The Linus Pauling Institute is a research institute located at the

Oregon State University Oregon State University (OSU) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate degree programs and a variety of graduate and doctor ...

with a focus on health maintenance. The mission statement of the institute is to determine the functional roles of

micronutrients Micronutrients are essential chemicals required by organisms in small quantities to perform various biogeochemical processes and regulate physiological functions of cells and organs. By enabling these processes, micronutrients support the heal ...

and

phytochemicals Phytochemicals are naturally-occurring chemicals present in or extract, extracted from plants. Some phytochemicals are nutrients for the plant, while others are metabolites produced to enhance plant survivability and reproduction. The field ...

in promoting optimal health and to treat or prevent human disease, and to determine the role of

oxidative stress Oxidative stress reflects an imbalance between the systemic manifestation of reactive oxygen species and a biological system's ability to readily detoxify the reactive intermediates or to repair the resulting damage. Disturbances in the normal ...

and

inflammation Inflammation (from ) is part of the biological response of body tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants. The five cardinal signs are heat, pain, redness, swelling, and loss of function (Latin ''calor'', '' ...

in health and disease. There are several major areas of research occurring at the institute, focused on many vitamins, minerals and other compounds found in the diet. The Linus Pauling Institute of Science and Medicine was founded in 1973 in

Menlo Park, California Menlo Park ( ) is a city at the eastern edge of San Mateo County, California, San Mateo County in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, United States. It is bordered by San Francisco Bay on the north and east; East Palo Alto, California, Eas ...

Linus Pauling Linus Carl Pauling ( ; February 28, 1901August 19, 1994) was an American chemist and peace activist. He published more than 1,200 papers and books, of which about 850 dealt with scientific topics. ''New Scientist'' called him one of the 20 gre ...

and several colleagues under the name Institute of Orthomolecular Medicine. In 1974, the institute was renamed the Linus Pauling Institute of Science and Medicine. After Linus Pauling's death, it relocated to

in 1996, and was renamed the Linus Pauling Institute. Several researchers from the original institute, including the assistant director of research, went on to form the Genetic Information Research Institute in nearby Mountain View, CA. At Oregon State University, the institute operates under the Research Centers and Institutes under the university's Research Office. Since July 2020, the director of the Linus Pauling Institute is Emily Ho, a

nutritionist A nutritionist is a person who advises others on matters of food and Human nutrition, nutrition and their impacts on health. Some people specialize in particular areas, such as sports nutrition, public health, or animal nutrition, among other disci ...

. The institute is housed in the Linus Pauling Science Center, which opened in October 2011. It is the largest-ever academic building on the Oregon State University campus. The Linus Pauling Institute receives a significant amount of research funding from private and public organizations, such as the

National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in 1887 and is part of the United States Department of Health and Human Service ...

. The Linus Pauling Institute web site is home to the Micronutrient Information Center, an online database for vitamin, mineral, phytochemical and nutrition information. The institute also produces a free biannual newsletter with information on

micronutrient Micronutrients are essential chemicals required by organisms in small quantities to perform various biogeochemical processes and regulate physiological functions of cells and organs. By enabling these processes, micronutrients support the heal ...

research, sponsors several research awards, and promotes several outreach programs.

References

External links

Linus Pauling Institute
* ttp://scarc.library.oregonstate.edu/oh150/lpi/index.html Interview with Steve Lawson, Administrative Officer of the Linus Pauling Institutebr>The Founding of the Institute of Orthomolecular Medicine
8-part article, a
The Pauling Blog
(History of the LPI, 1969-2013) {{authority control Oregon State University Medical research institutes in the United States 1973 establishments in Oregon Medical and health organizations based in Oregon Research institutes in Oregon