Roderick MacKinnon

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Roderick MacKinnon, M.D.

Roderick MacKinnon is an American biophysicist and neuroscientist renowned for his pioneering work on the structure and function of ion channels. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2003, which he shared with Peter Agre, for their discoveries concerning channels in cell membranes.

Early Life and Education

Roderick MacKinnon was born on February 19, 1956, in Burlington, Massachusetts. He completed his undergraduate studies in biochemistry at Brandeis University in 1978. He then earned his M.D. from Tufts University School of Medicine in 1982.

Career

After completing his medical degree, MacKinnon decided to pursue a career in research rather than clinical practice. He joined the laboratory of Christopher Miller at Brandeis University, where he began his work on ion channels. In 1996, he moved to Rockefeller University, where he is currently a professor and head of the Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology and Biophysics.

Research

MacKinnon's research has focused on the structure and function of ion channels, which are proteins that allow ions to pass through cell membranes. His work has provided significant insights into how these channels operate at a molecular level. In 1998, MacKinnon and his colleagues published the first high-resolution structure of an ion channel, the potassium channel, using X-ray crystallography. This groundbreaking work revealed the detailed architecture of the channel and how it selectively allows potassium ions to pass through while blocking other ions.

Awards and Honors

• Nobel Prize in Chemistry (2003)
• Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research (1999)
• Gairdner Foundation International Award (2001)
• Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize (2003)

Personal Life

Roderick MacKinnon is married to Alice Lee, a biochemist who has collaborated with him on several research projects. They have two children.

See Also

• Ion channel
• Potassium channel
• X-ray crystallography
• Neuroscience
• Biophysics