Adolfo de Bold
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Adolfo José de Bold (February 14, 1942October 22, 2021) was an Argentinian-Canadian cardiovascular researcher, best known for his discovery of
atrial natriuretic peptide Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) or atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) is a natriuretic peptide hormone secreted from the cardiac atria that in humans is encoded by the NPPA gene. Natriuretic peptides (ANP, BNP, and CNP) are a family of hormone/pa ...
(ANP), a polypeptide
hormone A hormone (from the Greek participle , "setting in motion") is a class of signaling molecules in multicellular organisms that are sent to distant organs by complex biological processes to regulate physiology and behavior. Hormones are required ...
secreted by heart muscle cells. The hormone plays a role in regulating blood pressure, blood volume, and cardiovascular growth, and its discovery proved the
endocrine The endocrine system is a messenger system comprising feedback loops of the hormones released by internal glands of an organism directly into the circulatory system, regulating distant target organs. In vertebrates, the hypothalamus is the neu ...
function of the heart. De Bold was an officer of the
Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...
and was an inductee into the
Canadian Medical Hall of Fame __NOTOC__ The Canadian Medical Hall of Fame is a Canadian charitable organization, founded in 1994, that honours Canadians who have contributed to the understanding of disease and improving the health of people. It has an exhibit hall in London, O ...
.


Early life

De Bold was born Adolfo José de Bold on February 14, 1942, to Ana Patriarca and Adolfo Guillermo de Bold in
Paraná, Entre Ríos Paraná () is the capital city of the Argentine province Entre Ríos, located on the eastern shore of the Paraná River, opposite the city of Santa Fe, capital of the neighbouring Santa Fe Province. The city has a population of 247,863 (). Hi ...
in eastern Argentina. His mother was a homemaker and his father was a bureaucrat. Before moving to Canada in 1968, De Bold obtained his
Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...
degree in clinical biochemistry at the faculty of chemical sciences of the
National University of Córdoba The National University of Córdoba ( es, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba,) is an institution of higher education in the city of Córdoba, Argentina. Founded in 1613, the university is the oldest in Argentina, the third oldest university of t ...
. His move to Canada was prompted by a dissatisfaction with the Argentine scientific faculties, particularly challenges in publishing research in international journals and publications. Later discussing the move, he said that he moved to Canada with his scientist wife, Mercedes Kuroski de Bold, "with no plan whatsoever for the future". He then obtained his
Master of Science A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...
degree in 1972 and a
Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...
in 1973 from the department of pathology at Queen's University in
Kingston, Ontario Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the north-eastern end of Lake Ontario, at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River (south end of the Rideau Canal). The city is midway between Toro ...
, under the direction of Sergio Bencosme.Lumley E. ''Canadian Who's Who 2003'' (University of Toronto Press; 2003) ()University of Ottawa Heart Institute: Adolfo de Bold OC, PhD, FRSC
(accessed December 4, 2008)


Career

De Bold began his career working at the Queen's University in 1974, becoming a professor in 1985. In 1986, he became director of research at the
University of Ottawa Heart Institute The University of Ottawa Heart Institute (UOHI) ''(French: Institut de cardiologie de l'Université d'Ottawa (ICUO))'' is Canada's largest cardiovascular health centre. It is located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It began as a department in The Ottaw ...
, a position he held until 1993. In 2008, de Bold was the director of the cardiovascular endocrinology laboratory at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, and also an assistant professor of pathology and cellular and molecular medicine at the
University of Ottawa The University of Ottawa (french: Université d'Ottawa), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ottawa ...
.


Research

De Bold started his research career studying storage granules found in the upper chambers of the heart whose function was not understood at the time. While similar granules had been found in the
endocrine gland Endocrine glands are ductless glands of the endocrine system that secrete their products, hormones, directly into the blood. The major glands of the endocrine system include the pineal gland, pituitary gland, pancreas, ovaries, testes, thyroid ...
s including the
pancreas The pancreas is an organ of the digestive system and endocrine system of vertebrates. In humans, it is located in the abdomen behind the stomach and functions as a gland. The pancreas is a mixed or heterocrine gland, i.e. it has both an end ...
, their function within the heart was not known. Studying this in collaboration with his wife and fellow researcher, Kuroski de Bold, they hypothesized that the structures were linked to a hormone secreted by the heart to balance the salt and water linked effects on blood pressure. The hypotheses had been proposed earlier by other scientists, but had not been validated. Studies by De Bold and his wife, along with Harold Sonnenberg, a
University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...
physiologist, demonstrated that the secretion mimicked insulin in regulating blood sugar as well as lowering salt and blood pressure. In 1980, this work led to his discovery and isolation of
atrial natriuretic peptide Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) or atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) is a natriuretic peptide hormone secreted from the cardiac atria that in humans is encoded by the NPPA gene. Natriuretic peptides (ANP, BNP, and CNP) are a family of hormone/pa ...
(ANP) alternately known as atrial natriuretic factor (ANF), a polypeptide
hormone A hormone (from the Greek participle , "setting in motion") is a class of signaling molecules in multicellular organisms that are sent to distant organs by complex biological processes to regulate physiology and behavior. Hormones are required ...
secreted by
heart muscle Cardiac muscle (also called heart muscle, myocardium, cardiomyocytes and cardiac myocytes) is one of three types of vertebrate muscle tissues, with the other two being skeletal muscle and smooth muscle. It is an involuntary, striated muscle tha ...
cells or mammalian atrial cardiocyte. This was the first demonstration that the heart has an
endocrine The endocrine system is a messenger system comprising feedback loops of the hormones released by internal glands of an organism directly into the circulatory system, regulating distant target organs. In vertebrates, the hypothalamus is the neu ...
function. De Bold's team went on to show that the heart modulates blood pressure, blood volume, and cardiovascular growth via ANP. The discovery also led to what was called the ''Heart Hormone Patent Wars'', with laboratories across the world racing to try and synthesize the hormone in what was considered the heart's hormone equivalent of
insulin Insulin (, from Latin ''insula'', 'island') is a peptide hormone produced by beta cells of the pancreatic islets encoded in humans by the ''INS'' gene. It is considered to be the main anabolic hormone of the body. It regulates the metabolism o ...
, with the rationale that the hormone could be used to treat heart conditions and also, to diagnose heart attacks. Lacking partnerships with drug companies, De Bold and his team at Queen's University found themselves at a disadvantage driving practical applications. Eventually, the team was able to synthesize the hormone. The discovery of ANP opened up a new field of research that has resulted in multiple therapeutic and diagnostic applications in
heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, a ...
.


Awards and honours

De Bold received many awards for his work on ANP, including the
Gairdner Foundation International Award The Canada Gairdner International Award is given annually by the Gairdner Foundation at a special dinner to five individuals for outstanding discoveries or contributions to medical science. Receipt of the Gairdner is traditionally considered a p ...
(1986),
Manning Innovation Awards The Manning Innovation Awards are awarded by the Ernest C. Manning Awards Foundation to recognize and encourage innovation in Canada. By means of a nomination, Canadian resident citizens, who have demonstrated recent innovative talent in developi ...
Principal Award (1986),
Royal Society of Canada The Royal Society of Canada (RSC; french: Société royale du Canada, SRC), also known as the Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences of Canada (French: ''Académies des arts, des lettres et des sciences du Canada''), is the senior national, bil ...
McLaughlin Medal in Medical Research (1988),RSC: The Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences of Canada: McLaughlin Medal
(accessed December 4, 2008)
International Society of Hypertension International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...
Research Award (1990), CIBA Award of the
American Heart Association The American Heart Association (AHA) is a nonprofit organization in the United States that funds cardiovascular medical research, educates consumers on healthy living and fosters appropriate cardiac care in an effort to reduce disability and death ...
(1994), the
American Society of Hypertension The American Society of Hypertension (abbreviated ASH) was an American non-profit professional society dedicated to advancing research on hypertension and related cardiovascular diseases. History The ASH was founded in 1985 by 17 scientists and phy ...
Research Award, and the Gran Prix Scientifique Lefoulon-Delalande,
Institut de France The (; ) is a French learned society, grouping five , including the Académie Française. It was established in 1795 at the direction of the National Convention. Located on the Quai de Conti in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, the institute m ...
(2014). The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario included the discovery of ANP among its top ten research discoveries of the past fifty years. He was a fellow of the
Royal Society of Canada The Royal Society of Canada (RSC; french: Société royale du Canada, SRC), also known as the Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences of Canada (French: ''Académies des arts, des lettres et des sciences du Canada''), is the senior national, bil ...
and of the
American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an American international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific respons ...
. In 1992, he was appointed an officer of the
Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...
. In 2014, he was inducted into the
Canadian Medical Hall of Fame __NOTOC__ The Canadian Medical Hall of Fame is a Canadian charitable organization, founded in 1994, that honours Canadians who have contributed to the understanding of disease and improving the health of people. It has an exhibit hall in London, O ...
.


Personal life

De Bold married fellow scientist and collaborator Mercedes Kuroski, a classmate in Argentina. The couple had five children. While settled in Canada, the family maintained their ties to Argentina, spending a month annually vacationing in the country. Adolfo J. de Bold died on October 22, 2021, in
Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
, Canada, aged 79.


Key papers

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References


External links


University of Ottawa Heart Institute: Adolfo de Bold OC, Ph.D., FRSC
{{DEFAULTSORT:De Bold, Adolfo J. 1942 births 2021 deaths Argentine cardiologists Canadian cardiologists Officers of the Order of Canada Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada University of Ottawa faculty Queen's University at Kingston alumni Argentine emigrants to Canada