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Bengt SamuelssonSwedish biochemist
Date of Birth: 21.05.1934
Country:  Sweden |
Content:
- Early Life and Education
- Research Career
- Harvard University and Karolinska Institute
- Discovery of Prostaglandins and Related Compounds
- Professorship and Nobel Prize
- Leukotrienes and Nobel Prize
- Later Career
- Personal Life and Legacy
Early Life and Education
Bengt Ingemar Samuelsson was born in Halmstad, Sweden, on May 21, 1934, to Kristina and Anders Samuelsson. After graduating from high school in his hometown, he enrolled in medical school at Lund University, where he joined the research laboratory of Sune Bergström, a professor of physiological chemistry.
Research Career
Lund University and Karolinska InstituteIn 1958, Samuelsson and Bergström's research group relocated to the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, where Samuelsson pursued his studies in medicine and biochemistry. He earned his medical degree in 1960 and was appointed assistant professor of medical chemistry at the Karolinska Institute the following year.
Harvard University and Karolinska Institute
From 1961 to 1962, Samuelsson worked as a research fellow in the chemistry department at Harvard University, under Elias James Corey, studying theoretical chemistry and organic synthesis. Upon his return to the Karolinska Institute in 1962, he resumed his collaboration with Bergström, who had begun investigating a group of biologically active compounds known as prostaglandins.
Discovery of Prostaglandins and Related Compounds
Samuelsson's research focused on the biosynthesis of prostaglandins in living organisms. Together with Bergström, he established that prostaglandins are derived from arachidonic acid, an unsaturated fatty acid found in certain meat and plant products. He also identified the enzymes responsible for their conversion from arachidonic acid.
In subsequent years, Samuelsson discovered that arachidonic acid metabolism also yielded endoperoxides and thromboxanes. Thromboxane, which is found in platelets, plays a role in blood clotting, while endoperoxides are precursors to prostacyclins, which protect the stomach lining.
Professorship and Nobel Prize
Stockholm Royal Veterinary College and Karolinska InstituteFrom 1967 to 1972, Samuelsson held a professorship in medical chemistry at the Stockholm Royal Veterinary College. He then returned to the Karolinska Institute as professor of chemistry and head of the department, where he continued his research on the biochemistry of endoperoxides and their derivatives.
Leukotrienes and Nobel Prize
In the mid-1970s, Samuelsson discovered a new class of compounds called leukotrienes, which are produced by white blood cells and play a role in inflammation and allergic reactions.
In 1982, Samuelsson was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, along with Bergström and John Vane, "for their discoveries concerning prostaglandins and related biologically active substances."
Later Career
After receiving the Nobel Prize, Samuelsson was appointed rector of the Karolinska Institute. He was elected a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and a foreign member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Personal Life and Legacy
Bengt Samuelsson married Karin Bergsten Samuelsson, and they had two daughters, Elizabeth and Astrid. He passed away on August 19, 2023, at the age of 89.
Samuelsson's groundbreaking research on prostaglandins, thromboxanes, and leukotrienes revolutionized our understanding of inflammation, cardiovascular disease, and immune function. His discoveries have led to the development of numerous pharmaceutical treatments, including aspirin and other anti-inflammatory drugs.
