Ronald M. Evans

Ronald Mark Evans is an American Biologist, Professor and Head of the Salk's Gene Expression Laboratory, and the March of Dimes Chair in Molecular and Developmental Biology at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator. Dr. Ronald M. Evans is known for his original discoveries of nuclear hormone receptors (NR), a special class of transcriptional factor, and the elucidation of their universal mechanism of action, a process that governs how lipophilic hormones and drugs regulate virtually every developmental and metabolic pathway in animals and humans. Nowadays, NRs are among the most widely investigated group of pharmaceutical targets in the world, already yielding benefits in drug discovery for cancer, muscular dystrophies, osteoporosis, type II diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular diseases. His current research focuses on the function of nuclear hormone signaling and their function in metabolism and cancer.

Research

Members of the nuclear receptor (NR) superfamily of ligand-regulated transcription factors play important roles in reproduction, development, and physiology. In humans, genetic mutations in NRs are causes of rare diseases, while hormones and drugs that target NRs are in widespread therapeutic use. In 80s, Dr. Evans successfully cloned the first nuclear hormone receptor, the human glucocorticoid receptor. This action led to the finding of a superfamily of nuclear hormone receptors, all with similar molecular and genetic structures. Other of his pioneering studies include investigating hormones’ normal activities and their roles in disease, including a major discovery of nuclear hormone receptors, which respond to steroid hormones, vitamin A, vitamin D, thyroid hormones, and bile acids. By targeting genes these receptors help control sugar, salt, calcium, cholesterol, and fat metabolism. They are primary targets in breast, prostate, and pancreatic cancers and leukemia treatment and have therapeutic roles in chronic inflammation, osteoporosis, type 2 diabetes, and asthma. His muscle metabolism studies led to the discovery of exercise mimetics, which promote the benefits of fitness without training and may help battle the obesity epidemic, diabetes, heart disease, and frailty. ==Honors==

Honors

• 2021 The Asan Award in Medicine • 2018 The Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize (shared with Pierre Chambon and Bert W. O’Malley) • 2012 The Wolf Prize in Medicine • 2007 The Albany Medical Center Prize (shared with Solomon H. Snyder and Robert J. Lefkowitz) • 2006 The Harvey Prize:"Discovery of a super-family of genes encoding nuclear hormone receptors and the elucidation of their universal ability to affect gene expression and thereby virtually every developmental and metabolic pathway." • 2006 The Gairdner Foundation International Award • 2005 The Grande Médaille D'Or (Grand Gold Medal) • 2005 The Glenn T. Seaborg Medal • 2004 The Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research (shared with Pierre Chambon and Elwood V. Jensen) • 2003 The Keio Medical Science Prize • 1999 The Fred Conrad Koch award • 1995 The Dickson Prize • 1994 California Scientist of the Year • 1993 The Edwin B. Astwood Lecture award ==References==

Source: Wikipedia ↗

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