding accomplishments in the field of nuclear receptors, including his discovery of the previously unknown estrogen receptor beta
Estrogen receptor beta
Estrogen receptor beta , also known as NR3A2 , is a nuclear receptor which is activated by the sex hormone estrogen. In humans, ER-β is encoded by the ESR2 gene.- Function :...
. His work at the University of Houston
University of Houston
The University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...
is focused on establishing academic and industry collaborations with the goal of finding new treatments for diseases, such as cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
, diabetes and metabolic syndrome
Metabolic syndrome
Metabolic syndrome is a combination of medical disorders that, when occurring together, increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes. It affects one in five people in the United States and prevalence increases with age...
.
Jan-Åke Gustafsson received his PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
from the Karolinska institutet
Karolinska Institutet
Karolinska institutet is a medical university in Solna within the Stockholm urban area, Sweden, and one of Europe's largest medical universities...
in 1968, followed by an MD
MD
- Science :* Doctor of Medicine, from the Latin Medicinæ Doctor * Macular degeneration, a condition characterized by progressive thinning and atrophy of the macula area of the retina* Mahalanobis distance, a distance measure introduced by P. C...
from the same university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
in 1971.
Founder of the Novum Research Park in Flemingsberg and listed company Karo Bio AB
He is the founder of the Novum Research Park, a research park geared towards biotechnologyBiotechnology
Biotechnology is a field of applied biology that involves the use of living organisms and bioprocesses in engineering, technology, medicine and other fields requiring bioproducts. Biotechnology also utilizes these products for manufacturing purpose...
and medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
at the Karolinska institutet
Karolinska Institutet
Karolinska institutet is a medical university in Solna within the Stockholm urban area, Sweden, and one of Europe's largest medical universities...
, campus Huddinge He was also one of the leading proponents behind locating the Södertörn University College
Södertörn University College
Södertörn University College is a public university college located in Flemingsberg, which is located in Huddinge Municipality, and the larger area called Södertörn, in Stockholm County, Sweden. In 2009, it had 6,300 full-time-students...
, southern Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
's new university, to Huddinge. Institutions of higher learning and research have traditionally been located to the northern parts of the Stockholm county
Stockholm County
Stockholm County is a county or län on the Baltic sea coast of Sweden. It borders Uppsala County and Södermanland County. It also borders Mälaren and the Baltic Sea. The city of Stockholm is the capital of Sweden. Stockholm County is divided by the historic provinces of Uppland and Södermanland...
. Establishing a leading research park and a new university in Huddinge, with special reference to Flemingsberg
Flemingsberg
Flemingsberg a southern suburb of Stockholm, Sweden, located in Huddinge Municipality in the south-western part of the contiguous Stockholm urban area....
, is part of a broader vision of achieving a regional balance: stimulating economic growth and enabling southern Stockholm to catch up with the wealthier northern parts of the county. Since the establishment of the research park and university was initiated, several other government and private organizations have followed suit, establishing a presence in the area. In 1997, Stockholm Syd-Flemingsberg, southern Stockholm's major national- and regional-train
Train
A train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...
hub was established in the area, giving excellent communications with central Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
.
It was Jan-Åke Gustafsson's strong track record of establishing a leading research center with close connections to biotech companies, in addition to his outstanding scientific achievements and world-wide scientific reputation, that convinced the State of Texas government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
of hiring him for the establishment of a new major research center in a similar guise, at the University of Houston
University of Houston
The University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...
.
Jan-Åke Gustafsson is the founder of Karo Bio AB, a biotechnology company listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange
Stockholm Stock Exchange
The Stockholm Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in Stockholm, Sweden. Founded in 1863 it is the primary securities exchange of the Nordic Countries....
and based in the Novum Research Park. He is also the coordinator for the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
-financed research network CASCADE
Cascade
- Ecology :* a type of waterfall or a series of waterfalls.* Trophic cascade, when predators in a food web suppress their prey, releasing the next lower trophic level from predation* Cascade effect , the triggering of series of secondary extinctions...
.
Memberships
Gustafsson is member of the Royal Swedish Academy of SciencesRoyal Swedish Academy of Sciences
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences or Kungliga Vetenskapsakademien is one of the Royal Academies of Sweden. The Academy is an independent, non-governmental scientific organization which acts to promote the sciences, primarily the natural sciences and mathematics.The Academy was founded on 2...
since 1997 and the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences
Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences
The Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences or Kungl. Ingenjörsvetenskapsakademien , founded in 1919 by King Gustaf V, is one of the Royal Academies in Sweden...
since 1998. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
since 2002 and Foreign Honorary Member of the United States National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
since 2004. He is also a member of the Nobel Assembly of the Karolinska Institutet
Karolinska Institutet
Karolinska institutet is a medical university in Solna within the Stockholm urban area, Sweden, and one of Europe's largest medical universities...
, having served as its chairman 2002-2004.
Jan-Åke Gustafsson is a member of the board of several leading international scientific journal
Scientific journal
In academic publishing, a scientific journal is a periodical publication intended to further the progress of science, usually by reporting new research. There are thousands of scientific journals in publication, and many more have been published at various points in the past...
s, including Steroids, The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Molecular Endocrinology, Breast Cancer Research and Treatment, The Prostate, Anticancer Research, Japanese Journal of Cancer Research, Journal of Molecular Medicine, Molecular Pharmacology, Cell Metabolism, Experimental Biology and Medicine and the International Journal of Oncology.
Scientific discoveries
In the mid-1990s, Gustafsson's research group at the Karolinska Institutet discovered estrogen receptor-beta, which plays a pivotal role in the function of the brain, lungs, and immune system. Today, drugs are being developed to stimulate that receptor to battle a number of diseases, including breast, prostate and lung cancers. In some instances, the abnormal cell division that creates cancerous tumors can be slowed down or stopped by stimulating the receptor.Additional discoveries include early demonstration of the three-domain structure of nuclear receptors, specific binding of nuclear receptors to DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
, discovery of steroid response element, cloning of the first nuclear receptor fragment, first determination a 3-D structure of a nuclear receptor (the DNA binding domain of the glucocorticoid receptor
Glucocorticoid receptor
The glucocorticoid receptor also known as NR3C1 is the receptor to which cortisol and other glucocorticoids bind....
), discovery of the first physiological ligand
Ligand
In coordination chemistry, a ligand is an ion or molecule that binds to a central metal atom to form a coordination complex. The bonding between metal and ligand generally involves formal donation of one or more of the ligand's electron pairs. The nature of metal-ligand bonding can range from...
of a nuclear receptor (fatty acids for the peroxisome
Peroxisome
Peroxisomes are organelles found in virtually all eukaryotic cells. They are involved in the catabolism of very long chain fatty acids, branched chain fatty acids, D-amino acids, polyamines, and biosynthesis of plasmalogens, etherphospholipids critical for the normal function of mammalian brains...
proliferator activated receptor alpha), discovery of liver X receptor beta
Liver X receptor beta
Liver X receptor beta is a member of the nuclear receptor family of transcription factors. LXR-β is encoded by the gene .- Function :...
(LXRβ), discovery of estrogen receptor beta (ERβ) and unravelling of some of their functions.
Gustafsson also is credited with 12 patents, more than 1,400 peer-reviewed publications and more than 70,000 citations.
Awards and recognitions
- Honorary doctor in medicine, University of Turku, Finland, 2011
- Nordic Fernström PrizeFernström PrizeThe Fernström Prize is a series of annual awards for prominent Swedish and Nordic scientists in medicine. The prize money is donated by the Eric K. Fernström' Foundation...
, Denmark, 2009 - Honorary doctor in Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of MilanUniversity of MilanThe University of Milan is a higher education institution in Milan, Italy. It is one of the largest universities in Europe, with about 62,801 students, a teaching and research staff of 2,455 and a non-teaching staff of 2,200....
, Milano, ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, 2008 - Honorary Professor, University of Beijing, People's Republic of ChinaPeople's Republic of ChinaChina , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, 2008 - Honorary Professor, University of Chongqing, People's Republic of ChinaPeople's Republic of ChinaChina , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, 2007 - Descartes Research Prize for excellence in scientific collaborative research, 2005
- Bristol- Meyers Squibb/Mead Johnson Award for Nutrition Research, 2004
- Foreign Honorary Member, United States National Academy of SciencesUnited States National Academy of SciencesThe National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
, United States, 2002 - Fred Conrad Koch Award, Endocrine Society USA, United States, 2002
- Lorenzini Gold Medal, Fondazione Giovanni Lorenzini (Giovanni Lorenzini Medical Science Foundation), Milano, ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, 2001 - Foreign Honorary Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, United States, 2000
- European Medal, British Society for Endocrinology, United Kingdom, 2000
- Fogarty Scholar, National Institutes of Health, United States, 1999
External links
- Youtube: Rick Perry, Governor of Texas and republican presidential candidate, welcomes Jan-Åke Gustafsson to the University of Houston
- Youtube: Interview with Jan-Åke Gustafsson, Houston Public Broadcasting System
- Youtube: Jan-Åke Gustafsson, World-Renowned Medical Researcher
- Youtube: Hormones Expert Gustafsson to Lead Center for Nuclear Receptors and Cell Signaling at UH and Methodist with Jan-Åke Gustafsson sporting the UH official jacket
- Homepage for Center for Nuclear Receptors and Cell Signaling at the University of Houston, founded by Jan-Åke Gustafsson
- Jan-Åke Gustafsson at the University of Houston homepage
- Pride of Houston campaign: Jan-Åke Gustafsson
- Jan-Åke Gustafsson's homepage at The Methodist Hospital Research Institute, Houston, Texas, USA
- Jan-Åke Gustafsson's homepage, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
- Jan-Åke Gustafsson at the Karolinska institutet's homepage