Richard Wurtman, the Cecil H. Green Distinguished Professor Emeritus and a subordinate of the MIT module for 44 years, died connected Dec. 13. He was 86.
Wurtman received an MD from Harvard Medical School successful 1960 and trained astatine Massachusetts General Hospital earlier joining the laboratory of Nobel laureate Julius Axelrod astatine the National Institutes of Health successful 1962. In 1967, MIT invited him to commencement a neurochemistry and neuropharmacology programme successful the Department of Nutrition and Food Science. In the aboriginal 1980s helium joined the recently formed Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences. Wurtman was besides profoundly progressive successful the National Institutes of Health-established Clinical Research Center astatine MIT, which helium besides directed for 25 years.
His archetypal placement successful Nutrition and Food Science was fortuitous, recalled Wurtman successful a 2011 profile, due to the fact that it “sensitized maine to the information that nutrients are chemicals the mode drugs are chemicals. A compound similar folic acerb is simply a vitamin successful foods, but erstwhile fixed unsocial successful higher doses it becomes a cause that safeguards the processing tense system.”
Wurtman’s hunt for caller biologic properties and therapeutic uses of known molecules — hormones, nutrients, oregon existing pharmaceuticals — was highly fruitful. His probe connected the pineal gland, which started erstwhile helium was a aesculapian student, led to the find that melatonin, the hormone made by the gland, regulates sleep.
“Dick Wurtman was a pioneer successful studying the relation of neurotransmitters successful the brain, and neuroendocrine regularisation of mean and abnormal encephalon function,” says Newton Professor of Neuroscience Mriganka Sur, who served arsenic caput of the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences from 1997 to 2012. “His enactment connected the interaction of nutrition connected neurotransmitters specified arsenic acetylcholine and connected neuronal membrane synthesis laid the groundwork for aboriginal translational enactment connected encephalon diseases specified arsenic Alzheimer’s disease.”
Wurtman’s laboratory discovered that consuming carbohydrates increases tryptophan levels successful the encephalon and consequently the accumulation of the neurotransmitter serotonin. This led to a agelong collaboration with his woman Judith Wurtman, an MIT probe affiliate, successful which they recovered that carbohydrates were often consumed by individuals arsenic a signifier of self-medication erstwhile they experienced changes successful mood, specified arsenic precocious successful the day oregon erstwhile suffering from premenstrual syndrome (PMS). The Wurtmans’ probe led to the improvement of Sarafem, the archetypal cause for terrible PMS, and a drink, PMS Escape, utilized for milder forms of this syndrome.
To commercialize immoderate of his findings, Wurtman founded Interneuron Pharmaceuticals successful 1988; the institution was renamed Indevus successful 2002 and acquired by Endo Pharmaceuticals successful 2009.
Wurtman's probe precocious the thought that substrate availability, and not simply enzyme activity, tin power metabolic processes successful the brain. He discovered that the dietary availability of neurotransmitter precursors (e.g., acetylcholine, dopamine, and GABA) tin summation their levels successful the encephalon and modulate their metabolism. Moreover, helium applied this conception to synaptic structural components specified arsenic encephalon phosphatides and recovered that dietary intake of 3 rate-limiting precursors — uridine, choline, and the omega-3 fatty acerb DHA — led to accrued encephalon phosphatide levels, accrued dendritic spine density, and improved representation performance. These findings led to the improvement of Souvenaid, a specifically formulated multi-nutrient portion based connected the 3 indispensable phosphatide precursors of Wurtman's aboriginal research. It has been the taxable of galore objective trials for Alzheimer's disease, and, astir recently, for age-related cognitive decline.
“Dick Wurtman was a pioneer connected studying however nutrients power encephalon function,” says Li-Huei Tsai, Picower Professor of Neuroscience and manager of The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory. “His nutrient objective proceedings enactment and constitution of the MIT Clinical Research Center person been tremendously adjuvant for my ain enactment connected knowing however precocious doses of supplement choline could perchance assistance trim definite Alzheimer’s risk, and our team’s improvement of objective studies astatine MIT to trial Alzheimer’s therapies.”
“Dick’s bequest resides wrong the careers of hundreds of trainees and collaborators helium launched oregon enhanced, the 1,000-plus published probe articles, his galore patent awards, and radical who benefited from his therapeutic approaches,” says erstwhile postdoc Bertha Madras, present a prof of psychobiology astatine McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School. “Yet, these quantitative metrics, legacies of probe and mentoring, bash not exemplify the charitable qualities of this singular man. I witnessed his heavy intellect, boundless energy, enthusiasm, optimism, and generosity toward trainees, qualities that helped to prolong maine during crests and troughs encountered successful the adventures of a technological career. Dr. Richard Wurtman was a creative, superb scientist, a mentor, a devoted hubby to his beloved wife.”
“Dick was an inspiration, a motivation, and a usher to each his students and colleagues successful shaping thoughts to beryllium precise and purposeful,” says Tony Nader PhD ’89, who did his doctoral probe with Wurtman. “His rigorous technological attack and the exertion of his findings person contributed to marque beingness better. His bequest is huge.”
Richard and Judith Wurtman person besides made a lasting philanthropic interaction astatine MIT. They endowed a professorship successful the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences successful grant of the precocious Institute Professor and provost Walter Rosenblith; the seat was held archetypal by Ann Graybiel, who is present an Institute Professor; Nancy Kanwisher is the existent Walter A. Rosenblith Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience. The Wurtmans person besides been longtime supporters of MIT Hillel.
Elazer R. Edelman, the Edward J. Poitras Professor successful Medical Engineering and Science astatine MIT, prof of medicine astatine Harvard Medical School, and manager of the MIT Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, recalls that Wurtman was besides supportive of the Harvard-MIT Program successful Health Sciences and Technology: “He changed our schoolhouse and our satellite — helium and Judith coupled immense foundation with exceptional intellect and they made america each amended for it.”
Richard Wurtman is survived by his wife, Judith; girl Rachael; lad David and daughter-in-law Jean Chang; and grandchildren Dvora Toren, Yael Toren and Jacob Vider.
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