Michel C. Nussenzweig (born 10 February 1955) is a professor and head of the Laboratory of Molecular Immunology at

The Rockefeller University The Rockefeller University is a private biomedical research and graduate-only university in New York City, New York. It focuses primarily on the biological and medical sciences and provides doctoral and postdoctoral education. It is classifi ...

and a

Howard Hughes Medical Institute The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) is an American non-profit medical research organization headquartered in Chevy Chase, Maryland with additional facilities in Ashburn, Virginia. It was founded in 1953 by Howard Hughes, an American busin ...

investigator. He is a member of both the US

National Academy of Medicine The National Academy of Medicine (NAM), known as the Institute of Medicine (IoM) until 2015, is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Medicine is a part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineerin ...

and the

US National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Natio ...

Education and career

Nussenzweig graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. degree from New York University College of Arts and Sciences in 1975. He earned a Ph.D. from The Rockefeller University in 1981 in cellular immunology, working in Zanvil A. Cohn’s laboratory with Ralph M. Steinman on groundbreaking studies of mouse dendritic cells. As a Ph.D. student, Nussenzweig was the first to show that dendritic cells present foreign antigens to initiate T cell immunity. He also produced the first dendritic cell-specific

monoclonal antibody A monoclonal antibody (mAb, more rarely called moAb) is an antibody produced from a cell lineage made by cloning a unique white blood cell. All subsequent antibodies derived this way trace back to a unique parent cell. Monoclonal antibodie ...

and cloned the first dendritic cell receptor. Nussenzweig received an M.D. from New York University School of Medicine in 1982 and completed his internship and residency in internal medicine, and a clinical fellowship in infectious diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital in 1985. From 1986 to 1989, he was a postdoctoral fellow in genetics in the Harvard Medical School laboratory of

Philip Leder Philip Leder (November 19, 1934 – February 2, 2020) was an American geneticist. Early life and education Leder was born in Washington, D.C., and studied at Harvard University, graduating in 1956. In 1960, he graduated from Harvard Medical Sch ...

. Nussenzweig returned to The Rockefeller University as an assistant professor in 1990 and he became an associate professor in 1994, and a professor and senior physician in 1996. In 2013, he was named the first Zanvil A. Cohn and Ralph M. Steinman Professor.

Summary of research achievements

Nussenzweig studies molecular aspects of the immune system’s adaptive and innate responses, using a combination of biochemistry, molecular biology, and genetics. Work on adaptive immunity focuses on B lymphocytes and antibodies to HIV-1, while work on innate immunity focuses on dendritic cells. The laboratory has isolated and cloned human antibodies to HIV-1 and explored their roles in prevention and therapy. In clinical trials, a broadly neutralizing antibody isolated from an HIV-infected patient was shown to be safe and effective and to interfere with chronic infection in a way that traditional antiretroviral therapy does not. His research has led to the development of innovative vaccines against infectious diseases and new treatments for autoimmunity.

Awards and honors

American Association of Immunologists American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

Meritorious Career Award, 2004 *

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...

, 2007 *Lee C. Howley Sr. Prize for Arthritis Research, 2008 *

, 2009 *

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the ...

, 2011 *

Brazilian Academy of Sciences Brazilian commonly refers to: * Brazil, a country * Brazilians, its people * Brazilian Portuguese, its dialect Brazilian may also refer to: * "The Brazilian", a 1986 instrumental music piece by Genesis * Brazilian Café, Baghdad, Iraq (1937) * Bra ...

, 2011 *Nobel Prize Lecture on behalf of Ralph Steinman, 2011 *Brazil Diaspora Prize, 2015 *

Spanish Royal Academy The Royal Spanish Academy (, ; ) is Spain's official royal institution with a mission to ensure the stability of the Spanish language. It is based in Madrid, Spain, and is affiliated with national language academies in 22 other Hispanophon ...

, 2016 *Rabbi Shai Shacknai Memorial Prize in Immunology and Cancer Research, 2016 * Robert Koch Award, 2016 * AAI-BioLegend Herzenberg Award, 2017 *Sanofi-Institut Pasteur Award, 2017

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nussenzweig, Michel C. 1955 births Living people New York University College of Arts & Science alumni Cell biologists Howard Hughes Medical Investigators Members of the National Academy of Medicine Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences Members of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences 21st-century American biologists Rockefeller University faculty