Stanley Cohen

Stanley Cohen

Stanley Cohen in his laboratory

Birth date	1922-11-17
Birth place	Brooklyn, New York, USA
Died	February 5, 2020(2020-02-05) (aged 97)
Place of death	Nashville, Tennessee, USA
Nationality	American
Known for	Discovery of nerve growth factor and epidermal growth factor
Awards	Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (1986)

Stanley Cohen (November 17, 1922 – February 5, 2020) was an American biochemist renowned for his discovery of nerve growth factor (NGF) and epidermal growth factor (EGF), which have had profound implications in the fields of cell biology and medicine. His work earned him the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1986, which he shared with Rita Levi-Montalcini.

Early Life and Education

Stanley Cohen was born in Brooklyn, New York, to a family of Jewish immigrants. He attended Brooklyn College, where he received his bachelor's degree in 1943. He then pursued a master's degree in zoology at Oberlin College, which he completed in 1945. Cohen earned his Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Michigan in 1948, where he conducted research on the metabolism of carbohydrates.

Career and Research

After completing his doctorate, Cohen worked at the University of Colorado and then at the Washington University in St. Louis, where he collaborated with Rita Levi-Montalcini. It was during this time that Cohen and Levi-Montalcini discovered the nerve growth factor, a protein that plays a crucial role in the growth and survival of nerve cells.

In 1959, Cohen joined the faculty at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. There, he continued his groundbreaking research and discovered the epidermal growth factor, a protein that stimulates cell growth and differentiation. This discovery was pivotal in understanding how cells communicate and respond to external signals, and it laid the foundation for the development of targeted cancer therapies.

Nobel Prize and Legacy

In 1986, Stanley Cohen and Rita Levi-Montalcini were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discoveries of growth factors. Cohen's work has had a lasting impact on the fields of developmental biology, oncology, and regenerative medicine.

Cohen's research has led to the development of drugs that target growth factor receptors, which are used in the treatment of various cancers. His contributions to science have been recognized with numerous awards and honors, and he is remembered as a pioneer in the field of biochemistry.

Personal Life

Stanley Cohen was known for his modesty and dedication to science. He was married to Jan Jordan Cohen, and they had two children. Cohen passed away on February 5, 2020, in Nashville, Tennessee, at the age of 97.

Also see

• Rita Levi-Montalcini
• Nerve growth factor
• Epidermal growth factor
• Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
• Vanderbilt University