Zvi Laron
Encyclopedia
Zvi Laron is an Israel
i paediatric endocrinologist, born in Cernăuţi, Romania
, a professor emeritus at Tel Aviv University
.
In 1966, he described the type of dwarfism
later called Laron syndrome
. His research opened the way to the treatment of many cases of growth hormone disorders and of juvenile diabetes.
city of Cernăuţi (Czernowitz), then in Romania (now in Ukraine
). At the age of 6, he moved with his family to another Bukovinian town, Rădăuţi
. Following the June 1941 invasion of the USSR by Nazi Germany
, Romania allied itself with Nazi Germany
and regained Northern Bucovina (which had been annexed by the USSR in 1940), the 14 years old child and his family were deported to the concentration camps of Transnistria
. There he had the chance to survive as a worker in a factory, which was founded in Mogilev
by his uncle, Siegfried Sami Jagendorf (1885–1970), in order to save as many Jewish deportees as possible. Accordingly, Laron became a licensed turner
.
at the newly founded Medical School (Institutul medico-farmaceutic) in the town of Timişoara
, in western Romania.
He was an active member of the Zionist
students movement "Hasmonea", and left Romania in 1947 in order to emigrate illegally to Eretz Israel, then Mandatory Palestine. The ship of Jewish refugees from Eastern Europe, "Pan York" (nicknamed in Hebrew "Kibbutz Galuyot") was captured in the Mediterranean Sea
by the British navy
and its passengers, including Laron, were deported to internment camps in Cyprus
. After the proclamation of the State of Israel in May 1948, Laron was freed and allowed to enter the country. After his arrival, he was recruited to work in Jaffa
's "Dajani" and Tel Hashomer
's hospitals. In 1952, he graduated with MD from the Hadassah Hospital Hebrew University
Medical School
, Jerusalem. He then did his internship at Rambam Hospital
in Haifa
. During 1956-1957, he was a research and clinical fellow in paediatrics at the Massachusetts General Hospital
and Harvard Medical School
Boston
, and at a hospital in Pittsburgh, while his fellowships was focalized especially on infantile endocrinology.
in Petah Tikva
, affiliated to Tel Aviv University, and led it until 1992.
Laron was one of the first members of the teaching staff of the School of Medicine at Tel Aviv University and had a leading role in elaborating the pediatric teaching program at that institution.
From 1983 to 1997 Laron was Incumbent of the Irene and Nicholas Marsh Chair in Endocrinology and Juvenile Diabetes, Sackler Faculty of Medicine
, Tel Aviv University.
He also founded the All-Country Center for Juvenile Diabetes and an endocrinological laboratory aimed to develop new methods of detecting hormones in blood. This laboratory works in the frame of Felsenstein Institute of Research.
Since 1998 Laron has been Professor Emeritus of Pediatric Endocrinology
, Tel Aviv University and Director of Endocrinology
and Diabetes Research Unit, Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel. This center was previously known as the Beilinson Medical Center, Petah Tikva.
The well known Laron syndrome
, or Laron-type dwarfism
described by him in 1966, together with A. Pertzelan and S. Mannheimer, related to a growth hormone
receptor
mutation
is named after him.
Resistance to GH was first reported by Laron in 1966. Since then, severe resistance to GH, characterized by grossly impaired growth despite normal levels of GH in serum
, has been termed Laron syndrome.
The institute of pediatric endocrinology founded and led by him was among the first medical centers to produce and use in therapy the GH and IGF
hormone.
Prof. Laron was among the founders and editor of the international Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, of the scientific journals "Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism", "Pediatric and Adolescent Endocrinology" and "Pediatric Endocrinology Reviews"
The Adipose Child\\. November 1976.
International Beilinson Symposium Staff,
Diabetes in Juveniles : Proceedings of the 2nd Beilinson, Symposium on the Various Faces in Juveniles. Jerusalem, Israel. 2nd edition, 1977.
International Beilinson Symposium Staff, :
Psychological Aspects of Balance of Diabetes in Juvenile : Proceedings of the 3rd Beilinson Symposium, Pt. 2, Herzliya, 1875. September 1977.
Third Joint Meeting of the European Society for Pediatric Endocrinology (ESPE) and the Lawson Wilkins Pediatric Endocrine Society (LWPES) : Proceedings of the Plenary Lectures and Symposia, Jerusalem, October - November 1989. July, 1990.
John Boulton, Zvi Laron, Jean Rey, editors:
Long Term Consequences of Early Feeding. 1995.
Somatomedin-1 (recombinant insulin-like growth factor-1): Clinical pharmacology and potential treatment ofendocrine and metabolic disorders.
Biodrugs, 1999, 11: 55-70.
The essential role of IGF-1: Lessons from the long-term study and treatment of children and adults with Laron syndrome.
The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 1999, 84: 4397-4404.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i paediatric endocrinologist, born in Cernăuţi, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, a professor emeritus at Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University is a public university located in Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel. With nearly 30,000 students, TAU is Israel's largest university.-History:...
.
In 1966, he described the type of dwarfism
Dwarfism
Dwarfism is short stature resulting from a medical condition. It is sometimes defined as an adult height of less than 4 feet 10 inches , although this definition is problematic because short stature in itself is not a disorder....
later called Laron syndrome
Laron syndrome
Laron syndrome, or Laron-type dwarfism, is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by an insensitivity to growth hormone , caused by a variant of the growth hormone receptor. It causes short stature and a resistance to diabetes and cancer....
. His research opened the way to the treatment of many cases of growth hormone disorders and of juvenile diabetes.
Family background and childhood
Laron was born on February 7, 1927 to a Jewish family in the BukovinianBukovina
Bukovina is a historical region on the northern slopes of the northeastern Carpathian Mountains and the adjoining plains.-Name:The name Bukovina came into official use in 1775 with the region's annexation from the Principality of Moldavia to the possessions of the Habsburg Monarchy, which became...
city of Cernăuţi (Czernowitz), then in Romania (now in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
). At the age of 6, he moved with his family to another Bukovinian town, Rădăuţi
Radauti
Rădăuţi is a municipality in Suceava County, Romania with a population of 27,759 inhabitants.-Geography and demographics:Rădăuţi is situated in Bucovina, northern Moldavia, on a plain between the Suceava and Suceviţa rivers, north from Suceava, at 375 m altitude...
. Following the June 1941 invasion of the USSR by Nazi Germany
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
, Romania allied itself with Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
and regained Northern Bucovina (which had been annexed by the USSR in 1940), the 14 years old child and his family were deported to the concentration camps of Transnistria
Transnistria (World War II)
Transnistria Governorate was a Romanian administered territory, conquered by the Axis Powers from the Soviet Union during Operation Barbarossa, and occupied from 19 August 1941 to 29 January 1944...
. There he had the chance to survive as a worker in a factory, which was founded in Mogilev
Mohyliv-Podilskyi
Mohyliv-Podilskyi is a city in the Mohyliv-Podilskyi Raion of the Vinnytsia Oblast , Ukraine. It is located at , on the border with Bessarabia, Moldova.-History:The first mention of the town dates from 1595...
by his uncle, Siegfried Sami Jagendorf (1885–1970), in order to save as many Jewish deportees as possible. Accordingly, Laron became a licensed turner
Turner
Turner is a common surname of English 12th Century origin, meaning "one who works with a lathe". Turner is the 28th-most common surname in the United Kingdom.-List of people with surname Turner:...
.
His studies in Romania and Israel
After the end of the war, Laron was able to complete his high school studies and in 1945 he commenced his studies in medicineMedicine
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 newly founded Medical School (Institutul medico-farmaceutic) in the town of Timişoara
Timisoara
Timișoara is the capital city of Timiș County, in western Romania. One of the largest Romanian cities, with an estimated population of 311,586 inhabitants , and considered the informal capital city of the historical region of Banat, Timișoara is the main social, economic and cultural center in the...
, in western Romania.
He was an active member of the Zionist
Zionism
Zionism is a Jewish political movement that, in its broadest sense, has supported the self-determination of the Jewish people in a sovereign Jewish national homeland. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, the Zionist movement continues primarily to advocate on behalf of the Jewish state...
students movement "Hasmonea", and left Romania in 1947 in order to emigrate illegally to Eretz Israel, then Mandatory Palestine. The ship of Jewish refugees from Eastern Europe, "Pan York" (nicknamed in Hebrew "Kibbutz Galuyot") was captured in the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
by the British navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
and its passengers, including Laron, were deported to internment camps in Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
. After the proclamation of the State of Israel in May 1948, Laron was freed and allowed to enter the country. After his arrival, he was recruited to work in Jaffa
Jaffa
Jaffa is an ancient port city believed to be one of the oldest in the world. Jaffa was incorporated with Tel Aviv creating the city of Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel. Jaffa is famous for its association with the biblical story of the prophet Jonah.-Etymology:...
's "Dajani" and Tel Hashomer
Tel HaShomer
Tel HaShomer is a district in Gush Dan in central Israel. It is located east of Ramat Gan, and is bordered to the north by Kiryat Ono, to the east by Yehud, and to the south by Or Yehuda...
's hospitals. In 1952, he graduated with MD from the Hadassah Hospital Hebrew University
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem ; ; abbreviated HUJI) is Israel's second-oldest university, after the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. The Hebrew University has three campuses in Jerusalem and one in Rehovot. The world's largest Jewish studies library is located on its Edmond J...
Medical School
Medical school
A medical school is a tertiary educational institution—or part of such an institution—that teaches medicine. Degree programs offered at medical schools often include Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, Bachelor/Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Philosophy, master's degree, or other post-secondary...
, Jerusalem. He then did his internship at Rambam Hospital
Rambam Hospital
Rambam Health Care Campus , or Rambam Hospital, is a hospital in the Bat Galim neighborhood of Haifa, Israel. The largest medical center in northern Israel and fifth largest in Israel, it is named for the 12th century physician-philosopher Rabbi Moshe Ben-Maimon , known as the...
in Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
. During 1956-1957, he was a research and clinical fellow in paediatrics at the Massachusetts General Hospital
Massachusetts General Hospital
Massachusetts General Hospital is a teaching hospital and biomedical research facility in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts...
and Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, and at a hospital in Pittsburgh, while his fellowships was focalized especially on infantile endocrinology.
His work as endocrinologist in Israel
In 1957, Laron returned to Israel and joined André de Vries in founding the pediatric endocrinological research in Israel. He was one of the founders in 1958 of the Institute for Pediatric and Adolescent Endocrinology at the Beilinson Medical CenterRabin Medical Center
The Rabin Medical Center is a medical center in Petah Tikva, Israel. It is currently the second largest medical center in Israel after Sheba Medical Center, having lost the title of largest in 2006...
in Petah Tikva
Petah Tikva
Petah Tikva known as Em HaMoshavot , is a city in the Center District of Israel, east of Tel Aviv.According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, at the end of 2009, the city's population stood at 209,600. The population density is approximately...
, affiliated to Tel Aviv University, and led it until 1992.
Laron was one of the first members of the teaching staff of the School of Medicine at Tel Aviv University and had a leading role in elaborating the pediatric teaching program at that institution.
From 1983 to 1997 Laron was Incumbent of the Irene and Nicholas Marsh Chair in Endocrinology and Juvenile Diabetes, Sackler Faculty of Medicine
Sackler Faculty of Medicine
Sackler Faculty of Medicine is a medical school which is part of Tel Aviv University in Tel Aviv, Israel.It was named after Arthur, Mortimer and Raymond Sackler, U.S. physicians who made substantial donations to the school...
, Tel Aviv University.
He also founded the All-Country Center for Juvenile Diabetes and an endocrinological laboratory aimed to develop new methods of detecting hormones in blood. This laboratory works in the frame of Felsenstein Institute of Research.
Since 1998 Laron has been Professor Emeritus of Pediatric Endocrinology
Pediatric endocrinology
Pediatric endocrinology is a medical subspecialty dealing with variations of physical growth and sexual development in childhood, as well as diabetes and other disorders of the endocrine glands....
, Tel Aviv University and Director of Endocrinology
Endocrinology
Endocrinology is a branch of biology and medicine dealing with the endocrine system, its diseases, and its specific secretions called hormones, the integration of developmental events such as proliferation, growth, and differentiation and the coordination of...
and Diabetes Research Unit, Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel. This center was previously known as the Beilinson Medical Center, Petah Tikva.
The well known Laron syndrome
Laron syndrome
Laron syndrome, or Laron-type dwarfism, is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by an insensitivity to growth hormone , caused by a variant of the growth hormone receptor. It causes short stature and a resistance to diabetes and cancer....
, or Laron-type dwarfism
Dwarfism
Dwarfism is short stature resulting from a medical condition. It is sometimes defined as an adult height of less than 4 feet 10 inches , although this definition is problematic because short stature in itself is not a disorder....
described by him in 1966, together with A. Pertzelan and S. Mannheimer, related to a growth hormone
Growth hormone
Growth hormone is a peptide hormone that stimulates growth, cell reproduction and regeneration in humans and other animals. Growth hormone is a 191-amino acid, single-chain polypeptide that is synthesized, stored, and secreted by the somatotroph cells within the lateral wings of the anterior...
receptor
Receptor (biochemistry)
In biochemistry, a receptor is a molecule found on the surface of a cell, which receives specific chemical signals from neighbouring cells or the wider environment within an organism...
mutation
Mutation
In molecular biology and genetics, mutations are changes in a genomic sequence: the DNA sequence of a cell's genome or the DNA or RNA sequence of a virus. They can be defined as sudden and spontaneous changes in the cell. Mutations are caused by radiation, viruses, transposons and mutagenic...
is named after him.
Resistance to GH was first reported by Laron in 1966. Since then, severe resistance to GH, characterized by grossly impaired growth despite normal levels of GH in serum
Blood plasma
Blood plasma is the straw-colored liquid component of blood in which the blood cells in whole blood are normally suspended. It makes up about 55% of the total blood volume. It is the intravascular fluid part of extracellular fluid...
, has been termed Laron syndrome.
The institute of pediatric endocrinology founded and led by him was among the first medical centers to produce and use in therapy the GH and IGF
IGF
IGF may stand for:* Insulin-like growth factor* Independent Games Festival* Internet Governance Forum* Identity Governance Framework* Inoki Genome Federation* International Golf Federation* International Gymnastics Federation* International Go Federation...
hormone.
Prof. Laron was among the founders and editor of the international Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, of the scientific journals "Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism", "Pediatric and Adolescent Endocrinology" and "Pediatric Endocrinology Reviews"
Awards
Zvi Laron has received many honours, among them:- 1999 Andrea Prader Award; and
- 2009 Israel PrizeIsrael PrizeThe Israel Prize is an award handed out by the State of Israel and is largely regarded as the state's highest honor. It is presented annually, on Israeli Independence Day, in a state ceremony in Jerusalem, in the presence of the President, the Prime Minister, the Knesset chairperson, and the...
for medicine.
A selective list of his papers and books
Laron wrote more than thousand scientific papers and wrote and took part to the editing of thirty books.The Adipose Child\\. November 1976.
- as editor:
International Beilinson Symposium Staff,
Diabetes in Juveniles : Proceedings of the 2nd Beilinson, Symposium on the Various Faces in Juveniles. Jerusalem, Israel. 2nd edition, 1977.
- as editor:
International Beilinson Symposium Staff, :
Psychological Aspects of Balance of Diabetes in Juvenile : Proceedings of the 3rd Beilinson Symposium, Pt. 2, Herzliya, 1875. September 1977.
- as editor:
Third Joint Meeting of the European Society for Pediatric Endocrinology (ESPE) and the Lawson Wilkins Pediatric Endocrine Society (LWPES) : Proceedings of the Plenary Lectures and Symposia, Jerusalem, October - November 1989. July, 1990.
John Boulton, Zvi Laron, Jean Rey, editors:
Long Term Consequences of Early Feeding. 1995.
Somatomedin-1 (recombinant insulin-like growth factor-1): Clinical pharmacology and potential treatment ofendocrine and metabolic disorders.
Biodrugs, 1999, 11: 55-70.
The essential role of IGF-1: Lessons from the long-term study and treatment of children and adults with Laron syndrome.
The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 1999, 84: 4397-4404.
External links
- site of Israel Prize
- Perpetuum mobile, omagial article about Zvi Laron in the Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism 22,387-388,2009 Freund Publ.London
- report about Laron in the Israeli journal Haaretz
- Laron Syndrome and data about Zvi Laron
See also
- List of Israel Prize recipients