The NIH Almanac
Nobel Laureates
Dozens of NIH-supported scientists from around the world have received Nobel Prizes for their groundbreaking achievements in Physiology or Medicine; Chemistry; Physics; and Economic Sciences. To date, 138 NIH supported researchers have been sole or shared recipients of 83 Nobel Prizes. Among these are individuals who have served as NIH staff scientists.
| Laureates | Field | Year | Supporting NIH Institute(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robert J. Lefkowitz, U.S.A., and Brian K. Kobilka, U.S.A. | Chemistry | 2012 | NHLBI, NINDS, NIGMS, NIDA |
| Bruce A. Beutler, U.S.A., Jules A. Hoffmann, U.S.A., and Ralph M. Steinman, U.S.A. | Physiology or Medicine | 2011 | NIAID, NIDDK, NIGMS, NCI |
| Ei-ichi Negishi, U.S.A. (shared with R. F. Heck, U.S.A. and A. Suzuki, Japan) | Chemistry | 2010 | NIGMS |
| Thomas A. Steitz, U.S.A., Ada E. Yonath, Israel, and Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, U.K. | Chemistry | 2009 | NIGMS, NIAID, NCRR |
| Elizabeth H. Blackburn, U.S.A., Carol W. Greider, U.S.A., and Jack W. Szostak, U.S.A. | Physiology or Medicine | 2009 | NIGMS, NCI, NIDCR, NIA |
| Martin Chalfie, U.S.A., Roger Y. Tsien, U.S.A., and Osamu Shimomura, U.S.A. | Chemistry | 2008 | NIGMS, NINDS, NIAID, NIA, NEI |
| Mario R. Capecchi, U.S.A., and Oliver Smithies, U.S.A. (shared with M. J. Evans, U.K.) | Physiology or Medicine | 2007 | NIGMS, NHLBI, NIDDK, NCI, NICHD |
| Roger D. Kornberg, U.S.A. | Chemistry | 2006 | NIGMS, NIAID, NCI |
| Andrew Z. Fire, U.S.A., and Craig C. Mello, U.S.A. | Physiology or Medicine | 2006 | NIGMS, NICHD |
| Robert H. Grubbs, U.S.A., and Richard R. Schrock, U.S.A. (shared with Y. Chauvin, France) | Chemistry | 2005 | NIGMS |
| Richard Axel, U.S.A., and Linda B. Buck, U.S.A. | Physiology or Medicine | 2004 | NIDCD, NCI, NIAID, NIMH, NINDS, NIDDK |
| Irwin A. Rose, U.S.A., and Avram Hershko, Israel (shared with A. Ciechanover, Israel) | Chemistry | 2004 | NIAMS, NCI, NIAAA, NIGMS, NIDDK |
| Roderick MacKinnon, U.S.A., and Peter Agre, U.S.A. | Chemistry | 2003 | NHLBI, NEI, NIAAA, NIGMS, NCRR, NINDS, NIDDK |
| Paul C. Lauterbur, U.S.A. (shared with P. Mansfield, U.K.) | Physiology or Medicine | 2003 | NCRR, NCI, NHLBI, NIGMS, NIMH |
| John B. Fenn, U.S.A. (shared with K. Tanaka, Japan and K. Wüthrich, Switzerland) | Chemistry | 2002 | NIGMS |
| H. Robert Horvitz, U.S.A. (shared with S. Brenner, U.S.A. and J.E. Sulston, U.K.) | Physiology or Medicine | 2002 | NIGMS, NCI, NICHD |
| Leland H. Hartwell, U.S.A. (shared with P.M. Nurse and R.T. Hunt, U.K.) | Physiology or Medicine | 2001 | NIGMS, NCI, NCRR |
| K. Barry Sharpless, U.S.A. (shared with W.S. Knowles, U.S.A. and R. Noyori, Japan) | Chemistry | 2001 | NIGMS, NHLBI |
| Paul Greengard, U.S.A., and Eric R. Kandel, U.S.A. (shared with A. Carlsson, Sweden) | Physiology or Medicine | 2000 | NIMH, NIA, NIDA, NIGMS, NINDS, NIAAA, NHLBI, NIAMS, NCRR |
| James J. Heckman, U.S.A. and Daniel L. McFadden | Economic Sciences | 2000 | NIA, NICHD, NIMH |
| Günter Blobel, U.S.A. | Physiology or Medicine | 1999 | NIGMS, NCI |
| Robert Furchgott, U.S.A., Louis Ignarro, U.S.A., and Ferid Murad, U.S.A. | Physiology or Medicine | 1998 | NIAMS, NICHD, NIDDK, NIGMS, NHLBI, NINDS |
| Paul D. Boyer, U.S.A. and Jens C. Skou, Denmark | Chemistry | 1997 | NIGMS, NIDDK, NINDS |
| Stanley B. Prusiner, U.S.A. | Physiology or Medicine | 1997 | NINDS, NIA, NCRR, NIGMS |
| Peter C. Doherty, U.S.A., and Rolf M. Zinkernagel, Switzerland | Physiology or Medicine | 1996 | NIAID |
| Edward B. Lewis, U.S.A., and Eric F. Wieschaus, U.S.A. (shared with C. Nusslein-Volhard, Germany) | Physiology or Medicine | 1995 | NICHD, NIGMS |
| Alfred G. Gilman, U.S.A., and Martin Rodbell, U.S.A. | Physiology or Medicine | 1994 | NIEHS, NIDDK, NIGMS, NINDS |
| George A. Olah, U.S.A. | Chemistry | 1994 | NCI, NIGMS |
| Phillip A. Sharp, U.S.A., and Richard Roberts, U.K. | Physiology or Medicine | 1993 | NIGMS, NCI, NIAID, NCRR, NLM, NCHGR |
| Robert W. Fogel, Ph.D. | Economic Sciences | 1993 | NIA |
| Kary B. Mullis, U.S.A., and Michael Smith, Canada | Chemistry | 1993 | NHBLI, NIAID, NIGMS |
| Edwin G. Krebs, U.S.A., and Edmond H. Fischer, U.S.A. | Physiology or Medicine | 1992 | NIDDK, NIGMS, NIAMS |
| Gary Becker, U.S.A. | Economics | 1992 | NICHD |
| Elias J. Corey, U.S.A. | Chemistry | 1990 | NIGMS, NCRR, NCI, NHLBI, NIAID |
| E. Donnall Thomas, U.S.A., and Joseph E. Murray, U.S.A. | Physiology or Medicine | 1990 | NIAID, NCI, NHLBI, NIAID, NIDDK |
| Sidney Altman, U.S.A., and Thomas Cech, U.S.A. | Chemistry | 1989 | NCI, NIGMS, NICHD |
| J. Michael Bishop, U.S.A, and Harold E. Varmus, U.S.A. | Physiology or Medicine | 1989 | NCI, NIAID |
| Susumu Tonegawa, Japan | Physiology or Medicine | 1987 | NIAID |
| Donald J. Cram, U.S.A. (shared with C.J. Pedersen, U.S.A., and J.-M Lehn, France) | Chemistry | 1987 | NIGMS |
| Stanley Cohen, U.S.A., and Rita Levi-Montalcini, U.S.A./Italy | Physiology or Medicine | 1986 | NICHD, NIGMS, NIMH, NINDS |
| Herbert A. Hauptman, U.S.A. (shared with J. Karle, U.S.A.) | Chemistry | 1985 | NIGMS, NIADDK, NHLBI, DRR |
| Michael S. Brown, U.S.A., and Joseph L. Goldstein, U.S.A. | Physiology or Medicine | 1985 | NHLBI, NIGMS, DRR |
| R. Bruce Merrifield, U.S.A. | Chemistry | 1984 | NIDDK |
| Henry Taube, U.S.A. | Chemistry | 1983 | NIGMS |
| Sune Bergstrom, Sweden, and John R. Vane, U.K. (shared with B. Samuelsson, Sweden) | Physiology or Medicine | 1982 | NHLBI, NLM, NICHD, DRG, NIGMS, NIMH |
| Aaron Klug, U.K. | Chemistry | 1982 | NIAID |
| Roald Hoffmann, U.S.A. (shared with K. Fukui, Japan) | Chemistry | 1981 | NIGMS |
| David H. Hubel, U.S.A., and Torsten N. Wiesel, U.S.A./Sweden (shared with R. W. Sperry, U.S.A.) | Physiology or Medicine | 1981 | NEI, NIGMS, NINDS, DRR |
| Paul Berg, U.S.A., and Walter Gilbert, U.S.A. (shared with F. Sanger, U.K.) | Chemistry | 1980 | NIGMS, NCI, NIDDK |
| Baruj Benacerraf, U.S.A., George D. Snell, U.S.A., and Jean Dausset, France | Physiology or Medicine | 1980 | NIAID, NCI |
| Herbert C. Brown, U.S.A. (shared with G. Wittig, W. Germany) | Chemistry | 1979 | NIGMS |
| Hamilton O. Smith, U.S.A., and Daniel Nathans, U.S.A. (shared with W. Arber, Switzerland) | Physiology or Medicine | 1978 | NIGMS, NIAID, NCI |
| Roger C. L. Guillemin, U.S.A., and Andrew V. Schally, U.S.A. (shared with R. S. Yalow, U.S.A.) | Physiology or Medicine | 1977 | NIDDK, NICHD, DRR, NIGMS |
| D. Carleton Gajdusek, U.S.A., and Baruch S. Blumberg, U.S.A. | Physiology or Medicine | 1976 | NINDS, NHLBI, NCI |
| William N. Lipscomb, U.S.A | Chemistry | 1976 | NIGMS, DRG |
| David Baltimore, U.S.A., Renato Dulbecco, U.S.A., and Howard M. Temin, U.S.A. | Physiology or Medicine | 1975 | NIAID, NCI |
| Albert Claude, Belgium, George E. Palade, U.S.A., and Christian de Duve, Belgium | Physiology or Medicine | 1974 | NCI, NHLBI, NICHD, NIGMS, NHLBI, NIA |
| Gerald M. Edelman, U.S.A. and Rodney R. Porter, U.K. | Physiology or Medicine | 1972 | NIAID, NIDDK, NIAID, NICHD |
| Christian B. Anfinsen, U.S.A., Stanford Moore, U.S.A., and William H. Stein, U.S.A. | Chemistry | 1972 | NHLBI, NIDDK, NIGMS, NINDS |
| Earl W. Sutherland, Jr., U.S.A | Physiology or Medicine | 1971 | NIGMS, NHLBI, NIDDK |
| Julius Axelrod, U.S.A., and Ulf von Euler, Sweden (shared with B. Katz, U.K.) | Physiology or Medicine | 1970 | NHLBI, NIMH, NINDS |
| Luis Leloir, Argentina | Chemistry | 1970 | NIGMS, NIAID |
| Max Delbruck, U.S.A., Alfred D. Hershey, U.S.A., and Salvador Luria, U.S.A. | Physiology or Medicine | 1969 | NIAID, NIGMS, NCI, NICHD |
| Robert W. Holley, U.S.A., H. Gobind Khorana, U.S.A., and Marshall W. Nirenberg, U.S.A. | Physiology or Medicine | 1968 | NIGMS, NCI, NIAID, NHLBI |
| Lars Onsager, U.S.A. | Chemistry | 1968 | NIGMS |
| Haldan K. Hartline, U.S.A., and George Wald, U.S.A. (shared with R. Granit, Sweden) | Physiology or Medicine | 1967 | NINDS, NEI |
| Charles B. Huggins, U.S.A. (shared with P. Rous, U.S.A.) | Physiology or Medicine | 1966 | NCI, NIDDK, NIGMS |
| Jacques L. Monod, France (shared with F. Jacob and A. Lwoff, France) | Physiology or Medicine | 1965 | NIAID |
| Robert B. Woodward, U.S.A. | Chemistry | 1965 | NIGMS, NHLBI, DRG, NIDDK |
| Konrad Bloch, U.S.A. (shared with F. Lynen, Germany) | Physiology or Medicine | 1964 | NIGMS, NHLBI, DRG |
| James D. Watson, U.S.A. (shared with F. H. C. Crick and M. H. F. Wilkins, U.K.) | Physiology or Medicine | 1962 | NIGMS, NIDDK, NCI, DRR, NIAID |
| John C. Kendrew, U.K. (shared with M. F. Perutz, U.K.) | Chemistry | 1962 | NIDDK |
| Melvin Calvin, U.S.A. | Chemistry | 1961 | DRG, NCI |
| Peter B. Medawar, U.K. (shared with F. M. Burnet, Australia) | Physiology or Medicine | 1960 | NIAID |
| Arthur Kornberg, U.S.A., and Severo Ochoa, U.S.A. | Physiology or Medicine | 1959 | NIGMS, NIAID, NCI, NIDDK, NIA, DRG |
| George W. Beadle, U.S.A., Joshua Lederberg, U.S.A., and Edward L. Tatum, U.S.A. | Physiology or Medicine | 1958 | NIGMS, NHLBI, NIAID, NINDS, NICHD, DRR, NCI |
| Dickinson W. Richards, Jr., U.S.A. (shared with A. Cournand, U.S.A., and W. Forssmann, Germany) | Physiology or Medicine | 1956 | NIDDK, NCI, NHLBI, NIGMS |
| Vincent du Vigneaud, U.S.A. | Chemistry | 1955 | NHLBI, NCI, NIGMS, DRG |
| Thomas H. Weller, U.S.A. (shared with J. F. Enders and F. C. Robbins, U.S.A.) | Physiology or Medicine | 1954 | NIAID, NIGMS |
| Linus C. Pauling, U.S.A. | Chemistry | 1954 | NIGMS, NHLBI, DRG, NIAID, NCI |
| Fritz A. Lipmann, U.S.A. (shared with H. A. Krebs, U.K.) | Physiology or Medicine | 1953 | NIGMS, NCI |
| Philip S. Hench, U.S.A. (shared with E. C. Kendall, U.S.A., and T. Reichstein, Switzerland) | Physiology or Medicine | 1950 | NIGMS |
| E. O. Lawrence, U.S.A. | Physics | 1939 | NCI |
NIH Scientists
1994 - Dr. Martin Rodbell, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Dr. G. Alfred Gilman of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. Dr. Rodbell dis- covered in 1970 that signal transmission requires a cellular molecule called GTP. In 1977 Dr. Gillman identified the proteins to which GTP binds and named them "G proteins." They are a family of proteins bound to the cell surface membranes that serve as intermediaries between incoming signals and cellular proteins that respond to these signals. Dr. Rodbell conducted this research while an intramural scientist with the National Institute of Arthritis and Metabolic Diseases (now NIDDK).
1976 - Dr. D. Carleton Gajdusek, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Dr. Baruch S. Blumberg, of the Institute for Cancer Research in Philadelphia. They won the award for their discoveries concerning new mechanisms for the origin and dissemination of infectious diseases. Dr. Blumberg was at NIH (with the National Institute of Arthritis and Metabolic Diseases) in the 1960s, and did part of his prizewinning research at NIH.
1972 - Dr. Christian B. Anfinsen (formerly with the National Institute of Arthritis, Metabolism, and Digestive Diseases) won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work "on ribonuclease, especially concerning the connection between the amino acid sequence and the biologically active conformation." Dr. Anfinsen provided the first clue to the structure of ribonuclease by demonstrating that it is comprised of a single polypeptide chain. He and his colleagues at Rockefeller University (with whom he shared the prize) demonstrated that the information required to fold the polypeptide chain of ribonuclease into the specific three-dimensional form of the active enzyme resides in the sequence of amino acids. Therefore, it became clear that this protein could be synthesized in the laboratory by joining the proper amino acids in the correct order and then allowing the chain of amino acids to fold spontaneously. This led to the first synthesis of an enzyme from chemicals in the laboratory. Such studies are basic to an understanding of normal life processes as well as of inherited metabolic diseases.
1970 - Dr. Julius Axelrod, National Institute of Mental Health, shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with two scientists from England and Sweden for independent research into the chemistry of nerve transmission. The three were cited for their "discoveries concerning the humoral transmitters in the nerve terminals and the mechanisms for their storage, release and inactivation." Specifically, Dr. Axelrod found an enzyme that terminates the action of the nerve transmitter, noradrenaline. He also demonstrated that some antidepressant drugs act by preventing the reuptake of noradrenaline and thus prolong its action in the brain.
1968 - Dr. Marshall W. Nirenberg, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discovering the key to deciphering the genetic code. Dr. Nirenberg and two other researchers, working independently, with whom he shared the prize, made major advances in understanding the chemical mechanisms by which genetic language or information is translated into various proteins that determine the nature and characteristics of all living things. Dr. Nirenberg was the first NIH Nobelist and also the first federal scientist to receive a Nobel Prize.
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