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Wylie Vale

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Wylie W. Vale Jr.
Born(1941-07-03)July 3, 1941
Houston, Texas, United States
DiedJanuary 3, 2012(2012-01-03) (aged 70)
Alma materRice University, Baylor College of Medicine
Known fordiscovery of key neuroendocrine hormones[3]
AwardsFred Conrad Koch Award [1]
Hans Selye award[2]
Scientific career
FieldsEndocrinology
InstitutionsSalk Institute
Doctoral advisorRoger Guillemin

Wylie Walker Vale Jr. (July 3, 1941 – January 3, 2012) was an American endocrinologist who helped identify hormones controlling basic bodily functions.[4][5]

Early life and education[edit]

Vale was born in Houston, Texas, on July 3, 1941. He completed a B.A. degree in biology at Rice University and obtained a Ph.D. in physiology and biochemistry from Baylor College of Medicine. He commenced employment at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in San Diego, California, in 1970.[6]

Career[edit]

In collaboration with his advisor and mentor Roger Guillemin, Vale contributed to the discovery, isolation and identification of thyrotropin releasing hormone and gonadotropin-releasing hormone in the 1970s;[citation needed] work that led to the Nobel Prize for Guillemin.[7]

At the Salk Institute, Vale led efforts in identifying the group of hormones involved in human growth, reproduction and temperature.[8] His group discovered, isolated and identified corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRF/CRH) in 1981 and growth hormone releasing factor (GHRF) in 1982.[7]

Vale also founded two biotechnology companies, Neurocrine Biosciences and Acceleron Pharma.[7]

Vale was head of both the Clayton Foundation Laboratories for Peptide Biology and the Helen McLoraine Chair in Molecular Neurobiology at the Salk Institute.[6] He died in 2012.[6]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Crowley Jr, W. F. (1997). "Citation for the 1997 Fred Conrad Koch Award of the Endocrine Society to Wylie Vale". Endocrine Reviews. 18 (4): 612–613. PMID 9267765.
  2. ^ "Wylie W. Vale. Recipient of the 1994 Hans Selye Award". Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 771: xii–xiv. 1995. doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.1995.tb44664.x. PMID 8597388. S2CID 86641613.
  3. ^ Montminy, M.; Lee, K. -F.; Rivier, J. E.; Rivier, C.; Reichlin, S. (2012). "Wylie Vale: Neuroendocrine master". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 109 (10): 3604–3605. Bibcode:2012PNAS..109.3604M. doi:10.1073/pnas.1201696109. PMC 3309770. PMID 22355104.
  4. ^ Evans, R. (2012). "Wylie Walker Vale Jr (1941–2012)". Nature. 483 (7391): 542. Bibcode:2012Natur.483..542E. doi:10.1038/483542a. PMID 22460892.
  5. ^ Stenvers, K. L.; Findlay, J. K. (2012). "Inhibins and activins: Towards the future. A tribute to the late Professor Wylie W. Vale". Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology. 359 (1–2): 1. doi:10.1016/j.mce.2012.03.001. PMID 22406753. S2CID 37455861.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Wylie Vale, Salk scientist, pioneer and leader, dies at 70" (Press release). Salk Institute. January 6, 2012. Retrieved 2012-01-16.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b c McLellan, Dennis (January 20, 2012), "Wylie W. Vale Jr., who made critical discoveries in brain chemistry, dies" (reprint (Los Angeles Times original)), The Washington Post, washingtonpost.com, retrieved 2012-01-21
  8. ^ Wade, Nicholas (January 15, 2012). "Wylie Vale Jr., Groundbreaking Endocrinologist, Dies at 70". The New York Times. Retrieved 2012-01-16.